Week 3: Attributes & Attitudes Flashcards
What is the fundamental attribution error? (FAE)
People’s tendency to draw correspondent inferences attributing behavior to internal qualities and underestimating situational factors,
What are causal attributions?
When we explain events in terms of certain causes. (Your friend is sad because he got broken up with). They are an automatic process.
What are the 2 dimensions on causal attributions (factors that influence causal attributions)?
Locus of causality: whether it is internal (the individual’s fault) or external (the environment)
Stability: whether the attribution is persistant over time –> internal and external attributions can either be stable or unstable
Stable attributes allow for a stronger expectation for similar behaviour
What is a causal schema? Where does it come from? What is it for?
A causal schema is a theory we hold about the likely cause of a specific event. They either come from personal experience or cultural knowledge. We use it when we make causal attribution about an expected life event.
What are correspondent inferences?
The idea that people observe other’s actions to infer their attitudes, desires and traits. It is part if how we reach FAE
In what 2 ways do people make attributions of behaviour they observe?
1) through schemas (causal schemas) if this then this
2) through observation, what is salient (FAE)
What is the actor-observer effect?
💆♀️💅🥰
As observers we make internal attributions to behavior of others (he failed because HE didn’t study) whereas as actors we make external attributions about our behavior (i failed because the test was hard. )
This ofc tho we use internal attributions for our successes
In which conditions does the FAE hold?
The FAE is used when an individual has limited attention and energy to devote to situational factors. –> 3 stages of attribution process
Different individuals will have different level of motivation to focus
FAE is categorized as a product of individualistic cultures. People in collectivist cultures are more attentive to external factors and therefore weight them more when trying to understand individual’s behavior.
What is the elaboration likelihood model?
The idea that a persuasive message can influence attitudes through 2 distinct routes. The route an individual is more likely to adopt depends on their motivation and ability to reflect on the information presented.
What are the 2 routes to persuasion (according to ELM)?
The central route to persuasion: when you think carefully about the argument (info being shared) that is being presented. It is effortful and requires thought generation
The peripheral route to persuasion is followed by individual who do not or cannot put effort into critically assessing the argument. They are influenced by peripheral cues –> which are guided by schemas. It is automatic and effortless
What factors affect the likelihood of cognitive elaboration of a message?
Also think of this as the factors that influence what route to persuasion you choose to use.
1) the motivation to think: more motivated people are likely to pay attention to quality of argument
2) the ability to think: when people are motivated but not allowed to properly think (distractions) they take the peripheral route
Do attributes analysed through the central and peripheral routes to persuasion have the same effect if behavior?
Arguments formed through the central route are stronger; more resistant to counter arguments and last longer. They are also more likely to influence how people behave.
The peripheral route, by contrast supports attitudes thought simple associations and inferences which decay over time.
What is an attitude?
The evaluation of a stimulus, it can be good or bad. 🤔🧐🤨
These beliefs usually stem from a combo of beliefs, feelings and past experiences.
Why do attitudes not predict behavior?
1) people do not know what their attitudes are
2) even if attitude is clear other factors may pull ppl in a different direction
Factors that affect how well attitudes predict behaviour
1) the influence of self presentational concern –> being worried to express what one believes in public
- the presence of implicit attitudes (ideas ppl aren’t aware they have) supports this. These aren’t influenced by self-presentational concerns and are more likely to predict certain behaviors.
2) how strong the attitude is (the stronger the greater the influence)–> the attitude will be stronger when: it stems from personal experience, it is more connected to the self, if the attitude domain is important
3) accessibility: the attitude that is most accessible will be the one that is most likely to guide behavior. –> link to priming
