Table of Contents
The Lens of the Observer: Understanding Social Cognition and
the Attribution Error
The Invisible Pull: Exploring Conformity and the Power of the
Group
The Weight of Authority: Obedience and the Lessons of History
The Social Mirror: Attitudes, Dissonance, and How We Change
Our Minds
The Lens of the Observer: Social Cognition and the Attribution Error
Social Psychology begins with how we think about others, a process
called Social Cognition. This is essentially the "mental shortcut"
system we use to make sense of the people around us. One of the
most important concepts you'll face in an assessment is the
Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). The FAE is our tendency to
overestimate the power of a person's personality and underestimate
the power of the situation when explaining their behavior.
In simpler terms, we are "personality-biased." When we see
someone else do something, we assume it's because of
who they
are
inside. However, when we describe our own behavior, we are
much more likely to blame the
situation
we were in.
A Mini Example Imagine a car cuts you off in traffic. Your immediate
thought is probably, "What a jerk! That person is a reckless driver."
This is the FAE in action—you are attributing their behavior to a
personality trait (being a "jerk"). You likely aren't considering that
they might be rushing to the hospital or that they simply didn't see
you because of a massive blind spot.
To recap, social cognition is the study of our "social filters." The
Fundamental Attribution Error reminds us that we often judge
others' characters while giving ourselves a pass because of our
circumstances.
The Invisible Pull: Exploring Conformity and the Power of the Group
