Lecture 5

Question 0

Can we always perceive the actual reality?

Answer 0

No, there is so much stimulus in the world that we can’t take it all in
May not be completely accurate

Question 1

What is Perception?

Answer 1

The process in which we attend to info and assign meaning to it

Question 2

What are the three stages of perception?

Answer 2

Selection - use perceptual filters to screen out unimportant info

Organisation - organise info into a familiar, efficient, understandable pattern

Interpretation - assign meaning

Question 3

What is an example of interpretation?

Answer 3

Seeing a style of number (4191 4667) and immediately seeing it as a phone number

Question 4

What is perception guided by?

Answer 4

Needs (Thirst)
Interests (Movies)
Expectations (Going to a lion exhibit and seeing a lion)

Question 5

What is self-concept?

Answer 5

The idea/mental image we have of our selves.

The sense of identity

Question 6

What is self-esteem?

Answer 6

Our overall evaluation of our self-concept

Question 7

What is the Impression Formation Theory?

Answer 7

The act of quickly forming enduring impressions (First impressions count)

Question 8

What is the Primacy-recency Effect?

Answer 8

It’s the act of people remembering the first and last impressions of an interaction

Primary and recency memory

Question 9

Why do we pre-evaluate others?

Answer 9

Regarding fight or flight mechanism.

Sensing dangerous people

Question 10

What is the Uncertainty Reduction Theory?

Answer 10

Since uncertainty is uncomfortable, we try to predict other people’s behaviour

Question 11

How do we base our evaluations of people?

Answer 11

We usually base our evaluations on stereotypes (Race, gender, appearance)

Question 12

What are cultural level predictions?

Answer 12

Predictions based on race, religion

Question 13

What are sociological level predictions?

Answer 13

Predictions based on age, gender, social standing

Question 14

What are psychological level predictions?

Answer 14

Predictions based on all areas of information that can be taken before interaction

Question 15

What are stereotypes?

Answer 15

Widely shared judgements about members of a social group (Christians are against homosexuality)
Not always accurate

Question 16

What is the Implicit Personality Theory?

Answer 16

Making assumptions on physical characteristics with personality traits and behaviours (The `Dumb Blonde’ theory)

Question 17

What is the Halo Effect?

Answer 17

Perceiving a whole set of personality characteristics based on only one

Question 18

What is Selective Perception?

Answer 18

The tendency to pay attention to what we expect to see/hear and ignore what we don’t expect

Question 19

What is Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

Answer 19

When a prediction comes true because you acted that it was true

Question 20

What are attributions?

Answer 20

Process by which we assign motives and causes of behaviour

Question 21

What is the dispositional attribution?

Answer 21

Cause as due to the person (Internal) (They don’t care about being here and that is why they are late)

Question 22

What are situational attributions?

Answer 22

Attribute cause to aspects of the situation (External) (The questions on the test were too hard and that is why I failed)

Question 23

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error?

Answer 23

More likely to blame others when things go wrong (Dispositional)
than believe it was beyond their control (situational)

Question 24

What is the Self-serving Bias?

Answer 24

Take credit for the positive, deny the responsibility for the negative

Question 25

What is consistency?

Answer 25

Basing our perceptions of peoples actions on previous relations or actions by the person

Question 26

What is prejudice?

Answer 26

A positive or negative attitude/judgement directed to a person just because they belong to a certain group

Question 27

What is discrimination?

Answer 27

A negative action toward a social group or its members based on group membership.