Psychology 2035A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Social Influence, Situation Two, Authoritarianism

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2035A/B
• Professor: John Campbell

Document Summary

Reading 4 - chapter 7: social thinking and social influence. As people engage they constantly engage in person, perception, the process of forming impressions of others. Impression formation is normally automatic, people are unaware that it is occurring. We are dependent on observations of people. When forming impressions, people rely on 5 key sources of observational information: When it comes to drawing inferences about people, one bad piece of information can outweigh or undue a collection of positive characteristics. The presence of a trait perceived to be negative can have more influence on forming impressions than several positive qualities. Bad impressions tend to be stronger than good ones. Judgements made quickly and based on only a few bits of information and preconceived notions. Take the time to observe the person in a variety of situations and to compare the behaviour with that of others in similar situations. Use this for people who can affect our welfare and happiness.