Psych 456/556 - Attitudes and Social Behavior Paper 1

First draft due Mon. May 6

Edited Papers due Weds. May 8 Final draft due Fri. May 10

For paper 2, your job is to pick one of the following:

Fundamental Attribution Error/Correspondent Inference

False Consensus Effect

Misattribution of Arousal

Confirmation Bias

Illusion of Control

In your paper, you should include a definition of the heuristic/bias (however, you do not necessarily have to open with the definition). Identify a specific circumstance when this bias/heuristic may result in poor judgments and negative consequences. You can pick a circumstance that occurs in your life, or one that occurs to someone you know (e.g., your roommate or mother). Or, you may pick a circumstance that is relevant to a particular group of people or to people engaged in a particular activity (e.g., teachers grading tests) or affiliated with a particular institution (e.g., the court system). Be sure to make it clear how the behaviors involved demonstrate the heuristic/bias and why the outcome of using this heuristic/bias is negative. Address ways of possibly either avoiding the bias or the adverse effects of the bias in this particular circumstance.

Examples that demonstrate keen social perceptiveness will be smiled upon, as will examples that are original and creative (do NOT use examples mentioned in class or the text!).

It is not necessary to do any additional reading for this paper, but if you do, please cite your sources. (See Paper 1 assignment for details on how to cite sources.)

Additional notes:

Double space your paper and leave 1 inch margins all the way around. Justify only the left margin. Remember, your editor has to have room to write his or her comments.

You may use first person.

You do not need a title page. Center your title in the middle of the first page. Put your course i.d. number (the number you got in class - send me an email if you don't have a number) and the page number in the top right corner of each page. YOUR NAME SHOULD NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE ON THE PAPER! HOWEVER - To help the office staff, please put MY name on the paper (so they know whose box to put it in).