Exam 5: Social Cognition

Which of the following is the weakest explanation for the fundamental attribution error?

The so-called illusory correlation can most directly help explain ____.

Recent research suggests that the basic distinction people make in attribution processes is between _________________ and _________________ behavior.

Research indicates that ____ and ____ are two main motivations underlying the self-serving bias.

The field of social cognition first emerged in the ____ as ____.

The tendency to judge the frequency or likelihood of an event by the ease with which relevant instances come to mind is called the ________________ heuristic.

People tend to attribute their own behaviors to situational factors, but to attribute others' behaviors to dispositional factors. This pattern is known as the ____.

Research indicates that ____ engage in counterfactual thinking; and that ____ engage in meta-cognition.

Kelly runs by the bank to check her balance and get cash before visiting her grandparents. Normally when she visits her grandparents, she walks with them slowly, at their pace. Today, though, after her earlier visit to the bank, she finds herself walking faster than them. This is because the visit to the bank probably produced a(n) ____.

The unconscious mind would struggle most with the meaning of which of the following?

Suppose that Greg and Marsha both apply for a prestigious scholarship program, and both get rejected. Greg finds out that his application was flat out rejected (he never had a chance), while Marsha finds out that she was the first runner up (she nearly won). Who is likely to be more disappointed? Why?

Wing Tung is reading his textbook for history class. At the end of each paragraph, he stops and asks himself what the paragraph was about. Once he feels like he knows that, he goes on. Wing Tung is using ____ to improve his thinking.

When William James spoke of "wakening the associations," he was referring to ____.

The tendency for people to judge the frequency or likelihood of an event by the ease with which they can imagine or mentally visualize it is known as the ____.

Suppose that you are trying to guess how much money a co-worker of yours makes. You have no idea how much she makes off-hand. To try to guess, you start with your own salary and then add on a few dollars since she has been at your workplace longer than you have. That is, you make use of the ________________ heuristic.

Research shows that people tend to engage in fewer cognitive errors and biases in everyday thinking ____.

The tendency to overestimate the link between variables that are related only slightly or not at all after just one exposure to a group member performing a behavior illustrates the ____.

Recall the "Castro study" conducted by Jones and Harris. In this study, participants were asked to read an essay that was supposedly written by another student. The essay was always about Castro, but it was either pro-Castro or anti-Castro. Also, participants were told either (a) that the essay-writer got to choose which side to take (pro- or anti-), or (b) that the essay-writer was ASSIGNED to one side or the other. The researchers found that ____.

Suppose that you meet an old man named Al. You have no idea how old he is. To try to guess his age you start with your grandfather's age (80), and then add on a few years since Al seems to be a little older. That is, you make use of ____.

Isabelle is exhausted from staying up too late and doesn't perform very well at her swim meet as a result. Isabelle will probably describe her poor performance as ____.