You’ve Got An Attitude!You’ve Got An Attitude!

Handout Time!Handout Time!

Fill out the Fill out the questionnaire using questionnaire using Britney Spears as Britney Spears as your inspiration. your inspiration.

What might this driver be thinking about the

negative behavior ahead of him?

Attribution TheoryAttribution Theory

We tend to give a We tend to give a causalcausal explanation for explanation for someone’s behavior; someone’s behavior; often crediting eitheroften crediting either

SituationSituation = = environmental factorsenvironmental factors externalexternal

DispositionDisposition = traits or = traits or personality factorspersonality factors Internal/innateInternal/innate

Fundamental Attribution Error Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)(FAE)

(FAE)(FAE) Tendency to Tendency to over estimate the over estimate the Disposition/TraitDisposition/Trait & & under estimate the under estimate the SituationSituation

Actor-Observer BiasActor-Observer Bias ““We” (Actor) attribute We” (Actor) attribute

our behavior to the our behavior to the situationsituation

““They” (Observer) They” (Observer) attribute our behavior attribute our behavior to our disposition.to our disposition.

The actor-observer The actor-observer bias tends to be more bias tends to be more pronounced in pronounced in situations where the situations where the outcomes are outcomes are negativenegative. .

This effect can be This effect can be reversed if you reversed if you likelike someone. someone.

Attribution HandoutAttribution Handout

How many times did you circle “depends on the How many times did you circle “depends on the situation” for yourself compared to the other situation” for yourself compared to the other person? person?

Tendency to focus on the person, not the Tendency to focus on the person, not the situation.situation.

Western culture intensifies this error, we are Western culture intensifies this error, we are often socialized to prefer dispositional factors often socialized to prefer dispositional factors to situational ones.to situational ones.

Attributions ContinuedAttributions Continued

Self-Serving BiasSelf-Serving Bias The tendency to view The tendency to view

positives about ourselves positives about ourselves as dispositional (innate as dispositional (innate traits)traits)

Also, the tendency to Also, the tendency to view negatives about view negatives about ourselves as situational. ourselves as situational.

Why do we think like Why do we think like this?this?

How might the Self-Serving Bias influence what each of these students think contributed to their grade?

Self Fulfilling Prophecy & Self Fulfilling Prophecy & Confirmation BiasConfirmation Bias

Self Fulfilling ProphecySelf Fulfilling Prophecy: : Negative thoughts Negative thoughts predict negative predict negative behaviors.behaviors.

Pygmalion effectPygmalion effect, or , or Rosenthal effectRosenthal effect Higher expectation = Higher expectation =

higher performancehigher performance

Confirmation BiasConfirmation Bias: : Belief that other people Belief that other people think as we dothink as we do

The Highway Man!The Highway Man!

Read the story and answer Read the story and answer the questions!the questions!

If the story was about a widow If the story was about a widow who was crossing the river to who was crossing the river to work to support her children, work to support her children, would that have changed your would that have changed your ranking? Why or why not?ranking? Why or why not?

How do attributions and How do attributions and attribution errors explain your attribution errors explain your ranking of these characters?ranking of these characters?

Attributions ContinuedAttributions Continued

Just World Belief:Just World Belief: Tendency to believe that the Tendency to believe that the

world is, on the whole, fair, and world is, on the whole, fair, and that wrongs will be punished that wrongs will be punished and rights rewarded at some and rights rewarded at some time in the indeterminate future. time in the indeterminate future.

““You get what you deserve, and You get what you deserve, and you deserve what you get!”you deserve what you get!”

A number of studies have A number of studies have shown beliefs that people who shown beliefs that people who suffer deserve it and have suffer deserve it and have brought their ills upon brought their ills upon themselves. themselves.

How Correlated are How Correlated are Actions and Attitudes?Actions and Attitudes?

Attitudes & Behaviors may not Attitudes & Behaviors may not be as correlated as you think!be as correlated as you think!

Read the description of the Read the description of the psychology experiment & psychology experiment & answer the question. answer the question.

When we feel less coerced & When we feel less coerced & more responsible for more responsible for troubling actions we feel troubling actions we feel greater greater cognitive cognitive dissonancedissonance. .

Rationalization:Rationalization: protects our protects our ego; If we choose to do/say ego; If we choose to do/say it, we must believe it. it, we must believe it.

Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive Dissonance Theory:Theory: When attitudes When attitudes and behaviors do not and behaviors do not match it creates stress. match it creates stress. Especially when you feel Especially when you feel responsible for your responsible for your behavior!!behavior!!

What causes changes in What causes changes in our attitudes? our attitudes? PersuasionPersuasion CredibilityCredibility LikabilityLikability AttractivenessAttractiveness