Question 1

Jones and Davis's theory of correspondent inferences specifies the conditions under which you are most likely to

Accepted Answer

Jones and Davis's theory of correspondent inferences pertains to the process by which people infer the dispositions of others from their behaviors in a particular context. This means that people may assume that someone's behavior reflects their inner characteristics, such as personality traits, attitudes, or values, rather than situational factors. Hence, the most likely choice from the given options is C.

Question 2

Glenda turns in an assignment late; her instructor concludes Glenda is lazy and unmotivated. The instructor's assumption is an example of

Accepted Answer

The instructor's assumption that Glenda is lazy and unmotivated is an example of a dispositional attribution, which means the instructor is attributing Glenda's behavior to her inherent characteristics rather than considering external factors that may have contributed to her late assignment.

Question 3

Fritz Heider's "__________ psychology" analyzes the way people explain everyday events.

Accepted Answer

Fritz Heider's common-sense psychology focuses on the way people use common-sense explanations to understand and make sense of everyday events. This approach analyzes how people attribute causality and to what degree they perceive events to be intentional or accidental.

Question 4

Attributional theorists have found that when explaining someone's behaviour, we underestimate _____________ and overestimate the extent to which it reflects ______________.

Accepted Answer

Attributional theorists argue that people tend to underestimate the impact of situational factors and overestimate the influence of personal traits and attitudes when explaining someone's behavior. This is known as the fundamental attribution error.

Question 5

is widely regarded as the pioneer of the ___________ theory.

Accepted Answer

Fritz Heider is widely regarded as the pioneer of the attribution theory, which focuses on how people interpret events and how this interpretation affects their behavior. The other options (self-esteem theory, motivation theory, fundamental attribution error theory) are related but not specific to Heider's contributions.

Question 6

Joseph goes to a job interview and responds to questions in a sarcastic and indifferent manner. He also acts this way with his brothers and sisters. According to the theory of correspondent inference, which situation tells us more about what Joseph is like?

Accepted Answer

The theory of correspondent inference states that people make inferences about others based on their actions in situations that uniquely reveal their personality or traits. Joseph's sarcastic and indifferent behavior in the job interview is more likely to be a situation that uniquely reveals his personality than how he acts with his siblings, as the job interview is an unfamiliar, high-stakes situation where he is expected to impress and present himself well. Therefore, B is the best answer as it gives us more insight into Joseph's personality.

Question 7

According to the textbook, behaviours attributed to the environment are

Accepted Answer

Behaviours attributed to the environment are considered situational, meaning they are influenced by the circumstances or situations in which they occur. This is in contrast to dispositional attributions, which suggest that a person's internal characteristics or traits are responsible for their behaviour. Fundamental attribution errors refer to our tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and overlook situational factors in explaining others' behaviour. Common-sensical attributions are based on our everyday understandings and assumptions about behaviour, but may not always be accurate or objective.

Question 8

Joanie works hard to please her boss Sam. Sam tries hard to please his boss Ann. Research on misattribution predicts that

Accepted Answer

Research on misattribution, particularly the misattribution of arousal, suggests that people may misinterpret feelings of excitement, stress, or admiration as romantic or sexual attraction. In this scenario, Sam, who is working hard to please his boss Ann, might misinterpret Joanie's efforts to please him as signs of romantic interest towards him.

Question 9

Nature is to ___________ as nurture is to ____________.

Accepted Answer

Nature refers to the inherent traits and genetics (dispositional factors) we are born with, while nurture refers to the environmental and situational influences on our behavior.

Question 10

Attribution theories analyze how we

Accepted Answer

Attribution theories seek to explain the ways in which people explain the behaviors of others. It focuses on the reasons or causes that influence our interpretations of people's actions, whether in terms of their personality, situation, or other factors.

Question 11

For a school debate, Sally has been asked to argue in favour of abortion. Research on the fundamental attribution error suggests that observers of Sally's speech will conclude that her arguments

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences on others' behavior. Thus, observers are likely to conclude that Sally's arguments reflect her true attitude on the topic, not considering that she was assigned this position.

Question 12

Misreading and explaining a woman's warmth or friendliness as a sexual come-on is known as

Accepted Answer

Misreading and explaining a woman's warmth or friendliness as a sexual come-on is an example of a misattribution, where a person incorrectly attributes a particular behavior or action to a different cause than the actual one.

Question 13

According to Kelley's theory of attributions, when our behaviour has a high degree of consensus with others and is distinctive, we would likely make ____________ attributions about the cause of behaviour. On the other hand, when behaviour has low consensus and low distinctiveness, we are likely to make _____________ attributions about the cause of behaviour.

Accepted Answer

According to Kelley's theory of attributions, when behaviour has a high degree of consensus with others and is distinctive, we would likely make external attributions about the cause of behaviour. This is because the behaviour is seen as being caused by external factors that are common in the situation or context (high consensus) and specific to the individual (high distinctiveness). On the other hand, when behaviour has low consensus (i.e. not many people are behaving in the same way) and low distinctiveness (i.e. the behaviour is common for the individual), we are likely to make internal (dispositional) attributions about the cause of behaviour.

Question 14

Variations of attribution theory share which of the following assumptions?

Accepted Answer

The assumption that attributions can generally be categorized as internal or external is shared among variations of attribution theory. A is incorrect because attributions can also be based on situational factors. B is incorrect because other factors, such as consistency, also play a role in attributions. D is incorrect because actions do not always correspond to dispositions in attribution theory.

Question 15

According to Fritz Heider, we tend to attribute people's behaviour to either __________ or __________ causes.

Accepted Answer

Fritz Heider proposed that we attribute people's behavior to either internal or external causes. Internal causes are related to personal characteristics or dispositions, while external causes are related to the situation or environment influencing the person.

Question 16

According to theorist Harold Kelley, in making common-sense attributions to explain others' behaviour, people use information about consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus. This suggests that attributions are ___________

Accepted Answer

Kelley's theory suggests that people use rational processes to make attributions about others' behavior by considering the consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus of the behavior.

Question 17

In the middle of a phone conversation, your friend cuts you off, quickly says she "has to go," and hangs up on you. You wonder if your friend's behaviour indicates that she is angry with you, or if she has just received some bad news. According to Fritz Heider, you are engaging in

Accepted Answer

According to Fritz Heider's attribution theory, individuals tend to engage in common-sense psychology, where they explain other people's behavior in terms of their internal dispositions (e.g. personality traits) rather than external situational factors. In this scenario, the person is wondering if their friend's behavior is due to something they did or if there was some external cause.

Question 18

When explaining why Edgar is having trouble with his new computer, which of the following questions deal with consistency rather than with distinctiveness or consensus?

Accepted Answer

The question "Does Edgar usually have trouble with his computer?" deals with consistency, as it asks whether Edgar is consistently having trouble with his computer. The other questions deal with distinctiveness (whether Edgar has trouble with other computers or only this one) and consensus (whether other people have similar problems with this computer).

Question 19

During a concert, Alia announces "I'm bored," and leaves the concert. Rick thinks this type of music bores Alia, while Ernie thinks Alia gets bored easily. Which of the following statements is most true?

Accepted Answer

Ernie is making an internal attribution by assuming that Alia's boredom is due to her personality or internal factors (such as easily getting bored). Rick's attribution could be seen as external (attributing Alia's boredom to the music) but it could also be seen as dispositional (assuming Alia's boredom is due to a personal preference for a different type of music). However, the best choice is B, since Ernie's attribution is more clearly internal.

Question 20

At a family gathering, Frankie's little cousin, Sandra, slaps him. Aunt Viv comments, "little Sandra is always slapping people these days!" With this information, what type of attribution are you most likely to make about Sandra's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

The answer of At a family gathering, Frankie's little cousin,...

Quiz 3: Social Beliefs and Judgments