Change Modifications
April 6, 2025 - Began page, entered Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina Effects.This is a list of psychological effects as studied by the author. This is by no means comprehensive, but is helpful in assembling theoretical constructs, explaining behavior, and identifying potential confounds in thought experiments, research, and theoretical sensitivity.
- Actor-Observer Bias (Jones & Nisbett, 1971)
Actors attribute behaviors to disposition (i.e., internal cause) vs. stimuli attribution (i.e., external cause). Potentially a widely held but false belief (Malle, 2006). - Beauty Bias (Struckman-Johnson & Struckman-Johnson, 1994; see Rhode, 2010)
Appearance related bias/discrimination. - Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (Petty & Caccioppo, 1980)
Two different routes of persuasion where high elaboration appeals to a central route where processing is carefully attending to informational strength to affect attitude change (i.e., cognition, affect, behavior, whereas low elaboration appeals to the peripheral route where processing is not careful instead depending on cues associated to positivity to affect attitude change. - Fundamental Attribution Error (Ross, 1977)
Overemphasizing another’s character in explaining behavior (i.e., internal aspects), marginalizing context/situation. For neurocorrelates, see Brosch et al. (2013). - Zeigarnik Effect (Zeigarnik, 1938/1927)
Wherein there is better recall for tasks interrupted or incomplete than tasks completed. - Optimal Arousal (Yerkes, Dodson, 1908)
Performance (i.e., habit formation) is best when arousal is optimal to the task. Difficult/challenging tasks require lower arousal to leave room for concentration. Stamina/persistence tasks require higher arousal to allow motivation. - Ovsiankina Effect (Ovsiankina, 1928)
Wherein there there is motivation to finish tasks previously initiated (driven by intrusive thoughts), and especially when not tasks have not been completed.
References
Brosch, T., Schiller, D., Mojdehbakhsh, R., Uleman, J. S., & Phelps, E. A. (2013). Neural mechanisms underlying the integration of situational information into attribution outcomes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(6), 640–646. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nst019
Jones, E. E., & Nisbett, R. E. (1971). The actor and the observer: Divergent perceptions of the causes of behavior. General Learning Press.
Malle, B. F. (2006). The Actor–Observer Asymmetry in attribution: A (surprising) meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 895–919. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.895
Ovsiankina, M. (1928). Untersuchungen zur Handlungs-und Affektpsychologie: VI. Die Wiederaufnahme unterbrochener Handlungen. Psychologische Forschung, 11, 302-379. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00410261
Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60214-2
Rhode, D. L. (2011). The beauty bias. Oxford University Press.
Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. Advances In Experimental Social Psychology, 10, 173–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60357-3
https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Social_Cognition/Ross_Intuitive_Psychologist_in_Adv_Experiment_Soc_Psych_vol10_p173.pdf
Struckman-Johnson, C., & Struckman-Johnson, D. (1994). Men pressured and forced into sexual experience. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 23(1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541620
Yerkes, R.M., & Dodson, J.D. (1908). The Relation of Strength of Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit Formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology & Psychology, 18, 459–482. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.920180503
Zeigarnik, B. (1938). On finished and unfinished tasks. In W. D. Ellis (Ed.), A Source Book of Gestalt Psychology (pp. 300–314). Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Company. https://doi.org/10.1037/11496-025 (Original work published 1927)