Chapter 2: Social Perception

Chapter Outline Nonverbal Communication Attribution Theories and Errors Impression Formation and Impression Management Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.3 2

Social Perception Social Perception- process through which we seek to understand other persons What do nonverbal cues tell us? How do we explain other’s behavior? What types of errors bias our thinking? How do we form first impressions of others? Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.4 4 10 10

Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication- an unspoken language of expressions and body language Basic channels facial expressions- reveals current moods/feelings eye contact- reveals friendliness, shyness, aggression body language (position, posture, movement)- reveals emotional states, status, cultural emblems touching- reveals affection, interest, dominance, caring, threat, aggression Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.5 4 10 10

Facial Expressions and Social Thought Cognitive tuning model (Schwarz, 1990) when others smile, we sense that the current situation is safe so we process information superficially (heuristic processing) when others frown, we sense that careful thought about their words is required (systematic processing) Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.6 4 10 10

Facial Expressions and Social Cognition Based on data from Ottati, Terkildsen, & Hubbard, 1997

Attribution Theories Attribution- seek to determine causes behind others’ behavior Correspondent inference- infer others’ traits from observing their behavior, especially. when behavior: is freely chosen person rallying for women’s rights is feminist is socially undesirable (or unusual) teacher who wears tie-dye shirts is free spirit yields noncommon effects (one cause only) woman who marries rich, stupid, ugly man is probably marrying for money Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.7 4 10 10

Inferences Using Noncommon Effects Prestigious School Clinical Program Desirable Location Lots of Requirements Prestigious School Desirable Location Lots of Requirements

Inferences Using Noncommon Effects Prestigious School Clinical Program Desirable Location Prestigious School Lots of Requirements Desirable Location

Attribution Theories (con’t) Causal attribution theory- we attribute the cause of others’ behavior to internal or external factors1 internal- caused by person’s traits (disposition) external- caused by situation To explain other’s behavior we use: consensus- extent others behave in same way consistency- extent person always behaves this way distinctiveness- extent person acts differently in other situations 1Other dimensions include: stable/unstable; controllable/uncontrollable Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.8 4 10 10

Why Was Student Late? Internal attribution (e.g., student is lazy) made if: Low consensus: no one else came in late High consistency: in the past, student has come in late Low distinctiveness: student is late to other classes External attribution (e.g., more time needed between classes) made if: High consensus: other students came in late High distinctiveness: student is only late to this class Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.9 2

Why did student do well on exam?

Handling Multiple Causes When multiple causes are present the following may occur: Discounting Principle- tendency to downplay importance of one cause if others exist Why is woman claiming harassment? Good Samaritan or spurned lover? Augmenting Principle- tendency to increase importance of one factor when behavior occurs in the presence of an inhibitory factor Woman claims sexual harassment even though she strongly supported the president is more believable Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.10 4 10 10

Attributional Errors Attributional Errors Fundamental attribution error (correspondence bias)- tendency to overestimate internal causes of other’s behavior while ignoring external causes Actor-observer effect- tendency to attribute own behavior to external causes, but others to internal Self-serving bias- tendency to take credit for success and blame failures on the situation Western (individualistic) cultures are more susceptible to these biases than Eastern (collectivistic) cultures Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.11 4 10 10

Attributional Errors (con’t) Actor-observer effect occurs because: differences in perceptual salience to actor- the situation is most salient to observer- the actor grabs attention difference in information observers have no access to actor’s behavioral history western culture- predisposes us to assume that people, not situations cause events Self-serving bias occurs because: need to protect and enhance our self-esteem Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.12 4 10 10

Applications of Attribution Theory Attribution and Depression depressed persons often show a self-defeating pattern of attributions opposite of the self-serving bias attribute positive events to temporary, external causes attribute negative events to internal causes cognitive therapy that reverses pattern is effective Attribution and Rape people with a strong belief in a just world (“bad things happen to bad people”) are more likely to blame the rape victim Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.13 4 10 10

Impression Formation Impression Formation- how we form impressions of others central traits (e.g., warm-cold) strongly shape the overall impression of a stranger primacy effect- information presented first often has stronger impact on impressions impressions of others consist of both exemplars (examples of specific behavior) and abstractions (mental summaries of general behavior) Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.14 2

Impression Management Impression Management- efforts to produce a favorable first impression Techniques include self-enhancement- boost one’s appeal boost physical appearance, use immodesty other-enhancement- induce positive moods in others flattery, express liking, agree with target’s views if overdone, however, “slime effect” can occur techniques not always under conscious control Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.15 2

Impression Accuracy Social perceptions of others are often accurate because: physical and psychological traits stem from same genetic factors psychological traits cause physical traits to develop actions may be reflected in our faces physical traits cause psychological traits to develop attractive people are treated differently people gradually develop the traits others expect them to have (self-fulfilling) Baron & Byrne- Social Psychology 9/e, Allyn and Bacon 2.16 2