Question 1

According to the actor-observer effect, people tend to attribute the behavior of others to ______ factors while attributing their own behavior to ______ factors.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect suggests that people attribute their own behavior to situational factors (external circumstances) but attribute others' behavior to dispositional factors (internal characteristics or personality).

Question 2

After just saying how the world is full of "insensitive jerks" who deliberately hurt people, Joe excuses his own rude behavior because he was late and "had a lot of problems" to deal with. Joe's comments reflect ______.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect describes a tendency to attribute one's own actions to external causes while attributing others' actions to their personalities. Joe excuses his behavior due to external circumstances (being late and having problems), which is a classic example of this effect.

Question 3

Examples of ______ include explaining behavior in terms of external pressures such as lack of time.

Accepted Answer

Situational attribution involves explaining behavior in terms of external factors such as situations, circumstances, or other people's behavior. Lack of time is an external pressure or situational factor that could impact one's behavior, and therefore can be explained using situational attribution. The fundamental attribution error, on the other hand, involves attributing behavior solely to internal or dispositional factors without considering situational factors. Psychogenic attribution is not a commonly used or recognized term in psychology.

Question 4

Cindy tells Jim that she fired him because she was ordered to by her own bosses. Her explanation for firing Jim is based on ______.

Accepted Answer

Cindy's explanation for firing Jim is based on situational attribution, as she says that she was ordered to do so by her own bosses. She is attributing Jim's firing to external factors outside of her control.

Question 5

The process by which people draw inferences about the motives and traits of others is called the ______.

Accepted Answer

The attributional process involves making inferences about the motives and traits of others based on their behavior. The phi phenomenon refers to the illusion of movement created by rapidly flashing lights, and the primary and secondary processes are concepts from Freudian psychoanalytic theory.

Question 6

After hearing a story of how a man was forced to steal food because his children were starving, Terri says that he was stupid, irresponsible, and probably dishonest anyway. Terri's comments reflect ______.

Accepted Answer

Terri's comments reflect the fundamental attribution error, which is the tendency to attribute people's behavior to their personality traits or dispositional factors rather than the situation at hand. In this case, Terri is not taking into account the situational factors that may have led the man to steal, such as poverty or lack of resources, and instead is attributing the behavior solely to his inherent character flaws.

Question 7

In the Weiner and Wright (1973) study, children who were discriminated against ______ to think that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of color.

Accepted Answer

In the Weiner and Wright (1973) study, children who were discriminated against were more likely to think that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of color.

Question 8

Allport recognized each of the following as a condition necessary for intergroup contact to reduce prejudice EXCEPT ______.

Accepted Answer

Intergroup competition is not a necessary condition for intergroup contact to reduce prejudice, in fact it may exacerbate it. Allport identified social and institutional support, acquaintance potential, and equal status as conditions necessary for intergroup contact to reduce prejudice.

Question 9

The tendency to infer traits from behavior is a major factor in ______.

Accepted Answer

The tendency to infer traits from behavior is a major factor in the fundamental attribution error, which involves overestimating dispositional factors and underestimating situational factors when explaining someone else's behavior.

Question 10

In Asian cultures, people are more likely than Americans to attribute other people's behavior to ______.

Accepted Answer

In Asian cultures, there is a strong emphasis on social relationships and obligations, which can lead individuals to attribute behavior to these factors rather than inherent personal traits or random situational factors.

Question 11

Cindy tells Lois that her recent criticism of a mutual friend was because the friend was an immoral person. Cindy's criticism was based on ______.

Accepted Answer

Cindy's criticism is based on her judgment of the mutual friend's character, indicating that she is making a dispositional attribution. The self-serving bias refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to dispositional factors and their failures to situational factors. Situational attribution would mean that Cindy is attributing her friend's behavior to external circumstances, but she is stating that it is an inherent part of the friend's character. Psychogenic attribution refers to attributing behavior to psychological factors, which is not indicated in this scenario.

Question 12

The actor-observer effect influences our perceptions of ______.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect refers to the tendency for individuals to explain their own behavior as being caused by situational factors, while explaining the behavior of others as being caused by dispositional factors. This effect can operate for both ingroups and outgroups, as individuals from both groups can be observed and can engage in different types of behaviors. Therefore, the best answer is D, as the actor-observer effect can influence our perceptions of both ingroups and outgroups.

Question 13

A belief concerning why people behave in a certain way is called ______.

Accepted Answer

An attribution is a belief concerning why people behave in a certain way, commonly used to explain the causes of others' behavior.

Question 14

Each of the following is a method for reducing prejudiced thinking EXCEPT ______.

Accepted Answer

Participating in competitive activities may actually increase prejudice, as it can lead to ingroup bias and hostility towards outgroup members. The other options listed are all effective methods for reducing prejudiced thinking.

Question 15

The actor-observer effect involves _____.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect is the tendency to explain other people's behavior as being caused by internal factors, while explaining our own behavior as being caused by external factors. This is often referred to as fundamental attribution error.

Question 16

A personal explanation of the causes of behavior is ______.

Accepted Answer

A personal explanation of the causes of behavior is referred to as an attribution.

Question 17

In the fundamental attribution error, we tend to ______.

Accepted Answer

In the fundamental attribution error, we tend to attribute the behavior of others to dispositional causes when there is clear evidence their behavior is due to situational factors. This means we tend to ignore situational factors that may have influenced someone's behavior and instead assume their behavior is due to their personality or character traits.

Question 18

Explaining someone's behavior in terms of internal causes, such as attitudes or beliefs, is called ______.

Accepted Answer

Dispositional attribution refers to explaining someone's behavior based on internal causes, such as personality traits, attitudes or beliefs. The fundamental attribution error, on the other hand, refers to a bias we have to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors in explaining other people's behavior. Situational attribution refers to explaining someone's behavior based on external circumstances or factors, such as the social context or environmental constraints. Psychogenic attribution is not a term commonly used in psychology.

Question 19

The tendency to assume that others act on the basis of choice or will, even when there is evidence suggesting the importance of their situations, is ______.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to assume that others' behaviors are due to their personal characteristics or choices, rather than considering situational factors that may be influencing their behavior.

Question 20

The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to dispositional factors and our own behavior to situational factors is called ______.

Accepted Answer

The actor-observer effect describes the tendency to attribute our own actions to external, situational factors while attributing other people's actions to internal, dispositional factors. This bias highlights the difference in perspective when we are the actor (focusing on the situation) versus when we are the observer (focusing on the person's traits).

Quiz 6: The Self in the Social World

According to the actor-observer effect, people tend to attribute the behavior of others to factors while attributing their own behavior to factors.