Social Behaviour (W4)

Question 1

What can influence how we perceive people? How?

Answer 1

People make impressions of others based on their perceived attributes. This can be based from:
- Attractiveness/Appearance.
- Personality.

Different cultures have different perceived attributes on individuals.
- E.g., in China, it is believed that those who have a monobrow = aggressive.

Question 2

What are attributions?

Answer 2

Inferences/judgements that people make in order to explain behaviours of their own or others.

Question 3

What are the types of attribution?

Answer 3

Internal:
- AKA Dispositional.
- When an attribute is due to the person’s traits, characteristics, smt INTERNAL.
E.g., Someone passed their test bc they’re smart.

External:
- AKA situational.
- When attribute is due to external factors, circumstances, or situational influences.
E.g., Someone failed their test bc the test sucked.

Question 4

Limitations of attributes?

Answer 4

Subject to biases:

• Cultural: individualistic cultures emphasise on internal attributes, whereas collectivists emphasise on external attributes.
• Fundamental Attribution Error: Blaming other’s behaviour on internal attributes when it’s actually the external attributes.
  E.g., ‘They lost the game bc they threw and have no skill’ when in reality their wifi cut off.
• Self-Serving Bias: When successful behaviours are usually associated with internal attributes.

Question 5

How does attributions lead to the creation of stereotypes?

Answer 5

Attributions can create stereotypes:
- Consistent Fundamental and Self-serving biases can create stereotypes in people of certain groups.

Question 6

What is prejudice?

Answer 6

Tendency to prejudge others on the basis of negative attributes of their group membership.
- Involves cognitive and affective components.

Question 7

What are the types of prejudice? Can these be measured?

Answer 7

Explicit: Verbalised and made public.
- Difficult to measure.

Implicit: Prejudicial attitudes, values, or beliefs.
- Measured using Implicit Association Test.

Question 8

What is contact hypothesis? What are the optimal conditions?

Answer 8

Proposes that contact between groups can reduce prejudice.
- Optimal conditions for the hypothesis to be met = equal status, common goals, cooperation, support from law, authorities.

Question 9

What are some examples to achieve the contact hypothesis?

Answer 9

Implement Diversity in the workplace.

Community practice: gathers people from multiple backgrounds together.

School intergroup: schools should be available to all groups.