Perception Flashcards
What are the elements of Social Perception?
Physical appearance (visual stereotypes)
Context (situation)
Nonverbal behaviour
What is physical appearance Social Perception?
We exact information quickly and make similar judgements of faces.
Usually, there’s consensus in judgements across perceivers.
What is context Social Perception?
the situation provides a context that helps us interpret ambiguous expressions
What is nonverbal behaviour Social Perception?
recognising basic emotions and facial expressions
More accurate for members of own cultures
What is attribution?
how people explain the causes of behaviour and construct theories to explain others behaviours based on personal and situational explanations
Explain the types of attribution
Personal attribution = an internal characteristic of the person caused the behaviour
Situational attribution = an external factor caused the behaviour
What are attributing outcomes?
stable factors give people a sense of prediction and control
Describe the Correspondent Inference Theory
attribute behaviour to a corresponding personality trait or disposition
How are inferences made in the Correspondent Inference Theory?
behaviour is more informative of an enduring disposition when:
- freely chosen
- unexpected - departs from what norms and roles dictate
- produces fewer desirable effects
What is the Covariation Model?
people are naïve scientists
covariation principle means the cause of behaviour should be present when the behaviour occurs and absent when it does not
What are the three types of information used in the Covariation Model?
Consensus - do people react similarly to this stimulus?
Distinctiveness - does this person react differently to other stimuli?
Consistency - does this person react similarly to this stimulus on other occasions?
Limitations of the Covariation Model
can be poor at determining covariation, may simply attribute causality to most salient feature, requires multiple observations
Identify the Biasing factors
fundamental attribution error
Belief in a just world
What are fundamental attribution error factors?
tendency to overlook situational factors and instead make internal attributions for others behaviour
What is the underlying process of fundamental attribution error factors?
two step process:
- identify the behaviour and make personal attribution - fast and automatic
- amend attribution to account for situational factors - requires thought and effort
Why are disposition inferences primary?
we attribute events to factors that are perceptually salient; those that stand out to us
person is salient = internal attribution
situation is salient = external attribution
What are the cultural factors of fundamental attribution error factors?
largely demonstrated in western cultures
Western cultures = traits to describe person - independent view of self
Easten countries = context is important - interdependent view
What is the belief in a just world factor?
when bad things happen to good people it threatens our belief in a just world and internal attributions are more likely as threat increases
What is Confirmation biases?
when initial biases can persist even when more information is presented
Identify the 3 types of confirmation biases
perseverance of belief
confirmatory hypothesis testing
self-fulfilling prophecy
What is the perseverance of beliefs?
when people think about their theories or opinions it consolidates the viewpoint
What is confirmatory hypothesis testing?
We actively search for information to confirm our hypothesis
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
perceivers expectations influences the perceiver’s behaviour towards the target, which influences the behaviour of the target toward the perceiver
