PSYC 2310 Chapter 13: Chapter 13 – Psych 1200.docx

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2310
• Professor: Anneke Olthof

Document Summary

Attributions: judgments about the causes of our own and other people s behaviour and outcomes. Fritz heider: y our attempts to understand why people behave as they do typically involve either personal attributions or situational attributions. Personal attributions (internal) infer that people s behaviour is caused by their characteristics. Situational attributions (external) infer that aspects of the situation cause a behaviour. Three types of information determine the attribution we make: consistency, distinctiveness, consensus. Fundamental attribution error: under estimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the role of personal factors when explaining other people s behaviours. Self-serving bias: the tendency to make relatively more personal attributions for success and situational attributions for failure. Schemas: mental framework that help us organize and interpret information. Stereotype: a generalized belief about a group or category of people. Self-fulfilling prophecy: when people s erroneous expectations lead them to act in a way that brings about the expected behaviours, thereby confirming the original impression.