1. Social Psychology: Personal Perspectives (Chapter 14) Lecture Outline: Social Cognition Attributions and Biases Impression management

2. You have just met someone at a party. What would lead to you forming a positive impression of them? List three characteristics on the small paper handed out in class.

3. Social Cognition: –How we perceive and interpret information from ourselves and others Cognitive-Consistency Theory: –A match between thoughts and behaviors gives peace of mind. Conflict leads to cognitive dissonance: –Watching bad movies you have rented vs. loaned –Justification of effort: working hard to get an A

4. Self-perception theory Attitudes are inferred from your behaviors Roommate drags you to hockey games, and you spend your whole time talking, yet you are now a “hockey fan” A dreary course you chose and suffered through is recommended to a friend: Once it is over, you see it more positively Impression management: Door-to-door sales. What works?

7. Attributions: Explanations for behavior “I don’t want to dance”. Why? –Because I am a loser (personal attribution) –Because they are too wrapped up with their friends (situational attribution) –I didn’t really want to (cognitive dissonance) Someone bumps you in line. Why? –Because they are an !@?&#!!.. This is a fundamental attribution bias where we over- emphasize internal causes behavior

8. Self-serving bias Internalize success and externalize blame Winning a hockey game because “we’re a good team”, losing because they were “lucky” or you “did not get the bounces” Self-handicapping is the opposite, e.g., pass a test because “it was easy”, fail “because I am stupid”

10. How do you form impressions? You meet someone at a party. You form an initial impression of them. What is your initial impression based on?

12. Impression Formation Primacy effect: Initial impressions matter –Hard to get over bad start Confirmation bias: We notice things consistent with our beliefs –Teenagers “hang around and are up to no good” –Leads to self-fulfilling prophecies Person-positivity bias: Individuals can be regarded more highly than groups

13. Social Psychology