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Attributing behavior to persons or to
situations
• Fritz Helder (1958) proposed attribution
theory.
• Attribution theory:
– The theory that we explain someone’s behavior by
crediting either the situation or the person’s
disposition.
Fundamental Attribution Error
• Tendency for observers to
misjudge ones behavior with
their personality.
The Effect of Attribution
• Everyday life examples:
– A jury must decide the fate of others in court.
– When making friends or starting a relationship.
– When we elect people to office.
– Job performance
Small Group Discussion
• How are attributions linked to stereotypes and
prejudice? Create your own examples. (5
examples).
• In your opinion how are attitude and behavior
related?
Attitudes
• Attitudes: Beliefs and feelings about objects,
people and events that can impact how
people behave in certain situations.
• Attitudes develop through life experiences.
– Conditioning (Classical, Operant)
– Observational Learning
Foot-in-the-door vs. Door-in-the-face
• Come up with an example of foot-in-the-door
and door-in-the-face phenomena
Exposure Effect
• States that the more one is exposed to
something the more one will come to like it.
– You are more likely to buy a product that you saw
an advertisement for
Persuasion
• Persuasion: the direct attempt to influence other
peoples attitude and values.
• Methods of Persuasion:
– Central Route: evidence and logic to persuade people.
– Peripheral Route: Uses association of objects with positive
and negative
– Two-Sided Argument: messenger presents not only his or
her side but the oppositions side as well.
– Emotional Appeals: use feelings of loyalty, admiration,
desire, jealously or fear to get a response.
Sales Resistance
• People that have no trouble turning down
requests to buy products or services.
– High self esteem is associated with being able to
turn down sales pitches.
Conformity and Obedience
Conformity and Obedience
Consider the following:
• Behavior is something that is learned and
contagious.
• Try looking upward next time you are in the hall.
• Go into a room and yawn. See how many people
yawn.
Reasons for Conformity
• Normative Social Influence:
– Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain
approval or disapproval.
• Informational Social Influence:
– Influence resulting from one’s willingness to
accept others opinions about reality.
Social Loafing
• The tendency for people in a group to exert
less effort when pooling their efforts toward
attaining a common goal than when
individually accountable.
Deindividuation
• The loss of self-restraint occurring in the
group situations that foster arousal and
anonymity.
Group Polarization
• The enhancement of a group’s prevailing
inclinations through discussion within the
group.
Groupthink
• The mode of thinking that occurs when the
desire for harmony in a decision-making group
overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
What’s Wrong Here?
Cognitive Dissonance
• the state of having inconsistent thoughts,
beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to
behavioral decisions and attitude change.
Role Playing Affect Attitudes
• Think about the transition you made from
middle school to high school.
• What is it like to start a new job?
• What could it be like during your first few
weeks in the military?
Stanford Prison Study