Social Perception

MATERIAL FROM CHAPTER 3

Social Perception: Big Picture

How do we understand the behavior of others?
How does our understanding of others affect our
own behavior?
Three major areas of focus:
1. Nonverbal Communication
2. Attributions about Causes of Behavior
3. Impression Formation/Impression Management

Nonverbal Communication
Large percentage (maybe 75% or more) of the content of what we
communicate is NONVERRBAL
Ex: Charlie Brown

and his teacher

How do we communicate nonverbally? Facial Expressions

Gazes and Stares
Body Language

Scent

Touching

Facial Expressions

What emotions do you see in these facial

expressions? Universality of expression and
interpretation cross culturally, even with non-

Other Forms of Nonverbal

Communication
Gazes, Eye Contact
Ex: Cultural differences Respect? Disrespect? Kids w/ ASD
Stares
Ex: McK student
Body Language
Gestures
Posture
Gross Movements
Touching power differential
Tone of Voice
Scent

Importance of Facial Expressions

Phone Callvs. Face-to-Face

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Ex: Botox recipients
Ex: Fake It Till You Make It
Emotions within us individually or between us socially?
Attachment theory emotional attunement at core of
development of self

Deception
How to detect it?
Micro-expressions
Interchannel discrepancies
Eye contact
Exaggerated facial expressions
Changes in linguistic style
Effects of Lying on Social Relationships
Decrease in trust
Lying in kids with attachment disruption statements
rather than questions

Attribution: How Do We Make

Sense of Others Behavior?
People Watching - Maybe this is why you signed up for a psychology course to
begin with?
Correspondent Inference (Jones and Davis, 1965)
Look for noncommon effects

Theory of Causal Attributions (Kelley, 1972) Internal or External Causality?

Consensus (check with others assessment)
Consistency (pattern of similar reactions over time)
Distinctiveness (pattern of similar reactions to other, different stimuli)

Other Attributions
Fate Meant To Be
Complex Causality More Than Coincidence
Action Identification goal orientation, long-term motivation

Sources of Error In Attributions

Correspondence Bias Fundamental Attribution Error
Others attribute causality to traits, lasting characteristics
Self attribute causality to situation
Gender Effects: Emotional vs Having a Bad Day
Why?
Actor-Observer Effect behind our eyes
Self-Serving Bias
Positive events: internal causes
Negative events: external causes

Impression Formation
First Impressions
Formed quickly
Somewhat more accurate than chance - but variable results
Best when based on gut (intuitive) reactions

Central vs Peripheral Traits (Asch, 1946)

Based on Gestalt psychology
Intelligent skillful industrious -

warm

- determined practical curious

cold

Implicit Personality Theories - Schemas

Impression Management:
Self-Presentation
Self-Enhancement Mirror, mirror, on the
wall
Other-Enhancement flattery will get you
everywhere
(Eddie Haskell can backfire)
Effectiveness:
Not necessarily linked to future results
People who engage in impression