PSYC 103 Chapter Summary: Social Psychology
Document Summary
Attribution theory - the theory that we explain someone"s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person"s disposition. Fundamental attribution error - the tendency for observers, when analyzing others" behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition. Individualist westerners more often attribute behavior to people"s personal traits. People in east asian cultures are somewhat more sensitive to the power of the situation. When we explain our own behavior, we are sensitive to how behavior changes with the situation. We more often commit the fundamental attribution error when a stranger acts badly. Attitudes - feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predisposed us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events. If we believe someone is threatening us, we may feel fear and anger toward the person and act defensively. The traffic between our attitudes and our actions is two-way.
