Myers Ch 13
Our Beliefs about Others
o Fundamental Attribution Error
Heider
Attribution Theory
Attributed behavior to a person’s enduring traits (dispositional
attribution) or to the situation (situational attribution)
Overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the
influence of situations
Dispositional attribution > situational attribution
Someone may be shy in one situation and outgoing in another so
you cannot just categorize them by behavior in one situation
Applicable to social issues
Was violence malicious or self-defense?
o Actions and Beliefs
2-way street
Beliefs influence actions
If we believe something, we act accordingly
If we believe someone is threatening us, we act defensively
Strong social pressures can weaken the connection between
beliefs and actions
o Do what we think others want rather than what we want
Actions influence attitudes/beliefs
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
o Tendency for people who first agreed to a small request to
later comply with a larger request
o To get someone to do something big, ask them to do
something small first
Cognitive Dissonance
o Festinger
o Theory that we act to reduce discomfort we feel when
thoughts are inconsistent
o To act against our beliefs, we change our beliefs
Social Influence
o Mimicry
Go with the group
Behavior is contagious
Mood contagion
Copycat violence
o Conformity
Adjusting our behavior to coincide with a group standard
Asch’s experiment
Our Beliefs about Others
o Fundamental Attribution Error
Heider
Attribution Theory
Attributed behavior to a person’s enduring traits (dispositional
attribution) or to the situation (situational attribution)
Overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the
influence of situations
Dispositional attribution > situational attribution
Someone may be shy in one situation and outgoing in another so
you cannot just categorize them by behavior in one situation
Applicable to social issues
Was violence malicious or self-defense?
o Actions and Beliefs
2-way street
Beliefs influence actions
If we believe something, we act accordingly
If we believe someone is threatening us, we act defensively
Strong social pressures can weaken the connection between
beliefs and actions
o Do what we think others want rather than what we want
Actions influence attitudes/beliefs
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
o Tendency for people who first agreed to a small request to
later comply with a larger request
o To get someone to do something big, ask them to do
something small first
Cognitive Dissonance
o Festinger
o Theory that we act to reduce discomfort we feel when
thoughts are inconsistent
o To act against our beliefs, we change our beliefs
Social Influence
o Mimicry
Go with the group
Behavior is contagious
Mood contagion
Copycat violence
o Conformity
Adjusting our behavior to coincide with a group standard
Asch’s experiment
