AP Psychology Flashcards: Attribution Theory and Person Perception
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 16 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is person perception?
Person perception refers to the mental processes we use to form impressions and make judgments about other people, influencing how we interact with them.
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What is person perception?
Person perception refers to the mental processes we use to form impressions and make judgments about other people, influencing how we interact with them.
When you win a game, you credit your skill (dispositional), but when you lose, you blame the bad weather (situational). What bias is this?
This is an example of the self-serving bias, where you take personal credit for success and blame external factors for failure.
A political ad runs constantly on TV. Even if you initially ignore it, you may develop a more favorable view of the candidate. What explains this?
This can be explained by the mere exposure effect, as repeated exposure to the candidate's message and image can increase your liking for them.
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person's belief or expectation about another person causes them to act in a way that elicits the expected behavior.
Define the mere exposure effect.
The mere exposure effect is a phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them through repeated exposure.
What is the self-serving bias?
The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors and one's failures to external factors to maintain a positive self-view.
Define locus of control.
Locus of control is the degree to which people believe they have control over the outcomes of events in their lives, categorized as either internal or external.
Explain the actor-observer bias.
The actor-observer bias is the tendency to attribute our own actions to situational causes, while attributing the actions of others to their dispositional traits.
What are attributions in the context of psychology?
Attributions are the explanations people generate for why behaviors or events occur, which can be either dispositional (internal) or situational (external).
How does social comparison apply to behavior and mental processes?
Social comparison is a mental process that influences our self-concept and self-esteem, which in turn can guide our behavior as we strive to fit in or stand out.
What is the difference between a dispositional and a situational attribution?
A dispositional attribution credits behavior to a person's internal characteristics, while a situational attribution credits behavior to external environmental factors.
Define social comparison.
Social comparison is the process of evaluating one's own self, including abilities and opinions, by comparing oneself to other people.
Identify the fundamental attribution error.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional explanations for others' behavior while underestimating situational factors.
What is an explanatory style?
Explanatory style is a person's consistent and predictable pattern of making attributions, often characterized as being generally optimistic or pessimistic.
How does attribution theory apply to behavior and mental processes?
Attribution theory explains the mental process of how we interpret and judge the causes of behavior, which in turn influences our own subsequent actions and feelings.
A student blames their poor test grade on the teacher's difficult questions. What type of locus of control does this demonstrate?
This demonstrates an external locus of control, as the student is attributing the outcome to outside forces rather than their own effort or ability.