PSYC 1030H Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Fundamental Attribution Error, Evolutionary Psychology, Observational Learning
3 May 2018
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Social Behaviour
Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others
● People tend to attribute desirable characteristics to those who are good-looking.
Perceptions of people are also influenced by their style of nonverbal
expressiveness.
● Stereotypes are widely held social schemas that lead people to expect that
others will have certain characteristics because of their membership in specific
group. In interacting with others, stereotypes may lead people to see what they
expect to see and to overestimate how often they see it.
Attribution Processes: Explaining Behaviour
● Internal attributions ascribe behaviour to personal traits, whereas external
attributions locate the cause of behaviour in the environment. Weiner’s model
proposes that attributions for success and failure should be analyzed in terms of
the stability of causes, as well as along the internal- external dimension.
● Observers favour internal attributions to explain another’s behaviour (the
fundamental attribution error), while actors favour external attributions to explain
their own behaviour. Cultures vary in their emphasis on individualism as opposed
to collectivism, and these differences appear to influence attributional tendencies.
Close Relationship: Liking and Loving
● People tend to like and love others who are similar and who are physically
attractive. Berscheid and Hatfield have distinguished between passionate and
companionate love. Sternberg builds on their distinction by dividing
companionate love into intimacy and commitment. Hazan and Shaver’s theory
suggest that love relationships in adulthood mimic attachment patterns in infancy.
● The characteristics that people seek in prospective mates are much the same
around the world. However, cultures vary considerably in their emphasis on
passionate love as a prerequisite for marriage.
● According to evolutionary psychologist, certain aspects of good lucks influence
attraction because they are indicators of reproductive fitness, Consistent with
evolutionary theory, gender differences in mating preferences appear to
transcend culture.
Attitudes: Making Social Judgement
● Attitudes may be made up of cognitive, affective, and behavioural components.
Attitudes vary in strength, accessibility, and ambivalence. Attitudes and
behaviour aren’t as consistent as one might assume.
Document Summary
People tend to attribute desirable characteristics to those who are good-looking. Perceptions of people are also influenced by their style of nonverbal expressiveness. Stereotypes are widely held social schemas that lead people to expect that others will have certain characteristics because of their membership in specific group. In interacting with others, stereotypes may lead people to see what they expect to see and to overestimate how often they see it. Internal attributions ascribe behaviour to personal traits, whereas external attributions locate the cause of behaviour in the environment. Weiner"s model proposes that attributions for success and failure should be analyzed in terms of the stability of causes, as well as along the internal- external dimension. Observers favour internal attributions to explain another"s behaviour (the fundamental attribution error), while actors favour external attributions to explain their own behaviour. Cultures vary in their emphasis on individualism as opposed to collectivism, and these differences appear to influence attributional tendencies.
