Section 1 - Social Perception

8/18/2019 Section 1 - Social Perception

1/25

Social Perception


2/25

Social Perception

• To understand others, we observe

behavior and infer feelings, traits,motives.

•

Important type of social perception ismaking causal attributions: – Answering the !hy" #uestion

• !hy did she smile at me$

• !hy was he rude$

• !hy is our server taking forever$


3/25

Two types of causal attributions:

• %ispositional &internal' attribution – a person is behaving in a certain way

because of something about the person &their attitude, character, personality'.

• Situational &e(ternal' attribution. – a person is behaving a certain way

because of something about the situation

– assumption is that most people wouldrespond the same way in that situation


4/25

!hen making attributions, people areoften biased.

)emember the fundamental attributionerror: Tendency to e(plain people*s

behavior in terms of personality traits

Also called the correspondence bias:belief that people*s behavior matches&corresponds to' their disposition.


5/25

+lassic study &ones - arris, /012'

• Participants read an essay about

+astro and had to guess the essay3writers attitude.

• 4ssay was either pro3 or anti3+astro

• alf were told the writer could pickstance, others told writer had nochoice.


6/25

+hoice 5o +hoice

Pro3+astro Anti3+astro

Attitude Towards +astro P r

o

+ a s t r o

A

n t i + a s t r o

!hen told the essay writer had no choice in theirstance, participants still inferred that their attitudematched their essay.


7/25

4(planations of the correspondencebias:

• Situational factors sometimesunknown – 6ack of e(perience with situation


8/25

4(perience and +orrespondence bias&7alcetis - %unning, 899'

•

Some people predicted whether theywill buy a baked good for a charity.Also indicate ; of others who will.

• After charity event, other people areasked if they did buy a baked good.

• 4veryone forms impression about aperson who either did or did not buya baked good.


9/25

ther

; predicted?actually buyers

@

@.

=

=.

.

7uyer 5onbuyer

Benerosity

olier3than3thou

Inferences about generosity


10/25


11/25

Participant /

Participant 8

Participant @

+ o

n f

e d e

r a

t e

+ o n f e d e r a t e

Participants observeda discussion by other

participants"&actuallyconfederates'

>ne &or both' actorswere more salient

After observingconversation, ratedwho led conversation,who chose topics

&among other things'.


12/25


13/25

4(planations of the correspondencebias:

• Situational factors sometimesunknown – 6ack of e(perience with situation

• Situational factors often not salient – And salient factors perceived as cause


14/25

Two3step process of makingattributions

>bserve7ehavior

Step /:Cake internal

attribution

Step 8:+onsider othere(planations

7ehavior is caused bydisposition &personality'

%ispositional attributionis adDusted to accountfor situational factors

This step takes eEort.>nly engage in Step 8 ifmotivated and able

This happens automaticallyF


15/25

Support for the 83step process &Bilbert, Pelham, -Grull, /0'

• Participants listened to student give pro3or antiabortion speech that he wasassigned to write &always had no choice'.

•

alf Dust listened to speech.• >ther half told that after hearing the

speech, they*d have to write and delivertheir own speech.

• 4veryone asked to predict speech3writersattitude.


16/25

ust 6istening8

@=

1

2

0

/9

//

/8

Proabortion Antiabortion

Attitude Towards Abortion &higher H pro'

Cuch larger bias when people were distracted by thinking about upcoming speech.

• They didn*t adDust to take situational factorsinto account.


17/25

Two3step process of makingattributions

>bserve7ehavior

Step /:Cake internal

attribution

Step 8:+onsider othere(planations

7ehavior is caused bydisposition &personality'

%ispositional attributionis adDusted to accountfor situational factors

This step takes eEort.>nly engage in Step 8 ifmotivated and able

This happens automaticallyF


18/25

Summary of correspondence bias:

• People generally assume behavior is

caused by disposition.

• appens because situational factors oftenunknown or not salient.

• 7ias is reduced with e(perience.

• 83step process of making attributions

– Caking dispositional attribution is automatic

– AdDusting to take situational factors intoaccount takes eEort


19/25

+orrespondence bias describes socialperception:

• !hy did he fail the test$

!hat about self3perception$

• !hy did I fail the test$

• !hy did I ace the test$


20/25

!hen e(plaining our own behavior, weoften e(hibit self3serving attributions

• Success caused by dispositionalfactors – !e won because our team played greatF"

•


21/25

SSAs in sportswho makes them$

• 4(perienced vs. novices –

4(perienced LESS likely to make SSAs – 4(perienced know that wins aren*t only

because of good playing and sometimesthey deserve to lose.

• Solo sport &e.g., tennis' vs. team sport&e.g., basketball' –

Solo sports MORE likely to make SSAs –


22/25

!hy self3serving attributions$

/. Caintain or raise self3esteem – Self3serving attributions most likely

when we fail at something we can*t

change. – If we think we can change, more likely to

make dispositional attribution and thenwork on improving.


23/25


8. Self3presentation – !e want others to have good opinion of

us

–Self3serving attributions more likelywhen we care what others think


24/25


@. Perceptual Salience – !hen thinking about our own behavior,

the situation is salient

=. %iEerence in available information – !e know more about ourselves

–

I never fail an e(amF"


25/25


/. Caintain or raise self3esteem

8. Self3presentation

@. Perceptual Salience

=. %iEerence in available information

Cotivational

4(planations

+ognitive4(planations

Documents

Section 1 - Social Perception