Question 1

___________ is defined as the process of automatically inferring traits from another person's behaviour.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous trait inference is defined as the process of automatically inferring traits from another person's behavior. The other options are different concepts of attribution in social psychology.

Question 2

What do both the correspondent inference theory and the covariation theory assume about how we attribute causes to behaviours?

Accepted Answer

Both the correspondent inference theory and the covariation theory assume that we are rational and logical when we attribute causes to behaviours. These theories suggest that people use information about the behaviour and the context in which it occurred to make inferences about the cause of the behaviour. They do not suggest that people are biased or unintelligent in their attributions.

Question 3

Suppose someone robbed a bank. How would Megan, who is from an individualistic culture, be most likely to explain this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

In individualistic cultures, personal responsibility, autonomy, and self-reliance are highly valued. Therefore, Megan is likely to view the act of robbery as a decision made by an individual who is responsible for their actions, and thus, assign blame and view the robber as immoral.

Question 4

Suppose someone robbed a bank. How would Lee, who is from a collectivist culture, be most likely to explain this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

In a collectivist culture, the needs and well-being of the group take precedence over the needs and desires of the individual. Therefore, Lee may be more likely to see the robber's actions as a necessary means of providing for their family or community, rather than simply as immoral or dishonest behavior.

Question 5

Individuals who are from ________ cultures are less likely to make ________.

Accepted Answer

Collectivist cultures prioritize the needs and goals of the group over the individual, and therefore are less likely to make spontaneous trait inferences (judgments about someone's personality or character) based on individual actions or behaviors. This is because collectivist cultures value context and relationships over traits or dispositional factors.

Question 6

Paul is having trouble getting his iPod to work. If you ask him whether he typically has trouble using his iPod, you are seeking information about:

Accepted Answer

The question is asking about consistency, which relates to whether someone's behavior or performance in a particular situation is consistent over time. This question is not about consensus (what others think about using an iPod) or conformity (whether Paul changes his behavior to match what others do).

Question 7

If a person always responds in the same way to a stimulus across all contexts, then what type of attribution will likely be made?

Accepted Answer

A dispositional attribution is made when a person's behavior is consistent across all contexts, and is attributed to their internal characteristics, such as their personality or beliefs.

Question 8

According to your textbook, cultural differences in how behaviour is explained seem to increase with _______.

Accepted Answer

According to the textbook, cultural differences in how behavior is explained seem to increase with age, as older individuals tend to have more deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and values that shape their understanding of behavior.

Question 9

Jones and Harris (1967) found that subjects still attributed pro-Castro attitudes to essay authors even when the subjects knew that the authors had no choice but to write the essays. This is evidence for:

Accepted Answer

The correspondence bias, also known as the fundamental attribution error, is the tendency for people to explain behavior based on internal characteristics rather than external influences. In this case, the subjects attributed pro-Castro attitudes to the essay authors despite knowing that they had no choice but to write the essay, indicating a tendency for the subjects to attribute behavior to dispositional rather than situational factors.

Question 10

Research by Ross, Amabile, & Steinmetz (1977) found that individuals who were randomly assigned to be "questioners" were perceived as being ________ relative to those assigned to be "respondents" on a series of general knowledge questions.

Accepted Answer

The research found that individuals who were assigned to be "questioners" were perceived as more intelligent relative to those assigned to be "respondents".

Question 11

People from collectivist cultures are more likely to make __________ attributions for behaviour, while people from individualistic cultures are more likely to make __________ attributions for behaviour.

Accepted Answer

People from collectivist cultures tend to view behaviour in terms of situational factors and external attributions, whereas people from individualistic cultures tend to focus on internal factors and dispositional attributions. Therefore, option B is the best answer as it reflects this difference in attributional styles based on cultural values.

Question 12

According to the covariation theory, we use what three types of information to make attributions for other people's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

The covariation theory proposes that we use three types of information to make attributions: consensus (whether others behave similarly in the same situation), distinctiveness (whether the person behaves differently in different situations), and consistency (whether the person behaves similarly in the same situation over time). These three pieces of information help us decide whether someone's behavior is caused by internal (personality, disposition) or external (situation) factors. Option D includes all three types of information - consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is true regarding the tendency to make trait-based inferences about others?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that we tend to automatically make trait-based inferences about others, even when we do not have a motivation to do so. These inferences occur quickly and automatically, often without conscious awareness.

Question 14

You see a man bump into and knock over an elderly woman crossing the street without stopping to help her up. According to the phenomenon of spontaneous trait inference, you would likely assume the man:

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon of spontaneous trait inference suggests that people tend to make quick judgments about a person's traits based on their behavior. In this scenario, seeing the man knock over the elderly woman and not stopping to help her would lead to the inference that he is unkind. While it's possible that he didn't realize he knocked her over or had an emergency, these explanations are less likely to be inferred compared to the inference of unkindness, given the situation described. Feeling sick may be a possible alternative inference, but it would be less likely unless there were other observable signs of sickness.

Question 15

The fundamental attribution error is a more commonly known name for__________.

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error is also known as the correspondence bias, which is the tendency for people to overemphasize dispositional (personality) explanations for behavior and underestimate situational explanations. The other answer choices are related to attribution theory but do not specifically refer to the fundamental attribution error.

Question 16

According to the three-stage model of attribution, what do people need to have available to be able to correct situational constraints on behaviour?

Accepted Answer

People need time, energy, and motivation to correct for situational constraints on behavior according to the three-stage model of attribution.

Question 17

Brenda has not turned in her homework for over a week and her teacher assumes that she is lazy and unmotivated. It never occurs to Brenda's teacher that she is under a lot of stress and dealing with difficult life circumstances. The teacher's explanation for Brenda's behaviour can be considered an example of:

Accepted Answer

The teacher's assumption is an example of the correspondence bias, also known as the fundamental attribution error, where one attributes another person's behavior to their character rather than considering situational factors.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT one of the stages of the three-stage model of attribution?

Accepted Answer

The three-stage model of attribution involves automatically characterizing a behavior, automatically making a dispositional inference, and then using conscious effort to correct for situational constraints. Automatically making a situational attribution is not part of this model.

Question 19

Individuals high in___________ like to think, solve problems, and understand their world accurately.

Accepted Answer

The term "need for cognition" refers to the tendency to enjoy and engage in effortful cognitive activities such as thinking, problem-solving, and information processing. It is not necessarily related to a person's level of education, understanding, or intelligence, but rather reflects a preference for such activities.

Question 20

When confronted with negative emotions, we tend to:

Accepted Answer

When confronted with negative emotions, we tend to make dispositional attributions, which means we attribute the cause of the negative emotions to the person's personality or character.

Quiz 5: Social Perception