PSY 102 Chapter 12 Summary

12 Social Psychology

 12.1 How do we think about other people?
o We make snap judgements about people
 Nonverbal behavior, thin slices of behavior
 Facial expressions, eye contact
o We make attributions about other people
 Personal attributions- ways that we explain outcomes
based on internal factors, such as someone’s ability, mood,
or effort
 Situational attributions- explanations based on external
factors, such as luck, accidents, or the actions of other
people
 Fundamental attribution error- in explaining other people’s
behavior, the tendency to overemphasize personality traits
and underestimate situational factors
 Actor/observer bias- when interpreting our own behavior,
we tend to focus on situations. When interpreting other
people’s behavior, we tend to focus on personal
attributions
o We tend to stereotype other people
 Self fulfilling prophecy- people’s tendency to behave in
ways that confirm their own expectations or other
peoples’ expectations
 When we encounter someone that doesn’t fit a
stereotype, we may put that person in a special category
rather than change the stereotype. Subtyping