PSYCH253 Chapter Notes -Fundamental Attribution Error
18 Dec 2012
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Document Summary
Module a: social psychology in conflict and peacemaking. Social trap: a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing its self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behaviour. Prisoner"s dilemma, the tragedy of commons, and pollution. The prisoner"s dilemma: if the two parties trust each other, they will get a lighter sentence if they don"t confess. However, by not trusting each other and not cooperating, both parties end up far worse off than if they had trusted each other and thus had gained a joint profit (lesser sentences). The tragedy of commons: involves more than two people. Lacking regulation and fearing others would deplete a resource, we maximize our own consumption (just as everyone else in the group is thinking and doing). This results in a depletion or extinction of a resource, making it a lose situation for everyone involved. When resources are not partitioned, people often consume more than they realize.
