UNIT 4.3 Flashcards
Person or interpersonal perception
is how we understand and interpret other people during interactions and communication
-It involves impression formation which Involves obtaining and processing information and giving meaning to perceptions
Factors influencing impression formation
-Cognitive schemata
-Perceptual distortions:
Cognitive schemata
-Schemata
-Central characteristics
-Peripheral characteristics
Mental ideas we have about how others should behave.
Schemata
Mental pictures we create about how we think others should act in different roles
Central characteristics
Traits that are seen as very important, and people don’t change their opinions about these traits easily
Peripheral characteristics
Traits that are seen as less important and don’t affect their opinions as much.
Event schemas
These are specific ideas about how people should act in certain situations.
The primacy effect
means that first impressions are seen as more important than later information when we form ideas about other people.
What is a by-product of the primary effect
self-fulfilling prophecy
self-fulfilling prophecy
This means people often act in ways that match how others expect them to act.
This is related to confirmation bias
confirmation bias
The tendency of people to behave in ways that confirm what they already believe about each other.
Physical appearance and other attraction determinants
-people often judge others’ personalities based on their appearance
Stereotypes
=Stereotypes are a type of schema. They are fixed beliefs that people in the same group or social category share certain traits
Halo effect
-happens when people form an overall impression of someone based mainly on one feature.
Contrast effect
happen when we judge people by comparing them to others, especially those we’ve interacted with recently
Projection
People often think that others have the same thoughts, feelings, and motives as they do.
This means they project their own experiences onto others.
Three sources of information that are used to decide on the nature of an attribution or causing factor
These three factors help us understand whether a behavior is due to the person’s personality or the situation they’re in:
-Distinctiveness: Does the person behave differently in different situations
-Consistency: Does the person behave the same way every time in the same situation
-Consensus:Do other people behave similarly in the same situation
Attribution errors and biases
-Fundamental attribution error
-Actor-observer effect
-Defensive attribution bias
-Self-serving bias
-The just-world hypothesis
Fundamental attribution error
when people tend to think that someone’s behavior is mostly due to their personality or traits, rather than the situation they’re in.
Actor-observer effect
when people explain others’ behavior by blaming their personality but explain their own behavior by blaming the situation.
Defensive attribution bias
when people try to make themselves look good to others or feel good about themselves.
Self-serving bias
When people:
Credit their successes to their own abilities or traits
Blame their failures on external factors
The just-world hypothesis
is the idea that people believe the world is fair, so they think that bad things happen to people because of their own actions.
Methods to enhance impression formation:
-Self-enhancing behaviours
-Enhancing other people and organisations
Perceptual distortions
The primacy effect
Physical appearance
Stereotypes
Halo effect
Contrast effect
Projection
