EPPP Social Psychology UPDATED Study
Guide QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Attribution theories focus on the causal explanations that people use to do what?
- CORRECT ANSWERS explain why a particular event or outcome has
occurred.
Heidier (1958), the originator of the attribution theory, proposed that people
make what kind of attributions? (2 types) - CORRECT ANSWERS
Dispositional or Situational
A dispositional or internal attribution states that the cause of a behavior comes
from... - CORRECT ANSWERS within the person
ex. a person's poor performance of an exam is attributed to lack of effort in
preparation.
A situational or external attribution states that the cause for a behavior comes
from... - CORRECT ANSWERS Outside the person.
ex. a person's poor performance on an exam is attributed to the test's unfairness.
Kelley (1967, 1973) proposed that when people make attributions they consider
3 types of information. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWERS 1.
Consistency
2. Distinctiveness
3. Consensus
,Consistency refers to what? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether a person
behaves the same way over time.
If a person blows up once at a work function, but never again, what kind of
consistency is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low consistency
If someone seems to always be in a bad mood, cranky, or irritable; what kind of
consistency is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS High consistency
Distinctiveness refers to what? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether a
person's behavior is unique to the specific situation or stimulus.
If a person is rude and obnoxious only at work, what kind of distinctiveness is
that? - CORRECT ANSWERS high distinctiveness
If someone is rude and obnoxious at work and outside of of work, what kind of
distinctiveness is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low distinctiveness
What does Consensus refer to? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether other
people in the same situation tend do respond similarly.
If most people are hyper and excitable at work, what does that say about
consensus? - CORRECT ANSWERS the behavior is high in consensus
If a person is hyper and excitable at work, but is the only person like that, the
behavior has what kind of consensus? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low
consensus
,According to Kelley, people tend to make _______ attributions for behaviors
that are high in ___________ and low in __________ and ________. -
CORRECT ANSWERS internal attributions
high consistency, low distinctiveness and consensus
ex. a person engages in behavior consistent;y over time in many different
situations, and other people do not engage in that behavior in the same situation
People tend to make ___________ attributions when the behavior is high in all
three areas of consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. - CORRECT
ANSWERS External attributions
Weiner (1974) added a second dimension to the study of attributions. What was
it? - CORRECT ANSWERS Stability & unstable factors
How many different internal vs external and stability vs instability are there? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Internal stability
External stability
Internal instability
External instability
When a person attributes negative events to internal, stable, and global causes,
that person is more likely to experience what? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Depression, helplessness, and hopelessness.
The data suggests that pessimistic attributional style is associated with more
what? - CORRECT ANSWERS endorsement of illness
poorer health
, less active coping
more problematic lifestyle patterns
Interestingly, data shows that depressed persons are actually - CORRECT
ANSWERS more realistic in their appraisals than persons with a normal
mood
Non-depressed persons tend to have an "illusion of control". What does this
mean? - CORRECT ANSWERS Having unrealistically positive
assessments of their ability to control outcomes
What is the fundamental attribution bias (or error)? - CORRECT ANSWERS
The bias toward attributing the behavior of others (the actor) to internal
or dispositional causes, while underestimating the influence of situational
variables.
What is one of the most significant problems resulting from the fundamental
attribution bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS Blaming the victim.
What is the actor-observer bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS when a person
attributes their own actions to situational factors while minimizing the role of
their own dispositional factors and also attribute OTHERS behavior to
dispositional factors.
What is the self serving (hedonic) bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS when
we tend to attribute our own successes to internal or personal factors, but blame
our failures to external or situational factors.
What is the self-serving bias thought to be motivated by? - CORRECT
ANSWERS A desire to maintain self-esteem and to look good to others.
Guide QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Attribution theories focus on the causal explanations that people use to do what?
- CORRECT ANSWERS explain why a particular event or outcome has
occurred.
Heidier (1958), the originator of the attribution theory, proposed that people
make what kind of attributions? (2 types) - CORRECT ANSWERS
Dispositional or Situational
A dispositional or internal attribution states that the cause of a behavior comes
from... - CORRECT ANSWERS within the person
ex. a person's poor performance of an exam is attributed to lack of effort in
preparation.
A situational or external attribution states that the cause for a behavior comes
from... - CORRECT ANSWERS Outside the person.
ex. a person's poor performance on an exam is attributed to the test's unfairness.
Kelley (1967, 1973) proposed that when people make attributions they consider
3 types of information. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWERS 1.
Consistency
2. Distinctiveness
3. Consensus
,Consistency refers to what? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether a person
behaves the same way over time.
If a person blows up once at a work function, but never again, what kind of
consistency is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low consistency
If someone seems to always be in a bad mood, cranky, or irritable; what kind of
consistency is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS High consistency
Distinctiveness refers to what? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether a
person's behavior is unique to the specific situation or stimulus.
If a person is rude and obnoxious only at work, what kind of distinctiveness is
that? - CORRECT ANSWERS high distinctiveness
If someone is rude and obnoxious at work and outside of of work, what kind of
distinctiveness is that? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low distinctiveness
What does Consensus refer to? - CORRECT ANSWERS Whether other
people in the same situation tend do respond similarly.
If most people are hyper and excitable at work, what does that say about
consensus? - CORRECT ANSWERS the behavior is high in consensus
If a person is hyper and excitable at work, but is the only person like that, the
behavior has what kind of consensus? - CORRECT ANSWERS Low
consensus
,According to Kelley, people tend to make _______ attributions for behaviors
that are high in ___________ and low in __________ and ________. -
CORRECT ANSWERS internal attributions
high consistency, low distinctiveness and consensus
ex. a person engages in behavior consistent;y over time in many different
situations, and other people do not engage in that behavior in the same situation
People tend to make ___________ attributions when the behavior is high in all
three areas of consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. - CORRECT
ANSWERS External attributions
Weiner (1974) added a second dimension to the study of attributions. What was
it? - CORRECT ANSWERS Stability & unstable factors
How many different internal vs external and stability vs instability are there? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Internal stability
External stability
Internal instability
External instability
When a person attributes negative events to internal, stable, and global causes,
that person is more likely to experience what? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Depression, helplessness, and hopelessness.
The data suggests that pessimistic attributional style is associated with more
what? - CORRECT ANSWERS endorsement of illness
poorer health
, less active coping
more problematic lifestyle patterns
Interestingly, data shows that depressed persons are actually - CORRECT
ANSWERS more realistic in their appraisals than persons with a normal
mood
Non-depressed persons tend to have an "illusion of control". What does this
mean? - CORRECT ANSWERS Having unrealistically positive
assessments of their ability to control outcomes
What is the fundamental attribution bias (or error)? - CORRECT ANSWERS
The bias toward attributing the behavior of others (the actor) to internal
or dispositional causes, while underestimating the influence of situational
variables.
What is one of the most significant problems resulting from the fundamental
attribution bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS Blaming the victim.
What is the actor-observer bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS when a person
attributes their own actions to situational factors while minimizing the role of
their own dispositional factors and also attribute OTHERS behavior to
dispositional factors.
What is the self serving (hedonic) bias? - CORRECT ANSWERS when
we tend to attribute our own successes to internal or personal factors, but blame
our failures to external or situational factors.
What is the self-serving bias thought to be motivated by? - CORRECT
ANSWERS A desire to maintain self-esteem and to look good to others.
