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Module 74 Attribution, Attitudes, and Actions

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26 views2 pages

Module 74 Attribution, Attitudes, and Actions

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boomboomboi0420
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Module 74 Attribution, Attitudes, and

Actions
KEY TERMS

1. Social Psychology: The scientific study of how we think, influence, and relate to one
another, exploring the reasons behind social behaviors and interactions.
2. Attribution Theory: A theory explaining how we determine the causes of behavior by
attributing it either to the person’s disposition or the situation they are in.
3. Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency for observers to overestimate personal
traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behavior.
4. Attitude: A set of feelings, often shaped by beliefs, that guide our reactions to people,
objects, or events.
5. Peripheral Route Persuasion: A method of persuasion that relies on superficial cues
(like attractiveness) rather than the strength of the argument itself.
6. Central Route Persuasion: A method of persuasion that uses logical arguments and
evidence to influence the thoughts of people who are already interested in the topic.
7. Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: The tendency for people who agree to a small request
to comply later with a larger request.
8. Role: A set of societal expectations (norms) regarding how individuals in a particular
social position should behave.
9. Cognitive Dissonance Theory: The theory that suggests when people’s attitudes and
behaviors are inconsistent, they feel discomfort (dissonance) and are motivated to
change their attitudes to reduce this tension.

MAIN IDEA

● What do social psychologists study? How do we tend to explain others’ behavior


and our own?
○ Social psychologists explore how we think about, influence, and relate to others
in social settings.
○ A key concept is the fundamental attribution error, where people often
overemphasize personality traits while underestimating situational factors when
judging others’ behavior. However, when evaluating our own behavior, we tend
to attribute it more to situational factors.
● Does what we think affect what we do, or does what we do affect what we think?
○ Attitudes are feelings based on beliefs that guide how we respond to certain
situations.
○ Peripheral route persuasion uses incidental factors, like a speaker’s
attractiveness, to change attitudes quickly and without much thought.
○ Central route persuasion uses facts and strong arguments to engage people in
thoughtful decision-making.
○ When attitudes are strong, specific, and easy to remember, they can directly
influence behavior.
○ Actions can also shape attitudes, such as in the foot-in-the-door phenomenon,
where agreeing to a small request leads to compliance with a larger one.
○ Role-playing (adopting social roles) can influence behavior, showing how societal
expectations impact personal actions.
○ When there is a mismatch between actions and attitudes, cognitive dissonance
arises, and individuals often resolve this tension by adjusting their attitudes to
align with their behavior.

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