II. Social Perception cont.
Mike didn’t return the
money I lent to him,
because he is lazy.
Explaining Behavior: Attribution
1.Attribution Theory the process
we go through to explain the
causes of behavior (including our own)
II. Social Perception cont.
Burt, stop playing
your video games.
That’s all you do!
I’m sick of it!
She must have
had a bad day.
The Attribution
Explaining Behavior: Attribution
1.Attribution Theory the process
we go through to explain the
causes of behavior (including our own)
• Affect people’s feelings,
expectations, reactions and
impressions of others
I’ll be extra
nice today.
The following
Behavior
II. Social Perception cont.
2. Reasons behind behavior as either
1) Dispositional or Internal attributions – Something
about the person is the cause, such as an attitude, a
preference, or a personality trait.
2) Situational or External attributions – Something
about the situation is the cause. Most people would
react the same in those circumstances
He return
must have
Mike didn’t
the worked
money Ilate,
lent that’s
to him,why he didn’t
to return the
becausecome
he is by
lazy.
money
Dispositional Cause
Situational Cause
II. Social Perception cont.
3. Actor-Observer Bias
People often attribute other people’s behavior to
internal causes, they tend to attribute their own
behavior to external causes. (Ex. F on Exam)
F? I guess I didn’t
study the right
material.
He’s not cut out
for this class.
Actor’s own behavior
- situational
Observer’s attributes person’s
behavior to dispositional
II. Social Perception cont.
4. Fundamental Attribution Error
tendency to attribute the behavior of others as internal
Example: Slow waiter, slow person
Our waiter has no
idea what he’s doing!
Slow driver doesn’t
care that they’re
holding up traffic
for everyone else!
II. Social Perception cont.
5. Self Serving Bias
We take credit for our accomplishments and explain
away our failures or disappointments.
F? Unfair questions.
I wasn’t given enough
time for the test
Blame the test
I am so smart. I
am so great!
We take the credit
A T T I T U D E S
• Tendency to think, feel,
or act positively or
negatively toward
something
- guide how we react to
other people
- effects decisions political
causes & products we
buy
Attitudes Continued
b. What determines behavior?
• cognitive & affective are aligned = behavior is consistent
w/beliefs
• friends/family may not approve, so behavior is not
consistent w/attitude
• must have belief that they can make a difference.
(homeless)
• direct experience w/object will increase behavior
consistency
Attitudes Continued
Eating fast
food
is unhealthy
& foolish
Oh dear
this is good.
Fast Food
is
Awesome!
c. Dissonance - the discomfort we feel when our thoughts
are inconsistent w/our beliefs
- Cognitive Dissonance Theory - we change our beliefs
to align w/our behavior therefore no anxiety(dissonance)
Attitudes Continued
a. Three elements
1. cognitive - belief or
opinion about something
2. affective - feelings about
something
3. behavioral - the way
people act about towards
that thing
Example: What is your attitude towards your Senator?
Do you believe they are doing a good job?
Do you feel you trust or distrust them?
Would you act to vote for them?
Attitudes Continued
Good Job
sharing!
b. How attitudes develop
1. Conditioning Classical/Operant - teaches
values
2. Observational Learning Learn by watching others
3. Cognitive Evaluation thinking about the evidence,
then form opinion
4. Cognitive Anchors persons earliest attitudes - sets tone for all others
P E R S U A S I O N : Changing Attitudes
Elaborative Likelihood
Model(ELM) - two ways to
change attitudes (persuade
people)
1. Central route - uses
evidence & logical
arguments to persuade
people. (works when motivation
is high)
2. Peripheral route associates objects, people or
events w/positive or negative
cues. (works when motivation is
low)
P E R S U A S I O N : Changing Attitudes
Depends on four factors
1. Source - person communicating
the message
2. Message - how it is presented.
Source seems credible because
he’s speaking from a scientific lab
3. Audience - who receives it.(kids, College
grads, etc)
4. Channel - through which it is
delivered
Message is presented with humor, &
is associated with good feelings