Question 1

Harold Kelley's covariation model is one __________ theory presented in your text.

Accepted Answer

Harold Kelley's covariation model is an attribution theory presented in the text.

Question 2

The logical outcome of distressed couples making external attributions for positive behavior and internal attributions for negative ones is that the relationship is going to __________.

Accepted Answer

Making external attributions for positive behavior and internal attributions for negative ones is a sign of a negative bias and can lead to decreased satisfaction in the relationship. When positive behaviors are attributed to external factors such as luck or circumstance, it can diminish the importance of the partner's actions, while internal attributions for negative behavior can lead to blaming and resentment. This pattern can create a negative cycle that can decrease satisfaction and potentially lead to relationship distress.

Question 3

__________ attribution is to person as __________ attribution is to situation.

Accepted Answer

Internal attribution refers to the tendency to explain behavior based on personal characteristics and traits of individuals, while external attribution refers to the tendency to explain behavior based on situational factors. Therefore, internal attribution is to person as external attribution is to situation. Choice A and B are incorrect because intrinsic/extrinsic and internal/correspondent attribution do not have clear opposite counterparts as internal/external does. Choice D is irrelevant to the concept of attribution.

Question 4

The attributional perspective that addresses behaviors that occur over time, place, and different actors and targets is the __________ model.

Accepted Answer

The covariation model examines the consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus of a behavior across time, place, and different actors and targets to determine whether the behavior can be attributed to the person or the situation. The other options (correspondent inference, perceptual salience, fundamental attribution) focus on different aspects of attribution.

Question 5

Researchers have found that couples who are happy in their marriages make very different attributions for their partners' behaviors than couples who are unhappy. Specifically, couples in happy marriages make __________, while couples in unhappy marriages make __________.

Accepted Answer

Couples in happy marriages tend to make external attributions for their partner's negative behaviors (blaming outside factors) and internal attributions for positive behaviors (crediting their partner's character or efforts), whereas couples in unhappy marriages do the opposite, attributing negative behaviors to their partner's character (internal) and positive behaviors to external factors.

Question 6

When observers consider the extent to which different people respond in the same way toward a given stimulus, they are using __________ information.

Accepted Answer

Consensus information refers to the extent to which different people respond in the same way to a given stimulus. It is used to understand how common or widespread a particular reaction or behavior is among different individuals in response to the same situation or stimulus.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a type of information included in the covariation model of attribution?

Accepted Answer

The covariation model includes three types of information: consensus (how do others behave in similar situations?), distinctiveness (how does the person behave in different situations?), and consistency (how does the person behave in similar situations over time?). Additive is not a type of information in the covariation model, but rather a term used in calculating the final attribution of causality.

Question 8

__________ information addresses the extent to which the same person responds similarly to different stimuli.

Accepted Answer

Distinctiveness information refers to how differently a person reacts to various stimuli, indicating the extent to which their behavior changes across different situations.

Question 9

Anna usually doesn't like movies with violent scenes. Still, she saw Sin City-a violent movie-five times and loved it. Everyone else-including critics-really liked Sin City, too. In this example, distinctiveness is __________ and consensus is __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anna usually doesn't like movies with violent...

Question 10

__________ information addresses the extent to which an actor behaves in a similar way in response to a stimulus across time and circumstances.

Accepted Answer

Consistency information refers to the extent to which an actor behaves in a similar way in response to a stimulus across time and circumstances. Consensus information refers to the extent to which other people exhibit the same behavior in response to the same stimulus, while distinctiveness information refers to the extent to which the actor exhibits the same behavior in response to different stimuli. Uniformity is not a term used to describe information in social psychology.

Question 11

When distinctiveness is __________, consensus is __________, and consistency is high, people are likely to make an external attribution.

Accepted Answer

When behavior is highly distinctive (stand out from usual behavior), there is a low consensus (not many people are behaving this way), and consistency is high (person behaves this way frequently), people tend to make external attributions (attribute the behavior to external factors such as environment or situation).

Question 12

"Jen's bicycle was stolen yesterday," Jason said, "and that's why she's so cranky today." Jason has just used an ________ to explain the cause of Jen's behavior.

Accepted Answer

Jason attributed Jen's crankiness to an external event (her bicycle being stolen), which is an example of external attribution.

Question 13

Talia and Jermaine are in an unhappy marriage. When Jermaine brings home chocolates for Talia, she assumes that they must be a re-gift of something he received that day. Her attribution reflects a __________ behavior to an __________ cause.

Accepted Answer

Talia's attribution of the chocolates as a re-gift suggests she sees the behavior as positive (receiving chocolates) but attributes it to an external cause (Jermaine received them from someone else), rather than an internal cause like his affection.

Question 14

Tina is very happy in her marriage. She is going to make __________ attributions about the positive behaviors of her spouse.

Accepted Answer

Internal attributions involve giving credit for behavior to a person's internal characteristics or traits. Since Tina is happy in her marriage, she is likely to attribute positive behaviors in her spouse to their internal qualities and traits, rather than external factors or self-serving biases.

Question 15

When making an attribution, Pete considers how his brother's behavior is similar to that of other teens in similar situations. Pete is using __________ information.

Accepted Answer

Pete is using consensus information because he is considering how his brother's behavior compares to others in similar situations, which involves looking at the extent to which other people behave the same way in the same context.

Question 16

Simon laughed long and hard when he saw his mother slip and fall. Neither his sister nor his father laughed when they saw her fall. Simon has seen both his mother and other people fall before but didn't laugh then. According to Kelley's covariation model, observers privy to this information are likely to assume that __________.

Accepted Answer

Kelley's covariation model suggests that people make attributions based on three types of information: consensus (how do others react to the same stimulus?), distinctiveness (is the behavior specific to this situation or general?), and consistency (does the behavior happen all the time or just in this instance?). In this case, Simon's behavior is not consistent with how he has acted in the past (seeing people fall before without laughing), nor is it in line with how others react (his sister and father did not laugh). Therefore, observers are likely to assume that there was something peculiar about this particular incident that made Simon laugh (distinctiveness).

Question 17

Based on research on attributions within married couples presented in your text, consider the following couple: Dean claims that every time Erica does something kind, it is just because she wants to impress his mother; and every time she does something rude, he says it is because she is a mean person. What kind of relationship are they most likely to have?

Accepted Answer

Dean's consistent negative attribution of Erica's behavior suggests a lack of trust and a negative perception of her actions. This can lead to resentment, communication problems, and a general dissatisfaction with the relationship.

Question 18

"Ellen is always crabby and tense, and that's why she's acting so impatient today," Grace remarked. Grace has just used a(n) __________ attribution to explain the cause of Ellen's impatience.

Accepted Answer

Grace is attributing Ellen's impatience to her internal state, specifically her consistent demeanor of being crabby and tense.

Question 19

Rafael has always hated mathematics courses. However, he likes most other courses at the university. Most other students tend to avoid math courses whenever possible, too. Given this information about consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus, most people would make a(n) __________ attribution for Rafael's attitude.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rafael has always hated mathematics courses. However,...

Question 20

Suppose a certain student, Nathan, falls asleep during every chemistry class. Suppose further that Nathan is the only one who falls asleep in this class, and that he falls asleep in all of his other classes. According to Kelley's covariation model of attribution, how will people explain Nathan's behavior (falling asleep)?

Accepted Answer

Kelley's covariation model suggests an attribution to something unusual about Nathan because his behavior (falling asleep) is low in consensus (no one else falls asleep), low in distinctiveness (he falls asleep in all classes, not just chemistry), and high in consistency (he always falls asleep in class).

Quiz 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People

Harold Kelley's covariation model is one __________ theory presented in your text.

The logical outcome of distressed couples making external attributions for positive behavior and internal attributions for negative ones is that the relationship is going to __________.

attribution is to person as attribution is to situation.

The attributional perspective that addresses behaviors that occur over time, place, and different actors and targets is the __________ model.

Researchers have found that couples who are happy in their marriages make very different attributions for their partners' behaviors than couples who are unhappy. Specifically, couples in happy marriages make , while couples in unhappy marriages make .