Priming- Unattended stimuli that is processed implicitly, unconsciously; activating particular associations in memory

Heuristics- mental shortcuts

Representativeness heuristic- Tendency to presume, sometimes despite contrary to odds, that someone or something belongs to a particular group if resembling (representing) a typical member (truck driver poetry example)

Confirmation bias- tendency to search for information that confirms one’s preconceptions (astrology); Particularly problematic- it preserves stereotypes and prejudice; counterfactual thinking

Illusory correlations-Perception of a relationship where none exists or perception of a stronger relationship than actually exists (due to illusory thinking) our search for order in random events

Regression toward the mean (average)- statistical tendency for extreme score or extreme behavior to return toward one’s average

Social Impressions- the study of how we form impression of and make inferences about other people; reflect your goals and needs; done quickly

What information do we use to form impressions of others?

  1. Appearance
    1. Halo effect: perception of one trait is influenced by the perception of another trait of that person or object (judging a cute person as more intelligent)
  2. Behavior
    1. Infer personality traits from certain behaviors (e.g. helping an old lady across the street)
  3. Nonverbal communication
    1. How people communicate, intentionally, or unintentionally, without words (facial expressions); Used to express emotion, convey attitudes, communicate personality traits, and facilitate or modify verbal communications; mirror neurons
  4. Environment
    1. Priming

Controlled vs. Automatic processing of information:

Controlled

Reflective, deliberate, conscious

Info given from the person or environment is carefully considered in forming judgments concerning that person

Advantages: Make accurate conclusion by logic & not as influenced by certain biases

Disadvantages: Slow & can’t handle tons of info

Automatic-

Impulsive, effortless, and without our awareness

Schemas

Emotional reactions

Expertise

Unconscious thinking

Advantages: quick and efficient & many cases it more accurate than controlled processing (expertise- fireman and apartment study) & can use

info not provided by controlled processing (blind site)

Disadvantages: Inaccuracies due to speed (heuristics) & inaccuracies due to expectations (confirmation bias and illusory correlations) & Inaccuracies due to mood (mood effects)

Kelley’s (1967) Theory of Attributions: How people decide whether to make an internal (dispositional) or an external (situational) attribution; requires multiple observations of behavior; systematically note the pattern between the presence (or absence) of possible causal factors and

whether or not the behavior occurs Focuses on:

Consensus (how everyone behaves towards the stimulus)

Distinctiveness (how person behaves in general)

Consistency (how that person behaves toward the stimulus over time and in different circumstances) Problems:

Portray people as systematic and logical

Neglect self-serving motives and by biases in reasoning

Fundamental Attribution Error- Tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences upon other’s behavior (often negative); Tendency for observers to overestimate situational influences and underestimate dispositional influences upon their own negative behavior (often negative; boss example)