Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 I CAN Explain: Implicit Personality Theory Fundamental Attribution Error (on AP a lot) Cultural evaluations of personality Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Implicit Personality Theories Assumptions about personality that we build about a person after we know something of their central traits Believing that a happy person is also friendly Quiet people are shy Someone who speaks slowly is slow-witted Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Fundamental Attribution Error Assumption that another person’s behavior (especially undesirable behavior) is the result of a flaw in the personality, rather than the situation EX: someone trips you, you assume they hate you (it could have been an accident) People presume that the actions of others are indicative of the "kind" of person they are, rather than the kind of situations that compels their behavior Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Personality Across Cultures Assumptions people make vary widely across cultures–depending especially on whether the culture emphasizes individualism or collectivism Other cultural differences involve Status of different age groups and sexes Romantic love Locus of control Thinking vs. feeling Attribution Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 Think about this….. When you try to understand another person’s actions…. do you consider… the situation? (as Mischel says) the person’s inner needs, drives, motives, emotions? (as psychodynamic theories say) the person’s basic personality characteristics? (as the trait and type theories say) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 CAN I? Explain: Implicit Personality Theory Fundamental Attribution Error (on AP a lot) Cultural evaluations of personality Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007