Describe the two general types of attributions people use to explain the behavior of themselves and others, and discuss key concepts in attribution theory, such as the fundamental attribution error, the self-serving bias, and the just-world hypothesis
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
? Attributions are either situational or dispositional.
? An example of a situational attribution is "Joe stole the money because his family is starving."
? An example of a dispositional attribution is "Joe stole the money because he is a born thief."
? Two common errors in attribution are the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias.
? The fundamental attribution error is the tendency, in explaining other people's behavior, to overestimate personality factors and underestimate the influence of the situation.
? The self-serving bias involves making favorable attributions for our own actions. If we have done something good, we use a dispositional attribution; if we have done something wrong, we use a situational attribution.
? The just-world hypothesis states that many people need to believe that the world is fair and that justice is served, that bad people are punished and good people are rewarded.
? Unfortunately, one common way of restoring the belief in a just world is to call upon a dispositional attribution called blaming the victim, in which the misfortune of individuals is attributed to their personal (dispositional) failings.
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Incest most often occurs between ____
a. mothers and sons c. cousins b. fathers and daughters d. uncles and nieces
In a study of people's responses to computerized help, Karabenick and Knapp (1988) found that
a. people were more likely to ask for help from a research assistant than from a computer b. people were just as likely to ask for help from a computer as from a research assistant c. people were more likely to ask for help from a computer than from a research assistant d. people perceived more psychological costs of receiving help from a computer than from a research assistant
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a. regulate and monitor b. delay and monitor c. reflect and to change their decision d. alter their goal