1/2 psych

• What is person perception?

  Different mental processes used to understand and form impressions of other people.
• How are first impressions formed?

  They are usually based on very little information and made in less than a second.
• What is the relationship between first impressions and mutual judgment?


  While we are judging others, they are also judging us.
• What are attributions in psychology?


  An evaluation made about the causes of behavior.
• What are the two types of attributions?

  Internal (personal) and external (situational).
• What are the steps in the cognitive process of creating an attribution?

  1. Observation of outward act of behavior.
  2. Conscious determination or acknowledgment of behavior.
  3. Attribution of causes to the observed behavior.
• What is an example of an attribution made after observing someone running down a busy street?

  Inferring that the cause is disorganization and being late.
• What is the fundamental attribution error?

  The tendency to explain others' behavior in terms of internal factors while ignoring external factors.
• How does the just-world belief relate to attributions?

  It leads us to believe that people get what they deserve, influencing our attributions.
• How does our attribution of our own behavior differ from that of others?

  We tend to blame the situation for our behavior rather than internal factors.
• What is the effect of attributions on future actions?

  They can influence how we respond to similar situations in the future.
• What are attitudes in psychology?

  Evaluations of something, such as a person, object, event, or idea.
• How can attitudes vary among individuals?

  They can vary in strength and differ between people and items.
• What are the criteria for attitude formation?

  1. Must be an evaluation of something.
  2. Must be settled and stable.
  3. Must be learned through experience.
• What does the tri-component model of attitudes propose?

  An attitude must have affective, behavioral, and cognitive components present.
• What are the three components of the tri-component model of attitudes?

  1. Affective: Emotions and feelings.
  2. Behavioral: Observable actions.
  3. Cognitive: Thoughts and beliefs.
• What do psychologists suggest about the consistency of attitude components?


  Only affective and cognitive components need to be present for an attitude to exist.
• What was La Pierre's experiment about?

  • Studied the relationship between attitudes and behavior.
  • Examined discrimination against a Chinese couple.
  • Found inconsistency between attitudes and actual behavior.
• What is stereotyping?


  A widely held belief and generalization about a group, assuming all members share the same characteristics.
• What are the advantages of stereotyping?

  They help us perceive others and make sense of the social world.
• What are some problems associated with stereotyping?

  Oversimplified and inaccurate judgments of individuals, often negative.
• What is cognitive dissonance?


  Psychological tension that occurs when our thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors do not align.
• How can cognitive dissonance be reduced?

  By changing thoughts or behaviors to align with each other.
• What are cognitive biases?


  Unconscious, systematic tendencies to interpret information in a way that distorts reality.
• What are some examples of cognitive biases?

  • Confirmation bias
  • Halo effect
  • False-consensus bias
  • Self-serving bias
  • Actor-observer bias
• What is confirmation bias?

  The tendency to search for and accept information that supports our prior beliefs while ignoring contradictory information.
• What is the halo effect?


  The tendency for one quality of a person to influence our overall beliefs about them.
• What is false-consensus bias?

  The tendency to overestimate how many people share our ideas and attitudes.
• What is self-serving bias?

  The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors.
• What is actor-observer bias?

  The tendency to attribute our actions to external factors while attributing others' actions to internal factors.
• What is the illusion of control?

  The tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events.
• What are heuristics?


  • Information processing strategies or 'mental shortcuts.'
  • Enable quick judgments, decisions, and problem-solving.
  • Can lead to bias and incorrect judgments.
• What is the base-rate fallacy?

  A bias where decisions are influenced more by vivid memories than by statistical facts.
• What is prejudice?


  Prejudgment made about others before interacting with them, stemming from emotion rather than reason.
• How does discrimination relate to prejudice?


  Discrimination is the unjust treatment of people due to their membership in a social category, resulting from prejudice.
• What is stigma?


  The feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual due to being stereotyped.
• What are the types of stigma?

  • Social stigma: Negative labels from widespread beliefs.
  • Self-stigma: Internalization of negative stereotypes leading to low self-esteem.
• How can stigma influence mental wellbeing?

  It can lead to feelings of alienation, stress, and increased susceptibility to mental health problems.
• What are some approaches to reducing prejudice, stigma, and discrimination?

  • Education: Providing knowledge to correct misinformation.
  • Inter-group contact: Open discussions to understand experiences.
  • Social media: Raising awareness of prejudice.
  • Laws: Implementing laws to prevent discrimination.
• What is obedience in psychology?


  Complying with commands given by a source of authority.