Problem 1 Chapter 3

Question 1

What are the three attribution theories

Answer 1

• naive psychologist
• internal/dispositional attribution
• external /situational attribution

Question 2

What is the naive psychologist attribution theory?

Answer 2

Characterises people as using, rational, scientific like, cause -effect analyses to understand the world

Question 3

What is internal(dispositional) attribution?

Answer 3

Process of assigning the cause of our own or other ma Behaviour to internal or dispositional factors

Question 4

What is external (situational) attribution theory?

Answer 4

Assigning the cause of our own Behaviour to external or environmental factors

Question 5

What is the correspondent inference?

Answer 5

Causal attribution of Behaviour to underlying dispositions.

• When do we conclude whether someone’s specific Behaviour corresponds to his/her dispositions?
• We prefer to make dispositional(internal) attributions because this makes people predictable, increase a sense of control over the world

Question 6

When do we make internal correspondent attributions?

Answer 6

• The Behaviour is freely chosen
• The Behaviour is non common
• The Behaviour is high in personalism(quality of being personal)
• The Behaviour is low in social desirability (quality of being desirable)
• The Behaviour is hedonic relevant

Question 7

What is the covariation model/attribution theory(Kelley)?

Answer 7

People determine the cause of someone’s Behaviour by focusing on three types of information

1. Consistency
2. Distinctiveness
3. Consensus

Question 8

Describe with examples the three types of information that the covariation model(‘a attribution thwory(Kelley) focus on

Answer 8

Consistency: Does Tom smile always at the blonde cashier (high) or only sometimes (low).

Distinctiveness: Does Tom smile at all (low)the cashiers or only at the blonde one (high)

Consensus: Does everyone smile at the blonde cashier(high) or sit only Tom(low)

Question 9

Criticism on covariation model/attribution theory (Kelley)?

Answer 9

• Kelley assumes people are rational observers and they have enough time to process all 3 types of information
• We often make the fundamental attribution erro or

Question 10

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Answer 10

• We overestimate the influence of personality variables
• We underestimate the influence of the situation

-Because:
.We see what we want to see (selective perception)

.We have wring expectations 

.we operate an automatic pilot

Question 11

What is causal schemata?

Answer 11

Experience-based beliefs about how certain types off cause interact to produce an effect (eg: I give ten euros to a restaurant because I know they will give me a good table)

Question 12

What is emotion liability?

Answer 12

Emotions can change depending on what kind of attributions we make for what we are experiencing

Question 13

What is self perception theory?

Answer 13

We gain knowledge of ourselves only by making self-attributions

Question 14

What is the task performance theory?

Answer 14

Causes and consequences of the sorts of attribution made for people’s successes or failures for a task

Question 15

What is attributional style?

Answer 15

An individual predisposition ti make a certain type of causal distribution for Behaviour

Question 16

What are the attribution all biases?

Answer 16

• Cognitive miser:
• Heuristics
• Correspondence bias
• Fundamental attribution error

Question 17

What is a cognitive miser?

Answer 17

Bias of attribution where people use the least complex and demanding cognition that are able to produce generally adaptive behaviors

Question 18

What is a heuristic?

Answer 18

A cognitive short cut

Question 19

What is the correspondence bias?

Answer 19

General attribution bias I. Which people have an inflated tendency to see behaviour as reflecting stable underlying personality attributes

Question 20

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Answer 20

Bias in attributing another’s Behaviour more internal than to situational causes

Question 21

What is an actor observer effect?

Answer 21

Tendency to attribute our own Behaviour externally (environmental factors) and others behaviour internally(dispositional factors)

Question 22

What is the false consensus effect?

Answer 22

Seeing our own Behaviour as being more typical than it really is. We assume that in other circumstances others would behave in the same way

Question 23

What is a self serving bias?

Answer 23

Attributional distortions that protect or enhance self esteem of the self concept (ego serving)

Question 24

What is self handicapping?

Answer 24

Publicly making advanced external attributions for our anticipated failure or poor performance in a forthcoming effect

Question 25

What is the illusion of control?

Answer 25

The belief that we have more control over our world than we really do

Question 26

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 26

Evaluative preference for all aspects of our own group relative to other groups

Question 27

What is the ultimate attribution error?

Answer 27

Tendency to attribute bad outgroup and good ingroup internally and to attribute good outgroup and bad ingroup Behaviour externally

Question 28

What is essentialism?

Answer 28

The tendency to consider that Behaviour reflects often innate (since birth) properties of people or the groups they belong to

Question 29

What is the outcome bias?

Answer 29

Assume that people do things because they thought about it l, it is wanted (eg someone is mean you think it’s your fault)

Question 30

What is the social encoding for people?

Answer 30

To memorize people linking them to inferences we already know of