Nov 4, 2025

PSY 101      Class 30: Social Behavior I: Person Perception & Attribution [Outline]

Social Psychology: How an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others

  

What factors go into the way we perceive or judge people?

A. Effects of Attractive Physical Appearance

• More handsome or beautiful people are thought to possess desirable personality characteristics

• Competence & intelligence

• Facial appearance
  

B. Stereotypes

= widely-held beliefs (within a specific culture) that people of a certain group have certain characteristics

≠ bias or discrimination (= acting on those beliefs)

C. Subjectivity in Person Perception

• Confirmation bias

• Illusory Correlations

D. Evolutionary Perspective

• "In Group" versus "Out Group" members

Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior (to ourselves)

Attributions

= Inferences (conclusions or beliefs) people draw about the cause of events and their own and others' behaviors

   A. Internal vs. External Attributions

• Internal = due to traits and personal qualities
• External = due to situational factors or environmental constraints
  

   B. Success or Failure Attributions: Stable vs. Unstable Causes

Bernard  Weiner's 2-Dimension Theory		Dimension 2 (Stability)
		Unstable (Temporary)	Stable (Permanent)
Dimension 1 (Self or Not)	Internal	Mood, Feeling "I've been worried about some stuff at home and it interfered with my last job rating."	Ability, IQ "They realized that I don't have the skills necessary for the job"
	External	Luck, Chance "The company had to lay off employees because the economy is in a dip these days"	Changes in the World "The jobs have moved overseas and the company can't afford American workers any more."

   C. Biases in Attributions

1. Actor-Observer Bias

Actor = the one doing something (acting)
Observer = the one watching someone else (observing)

->>>> Fundamental Attribution Error  !!!!!!!!!!!!

• We tend to attribute our own behaviors to situations (external)
  
• We tend to attribute others' behaviors to personal qualities (internal)
  

(probably the most important theory in social psychology)

In general, actors favor external attributions while observers favor internal attributions

2. Self-Serving Bias (giving yourself the benefit of the doubt)

D. Culture & Attributions

Cultures defined by Harry Triandis (above, left) as Individualist versus Japan's "self-effacing" bias Collectivist Geert Hofstede What are the ties like between individuals? "Loosely bonded" cultures (Individualist) vs. "Tightly bonded" cultures (Collectivist)

 

This page was originally posted on 11/05/03