Social Topic 2 Flashcards
Attribution Theory
A framework in social psychology explaining how individuals interpret the causes of behavior—either internal (dispositional) or external (situational).
Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)
The tendency to overestimate dispositional (internal) factors and underestimate situational (external) factors when explaining others’ behavior.
- Ultimate Attribution Error: The same but for groups
Actor-Observer Effect
The tendency for actors to attribute their own behavior to situational factors, while observers attribute the same behavior to dispositional factors.
Above-Average Effect (Self-Serving Bias)
The tendency to overestimate one’s abilities compared to others, often to maintain self-esteem.
False Uniqueness Effect
The tendency to underestimate how common our positive traits and abilities are.
False Consensus Effect
The tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs, opinions, or behaviors.
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information that confirms preexisting beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Availability Heuristic
A mental shortcut where people judge the frequency or likelihood of an event based on how easily they can recall examples.
Study on Availability Heuristics
Schwarz et al. (1991) – People who recalled 6 examples of assertiveness felt more assertive than those asked to recall 12 examples because recalling 12 was harder.
Anchoring Bias
The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information received (the anchor) when making decisions.
Framing Effect
The way information is presented influences decision-making.
Representativeness Heuristic
A mental shortcut where people judge probability based on how much something resembles a typical case.
Limitations of Heuristics & Biases Work
- Overemphasis on Errors
- Artificial Conditions
- Individual & Cultural Differences
- Ecological Validity
- Dual-Process Models
Conjunction Fallacy
The mistaken belief that specific conditions are more probable than a single general one.
Artificial Conditions
Studies use hypothetical tasks that don’t reflect real-world decision-making.
Overemphasis on Errors
Focuses on irrationality but ignores when heuristics work well.
Individual & Cultural Differences
Biases vary across cultures and individuals.
Ecological Validity
Real-world decisions are more complex than lab-based experiments.
Dual-Process Models
Heuristics don’t fully explain the interaction between System 1 (fast) and System 2 (slow) thinking.
