Psychology: Cognitive Biases and Attribution

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Questions and Answers

What characterizes System 2 thinking?

It is primarily instinctual.

It is quick and automatic.

It requires low concentration.

It is slow, effortful, and deliberate. (correct)

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Believing that all behaviors are driven by rational thought.

Attributing one's own behaviors to external factors.

Overestimating the role of external factors in personal behavior.

Attributing others' behaviors to internal dispositions while ignoring external factors. (correct)

In the actor-observer bias, how do observers typically interpret others' good behavior?

Due to luck.

As a result of their personality.

Because of social pressure.

As influenced by situational factors. (correct)

What percentage of participants conformed at least once in the Asch Experiment?

75% Signup and view all the answers

What behavior is commonly observed in group situations during the Asch Experiment?

A significant tendency to conform to the group's opinion. Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'positive illusions' in psychology?

Uncritical positive views of oneself Signup and view all the answers

Which attribution type is based on external factors independent of a person?

Situational attribution Signup and view all the answers

According to Attribution Theory, how do we typically make attributions about others' behavior?

Quickly and automatically Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of respondents reported being safer than the average driver?

77.4% Signup and view all the answers

Which system of thinking is characterized as fast, effortless, and automatic?

System 1 Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the primary questions about the self in relation to society?

Does the 'self' exist independently of others? Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes the self-serving bias?

It results in overestimating one's positive attributes. Signup and view all the answers

What impact does social media have on the self, according to the content?

It defends against negative judgments. Signup and view all the answers

How are cognitive biases related to self-worth?

They help individuals avoid negative self-judgments. Signup and view all the answers

What question reflects the social nature of our self-evaluations?

How do I compare with others? Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a question social psychologists ask regarding attraction?

What makes us attracted to certain people? Signup and view all the answers

What role does impression management play in social interactions?

It helps us control how we appear to others. Signup and view all the answers

What can lead to conflict between groups according to social psychology?

The perception of limited resources. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

All psychology is essentially social psychology
Human behavior is heavily influenced by social surroundings and interactions with others.
Social psychologists study questions like:
- Individual identity and how it's shaped by others
- How people influence each other's thoughts
- The reasons behind people's actions
- What causes attraction and repulsion between people
- How behavior changes in group settings
- Conflicts between groups and methods for harmony
- The 'self' and its relationship to society

The Self

The self is a bridge connecting social interactions with an individual's inner world.
Individuals constantly evaluate themselves, considering their strengths, weaknesses, and how others perceive them.
Questions regarding the self include: nature of self, personal beliefs, and self-evaluation.
Self-management is critical, as people often try to control how they appear to others.

People carefully curate their social media profiles, potentially presenting a fabricated "self" rather than their true identity.

The Defense of Self

The self seeks to maintain a positive view of oneself.
Cognitive biases help accomplish this, shielding the self from negative judgments.
Self-assessments and evaluations are common themes.

Social cognition refers to how people think about themselves and others in social situations.
The "self-serving bias" is a tendency to attribute successes to personal qualities and failures to external factors.
This bias often leads people to view themselves more favorably than others.
- Example : Rating oneself as a better driver than average.

Positive Illusions

Positive illusions are optimistic, unrealistic perceptions of oneself.
These illusions can have a positive effect on mental well-being.
- These illusions can lead to well-being, such as having an overly optimistic view of oneself and one's control over events.

Attribution Theory

Attribution theory explains how people explain their own behavior and the behavior of others.
Attributions are conclusions about the cause of actions or events.
- These conclusions might be based on external factors or internal personal traits.

A 'Dual System' of Thinking

System 1: Fast, effortless, automatic. Used for quick decisions and judgments.
System 2: Slow, effortful, deliberate. Crucial for tasks demanding concentration and attention, like deep thinking or making complex judgments.
The two systems often work together in social situations.

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Observers often overemphasize internal factors (personality, character) when explaining the behavior of others, while underestimating external or situational factors.

The Actor-Observer Bias

Actors tend to attribute their actions to situational factors, while observers tend to attribute others' actions to internal factors.

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics are concerned with how individuals interact and influence each other in groups.

Conformity

The tendency to alter one's behavior or beliefs to match those of a group.
Asch Experiment: Demonstrated the powerful influence of social pressure on conformity.

The Asch Experiment (Conformity)

Subjects conformed to the wrong answer given by others when judging line lengths around 30-75% of trials.
This showed extreme social pressure can influence decisions and yield inaccurate choices.

Conditions of Conformity (The Asch Experiment)

Task difficulty: Easiest task, least conformity.
Agreement from others: more others agreeing, increased conformity.
Opinion expressed publicly or privately: Privacy decreases conformity.

Conformity & Consensus

Conformity increases with the number of "wrong" answers given by the group.

Types of Conformity

Informational conformity: conformity because you genuinely believe the group's opinion is correct.
Normative conformity: conformity because you want to gain approval or avoid social disapproval.

Groupthink

Deterioration of thought and judgment within a group, often due to a desire for agreement within the group.

Bystander Effect

The reduced likelihood of individuals helping when bystanders are present.
Diffusion of responsibility: individuals feel less personally responsible for helping when others are available to assist.

Studying the 'Bystander Effect'

Individuals might not help in a group because they perceive it as a non-emergency situation or might think someone else will help.

Helping & Group Size

As the size of a group increases, the likelihood of individuals offering or seeking help decreases.

The 5-Stage Model of Helping

Notice the event, interpret as an emergency, assume responsibility, know how to assist, implement decision, and finally intervene for help,
Failure at any stage means help is less likely to be offered.

Cognitive Pillars of Conflict

Stereotypes: widely held beliefs about a group.
In-group bias: favoring one's own group over others.
The "Just-World" Fallacy: attributing good outcomes to in-group qualities and bad outcomes to out-group flaws.

The Availability Heuristic

People tend to overemphasize vivid, easily remembered examples when making judgments, often leading to biased assessments of groups.
People might focus on dramatic negative events but neglect the less salient positive information.

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice: negative, unjustified attitude toward a group and its members.
Discrimination: negative, unjustified behavior toward a group or its members.

Racial Prejudice

A sizable portion of the population claims not to be racially biased, even though studies show evidence of prejudice.

'Implicit' Prejudice

Automatic, unconscious bias against a group.
Subtle and can even occur in individuals who don't consciously consider themselves prejudiced.
The Implicit Association Test (IAT): A tool for measuring implicit biases.

The Mere Exposure Effect

Increased familiarity with something leads to increased liking of it.

Other Key Concepts

The Milgram Experiment: obedience to authority.
The Stanford Prison Experiment: the "Lucifer effect".

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Description

Test your knowledge on cognitive biases and attribution theories in psychology. This quiz covers key concepts like System 2 thinking, the fundamental attribution error, the Asch Experiment, and more. Challenge yourself to understand how these psychological principles apply to everyday behavior.