Questions and Answers
What is the process of developing an opinion about another person called?
What do we call the judgements about the reasons for or causes of another person's behavior?
Attributions
According to Uleman et al (2008), the properties we see in others are objective reflections of reality.
False
Which traits have a stronger impact on our impressions?
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Negative items have more weight in impression formation due to which of the following reasons?
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In the context of impression formation, what is the role of goals?
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Spontaneous trait inferences occur only when individuals are consciously trying to form an impression.
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What does Social Cognitive Transference involve?
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What is expectancy contrast theory?
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According to Klein (1996), negative personality traits were more predictive of overall evaluations than __________ traits.
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Study Notes
Impression Formation
- Involves developing opinions about others, influenced by subjective perceptions rather than objective realities.
- Includes making attributions about the causes of others' behaviors.
- Psychology argues that traits are often inferred from cues rather than directly observed.
Attribution Theory
- Draws on individualism vs. collectivism distinctions in interpreting actions.
- Cultural factors influence how people attribute motives (e.g., divine explanations prevalent in some cultures).
Information Integration
- Impression formation is an integration of different traits and dimensions, creating an overall perception.
- Central traits (e.g., warmth) have a stronger impact compared to peripheral traits (e.g., politeness).
Research Findings by Asch (1946)
- Participants rated hypothetical individuals based on varied trait lists.
- The evaluation of traits was affected by a single changed trait, demonstrating how traits interrelate in forming impressions.
Influence of Negativity
- Negative information has a greater impact on impression formation than positive information.
- Studies (Pratto and John, 1991; Klein, 1996; Vonk, 1996) highlight that undesirable traits attract more attention and effect evaluations more than desirable traits.
Fast Processing of Facial Cues
- Quick extraction of dominance and trustworthiness from faces, indicating immediate judgments based on appearance.
Expectancy Contrast Theory
- Extreme stimuli perceived more intensely when compared to an internal standard, influencing overall impressions.
Costs and Behavior Novelty
- Frequency Weight Theories suggest that behaviors perceived as costly or novel are weighted more heavily in evaluations.
Range Theories
- Predict impressions based on the overlap in implications of observed behaviors or traits.
Goals in Impression Formation
- Goals shape expectancies, memory, and standards of comparison; traits deemed important can vary based on the perceiver's role (e.g., teacher vs. friend).
Spontaneous Trait Inferences
- These inferences occur unintentionally and can be made even without explicit goals or awareness.
- Different goals affect the likelihood of making trait inferences during judgments.
Individual Differences in STIs
- Factors like authoritarianism and need for cognition influence the likelihood of making spontaneous trait inferences.
- Trait assumptions can erroneously link informants to traits based on their descriptions of others.
Social Cognitive Transference
- Perceptions of a stranger can be influenced by shared features with significant others, extending to traits and evaluations.
Group vs. Individual Impressions
- Understanding how group impressions compare to individual ones involves concepts like entitativity, impacting generalized judgments based on single group member's traits.
Moral Judgments
- Moral evaluation of individuals is central to impression formation, raising questions about the nature of moral behaviors, conscious vs. unconscious judgments, and inference processes involved.
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Description
Explore the concept of impression formation, which involves the process of developing opinions about others and understanding how these perceptions are shaped. This quiz delves into the psychological principles behind making judgments and attributions about people's behaviors. Test your knowledge of this fascinating topic!