Psychology Attribution Theories Quiz

Attribution

• Attribution: An explanation for events or actions.
• Situational Attribution: External situations or events that explain behavior.
• Dispositional Attribution: A person's internal characteristics that explain behavior.
• Actor-Observer Bias: The tendency to blame our actions on the situation, but blame others' actions on their personalities.
• Fundamental Attribution Error: Observers tend to underestimate situational influences and overestimate personal disposition when analyzing others' behavior.
• Just-World Hypothesis: The belief people get what they deserve in life.
• Stereotype: A generalized belief about a group of people.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: How stereotypes affect how we treat others.
• Prejudice: Preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.
• Discrimination: Negative behavior toward a group and its members.
• In-Group: Groups we favor.
• Out-Group: Groups treated differently, perceived as more similar to each other.

Attitudes and Social Influence

• Attitude: A person's evaluation(s) of objects, ideas, or events.
• Mere Exposure Effect: Repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to a positive attitude.
• Reciprocity: Responding to another's actions with a similar action/behavior.
• Foot-in-the-Door Technique: Asking for a small task first before a larger one.
• Door-in-the-Face Technique: Asking for a large request first then a smaller one.
• Bait-and-Switch: Attracting customers with a low-price product, then trying to sell a higher-priced one.
• Obedience: Yielding to the orders of others.
• Conformity: Altering one's behavior or opinions to match others' expectations.
• Social Norms: Expected standards of conduct in a society.
• Acceptance: Agreeing with a group's expectations internally.
• Compliance: Agreeing with a group externally while disagreeing internally.
• Normative Influence: Conforming to avoid looking foolish.
• Informative Influence: Believing others have more accurate information.
• Social Psychology Topics: Examines self-concept, self-worth, self-esteem, and how thoughts and behaviors are influenced by others. Includes attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and decision-making.
• Stereotype Problems: Stereotypes are inaccurate, influence our thinking, affect our perceptions, and can lead to negative treatment of others.
• Prejudice Root Causes (theories):
  • Social Identity Theory: Identifying with one's group.
  • Scapegoat Theory: Redirecting hostility to another source.
• Reducing Prejudice & Discrimination: Exposure, role-playing, decategorization.

Attitude, Persuasion, and Behavior

• Attitude Components: Affective, behavioral, cognitive.
• Attitude Development: Mere exposure, learning (classical/operant conditioning), and socialization.
• Central Route Persuasion: Logic and specific arguments (strong, long-lasting attitudes).
• Peripheral Route Persuasion: Superficial cues like status, attractiveness (weak, changeable attitudes).
• Persuasion Factors: Source (speaker), content (message), and receiver (listener).
• Milgram's Study Criticisms: Primarily male participants, 1960s context, ethical concerns, limited generalizability.

Temperament and Personality

• Temperament: Characteristic way of behaving and reacting.
• Basic Tendencies: Stable, biologically driven personality traits.
• Characteristic Adaptations: Habits and skills adapting to a social environment (less stable).
• TAT: Thematic Apperception Test (psychological test using pictures).
• EAR: Electronically Activated Recorder (measures ambient sounds).
• Situationism: Behavior more determined by situations than personality.
• Interactionism: Emphasizes both situation and internal factors in personality.
• Temperament Components: Activity, emotionality, sociability.
• Temperament and Personality Relationship: Temperament at age 3 is a predictor of personality/behaviors at 45.
• Projective Measures: Explore unconscious motives (e.g., Rorschach, TAT).
• Self-Report Measures: Questionnaires, surveys (e.g., NEO).
• Naturally Occurring Assessments: Measuring behavior/personality from everyday life (e.g., EAR).
• Observational Methods: Others rate you, questionnaires from others.

Psychological Disorders

• Diathesis: Vulnerability to a psychological disorder.
• Comorbidity: Co-occurrence of two or more disorders.
• Sign: Observable characteristic by a professional.
• Symptom: Reported experience by an individual.
• Anxiety: Excessive fear/worry without danger.
• Specific Phobias: Fear of a specific object or situation (e.g., heights, enclosed spaces, snakes, flying).
• Agoraphobia: Fear of situations where escape is difficult.
• Social Anxiety: Fear of negative evaluation by others.
• Panic Disorder: Overwhelming terror attacks.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Persistent, exaggerated worry.
• Obsessions: Recurrent, intrusive thoughts.
• Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety.
• Depressive Disorders: Persistent sadness, loss of interest.
• Unipolar Depression: Sad/depressed state.
• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Severe depressed mood/loss of interest for weeks.
• Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD): Mild/moderate depression for 2+ years.
• Bipolar Disorder: Alternating periods of depression and mania.
• Schizophrenia: Extreme alterations in thoughts, perceptions, consciousness.
• Psychosis: Loss of contact with reality.
• Delusions: False beliefs.
• Hallucinations: False sensory experiences.
• Historical Views (Mental Illness): "Madness," demonic possession, segregation in hospitals.
• Diathesis-Stress Model: Vulnerability plus stress lead to disorder.
• Biopsychosocial Model: Interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
• Normal vs. Disordered Behavior: Deviation from cultural norms, maladaptiveness, stress/threat to self or others, and discomfort.
• DSM-V: Diagnostic criteria for mental disorders.
• DSM-V Role: Provides descriptions of signs and symptoms for diagnosis.
• DSM-V Use: By psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health professionals.
• Anxiety Differences from Fear: Anxiety is persistent, fear is short-term; anxiety is not linked to a particular stimulus/situation.
• Anxiety Treatments: CBT, exposure therapy, medications.
• OCD (most common forms): Cleaning, checking, counting.
• Depression (causes): Biological, cognitive, sociocultural factors.
• Depression (treatments): CBT, medication.
• Bipolar Disorder Treatment: Psychotherapy, medication (e.g., lithium).
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Treatments: Light therapy, Vitamin D supplements, medication.

Test your knowledge on the key concepts of attribution in psychology. This quiz covers various types of attribution, biases, and concepts like prejudice and discrimination. Dive into the nuances of how we interpret behavior in ourselves and others.