Psychology Chapter: Attribution and Self-Concept

Causal Attribution: Answering the "Why" Question

• Attribution Theory: Understanding the causes of events
• Internal Attribution: Observing the person's disposition
• External Attribution: Observing the situation

Culture and Social Perception

• Cultural Differences in Attribution: Different cultures have different views on success and failure

The Origins and Nature of the Self-Concept

• Self-Concept: The belief and feelings about oneself
• Self-Schemas: Mental structures to organize and process information about oneself
• Self-Awareness: Being aware of oneself as an individual
• Introspection: Looking inward and analyzing oneself
• Self-Perception Theory: Understanding oneself by observing behavior

Knowing Ourselves Through Introspection

• Introspection: The process of looking inward to examine oneself
• Introspection Limitations: Can be inaccurate due to biases and lack of awareness

Knowing Ourselves by Observing Our Own Behavior

• Self-Perception Theory: Observing behaviors to conclude attitudes and motivations
• Overjustification Effect: When rewards diminish the intrinsic motivation

Using Other People to Know Ourselves

• Social Comparison Theory: Evaluating oneself by comparing to others
• Looking-Glass Self: Perceiving oneself based on how others perceive us

Impression Management: All the World's a Stage

• Impression Management: Controlling how others perceive us
• Self-Monitoring: Regulating behavior to fit the situation
• Ingratiation: Using flattery to make oneself more likable
• Self-Promotion: Highlighting achievements to enhance credibility

The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

• Cognitive Dissonance: The uncomfortable tension between conflicting beliefs or values
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Desire for consistency between thoughts, beliefs, and actions
• Reducing Cognitive Dissonance: Changing beliefs or actions to create consistency

Self-Justification in Everyday Life

• Effort Justification: Appreciating something more after investing more effort
• Post-Decision Dissonance: Enhancing the attractiveness of a chosen option after a difficult decision

Advances and Extensions of Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Self-Affirmation Theory: Focusing on positive aspects of oneself to diminish dissonance
• Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory: Comparing oneself to others to maintain self-esteem
• Dissonance and Prejudice: Reconciling prejudice with egalitarian values

The Nature and Origin of Attitudes

• Attitude: Positive or negative evaluations of an object, idea, or person
• Affectively-Based Attitudes: Emotions and feelings
• Behaviorally-Based Attitudes: Observations of behavior
• Cognitively-Based Attitudes: Beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge

When Do Attitudes Predict Behaviors?

• Attitudes and Behavior: When attitudes are accessible, strong, specific, and relevant to behavior
• Theory of Planned Behavior: Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control
• Attitude Accessibility: The ease and quickness with which attitudes are recalled

How Do Attitudes Change

• Persuasive Communication: Messages aimed at changing attitudes
• Yale Attitude Change Approach: Source of communication, message, and audience
• Elaboration Likelihood Model: Central route (careful thinking) and peripheral route (superficial processing)

The Power of Advertising

• Advertising: Using persuasive communication to promote products and services
• Subliminal Advertising: Persuasive messages below conscious awareness
• Advertising Effectiveness: Factors like repetition, humor, emotional appeals, and fear appeals

Informational Social Influence: The Need to Know What's "Right"

• Informational Social Influence: Following others' behavior as a source of information
• Private Acceptance: Internalizing the influence and accepting the information as correct
• Contagion: The rapid spreading of emotions, ideas, and behaviors

Normative Social Influence: The Need to Be Accepted

• Normative Social Influence: Following others to be accepted and liked
• Public Conformity: Changing behavior to fit socially but not accepting internalization
• Social Norms: Shared rules and expectations for behavior

Obedience to Authority

• Obedience to Authority: Following commands from authority figures
• Milgram's Experiment: Demonstrated the power of authority and obedience
• Factors Influencing Obedience: Legitimacy of authority, proximity to victim, and presence of others

Dive into the fascinating world of attribution theory and self-concept in this psychology quiz. Explore internal and external attribution, cultural differences in perceptions, and the nuances of self-awareness, introspection, and self-perception theory. Test your understanding of these key concepts that shape our understanding of ourselves and others.