Psychology Quiz on Attribution and Biases

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Questions and Answers

What percentage of drivers believe they are safer than the average driver?

65.8%

22.6%

77.4% (correct)

34.2%

Which type of attribution focuses on external factors affecting behavior?

Self-serving attribution

Situational attribution (correct)

Dispositional attribution

Causal attribution

Which cognitive bias is described as having false beliefs that enhance psychological well-being?

Confirmation bias

Positive illusions (correct)

Overconfidence bias

Self-serving bias

According to Attribution Theory, how are the majority of attributions made?

Quickly and instinctively Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic describes System 1 thinking as defined by Daniel Kahneman?

Fast and automatic Signup and view all the answers

What is the fundamental attribution error primarily concerned with?

Attributing behavior to internal dispositions while ignoring external factors. Signup and view all the answers

In the actor-observer bias, how do individuals typically attribute their own behavior compared to others' behavior?

Good behavior to internal factors and bad behavior to external factors. Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant finding of the Asch Experiment regarding social conformity?

On average, ~32% of participants conformed every time across trials. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'slow thinking' typically require when analyzing behavior?

Attention to underlying situational influences. Signup and view all the answers

How do humans generally respond to their own good and bad behavior in comparison to others, as highlighted by the actor-observer bias?

They often attribute their own good behavior to dispositional causes and bad behavior to situational causes. Signup and view all the answers

What concept describes the tendency to attribute successes to one's own abilities and failures to external factors?

Self-serving bias Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following questions reflects a consideration of the self within a social context?

What do I believe? Signup and view all the answers

Which philosopher famously stated, 'Hell is other people'?

Jean Paul Sartre Signup and view all the answers

What is the impact of social media on the concept of self according to the discussed ideas?

It can lead to a distorted perception of one's identity. Signup and view all the answers

How do social psychologists often view our behavior in relation to our social surroundings?

Social influences play a significant role in shaping behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is implied by the statement that 'the self must defend against its own negative judgments'?

Self-esteem can be threatened by negative perceptions. Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean when individuals overestimate their positive attributes compared to others?

They exhibit the self-serving bias. Signup and view all the answers

Which question reflects an inquiry into social group identity?

To which groups do I belong? Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Social psychology examines how social surroundings shape behavior and influence people.
Human behaviour is primarily influenced by social factors and interactions.
Key questions explored by social psychologists:
- Identity formation in relation to others
- How people influence perceptions
- Understanding and explaining human behavior
- Attraction and repulsion to others
- Behavior in group settings
- Conflict and harmony within groups

The Self: Who Are We?

The self is a bridge between the inner world and social interactions.
Individuals engage in impression management, actively influencing the perceptions others have of them (often unconsciously).
Positive self-evaluations may lead to the need for defending or enhancing self-worth
Social media impacts how we present ourselves and perceive ourselves through others' presentations.
The self is constantly making self-evaluations—people question how they measure up, with comparisons playing a significant role

The 'Self-Serving Bias'

The self-serving bias is a tendency to make errors in judgment to favor oneself or the group they identify with
People tend to overestimate their contributions to positive outcomes, attributing achievements to internal qualities, but failures to external factors.
People often rate themselves and their abilities as better than the average.

Positive Illusions

Positive illusions are false beliefs that contribute to well-being and resilience.
Positive view of self, exaggerated perceptions of control, and unrealistic optimism are frequently beneficial.

Attribution Theory

Attribution theory is used to explain human behaviour.
Attributions are conclusions regarding why a person behaved or performed in a certain way
Attributing behavior involves two key lenses:
- Situational factors (factors outside the person)
- Dispositional factors (internal characteristics or personality of the individual).

A 'Dual System' of Thinking

System 1 is the automatic, effortless, and instant mode of thinking.
System 2 is the deliberate, slow, and effortful mode requiring concentration.

The Fundamental Attribution Error

The fundamental attribution error occurs when a person's behavior is primarily attributed to internal (personal) traits or dispositions instead of external factors.

The Actor-Observer Bias

This occurs when actors attribute their actions to situational factors (outside oneself). Observers tend focus on internal attributions for the behavior of others.
Both actors and observers often use attribution to determine causality for their and others' behaviours

Group Dynamics: Conformity and Obedience

Social influence demonstrates that the pressures of a group or authority can strongly affect an individual.
Conformity is the tendency to adapt to the ideas of a group or authority.
Social pressure heavily affects an individual, shaping beliefs and actions
The Asch Experiment examined conformity under social pressure, demonstrating how a group can easily shape an individual's behaviour.
Conditions for conformity include factors such as the difficulty of the task, the presence of a dissenting opinion, and the ability to respond privately versus publicly

Groupthink

Groupthink is a deterioration of reasoning and reality testing in a group, often leading to poor decisions.
Members, due to pressures, suppress critical thinking from fear of dissension.

The Bystander Effect

The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon where people are less likely to help in an emergency if there are more people present— the more people present, the less responsibility each individual feels.
Reasons for the bystander effect may include:
- Diffusion of responsibility,
- Uncertainty,
- Evaluation apprehension

The 5-Stage Model of Helping

Successful intervention requires several steps:
Noticing the event
Interpreting as an emergency
Assuming responsibility
Knowing assistance to offer
Implementing a decision to help

Cognitive pillars of conflict include stereotypes—beliefs about a specific group applied to all members, in-group bias—the tendency to favor one's own group, and out-group bias.
The Availability Heuristic is a cognitive bias where the ease of recalling instances influences judgments.
The Just-World Fallacy is a tendency to believe that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve (in relation to in-group and out-group).

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice involves unjustified negative beliefs about a group and its members.
Discrimination refers to unjustified behavior directed at members of a group.
Implicit prejudice is a subtle bias that operates unconsciously.
Implicit Association Task (IAT) reveals unconscious biases by assessing responses to various stimuli.

Obedience to Authority

The Milgram Experiment explored obedience to authority figures' commands, testing participants' willingness to inflict harm on others.
Conditions that influence obedience include: -Closeness of the authority figure. -Distance from the person being harmed.
The effect of authority and proximity are major determinants of participants' obedience in harmful situations.

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford Prison Experiment highlighted the impact of social roles on behavior, demonstrating how individuals can adopt negative roles when subjected to group pressure or social influence.
The experiment demonstrated how easily people conform to assigned roles.

The "Lucifer Effect"

The "Lucifer effect" underscores how situational factors can influence individuals to behave in ways that are inconsistent with their perceptions of their moral character.

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Description

Test your knowledge on psychological concepts such as attribution theory and cognitive biases. This quiz focuses on understanding how we perceive our own and others' behavior. Challenge yourself with questions relating to decision-making and psychological well-being.