Question

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Elsa voices concern that many people in her town gather in groups to socialize, visit open businesses unnecessarily, and fail to wear face masks. Her friend explains this behavior by citing the low rate of infection in their area and inconsistent messages from the media and from political leaders. This example BEST illustrates the phenomenon of___

-causal attribution.
-counterfactual thinking.
-memory formation.
-person perception.

Answer 1

The behavior in Elsa's town during the pandemic demonstrates 'person perception' as individuals form impressions and attribute behaviors to external factors, such as low infection rates and mixed public messages, instead of scientific evidence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The behavior of Elsa's townspeople exemplifies the psychological concept of person perception. Person perception is the process by which individuals form impressions of others and understand their behaviors. In this scenario, Elsa's friend rationalizes the social behaviors of others based on the low infection rates and mixed messages from media and political leaders. This reasoning is a mix of individualistic stances and a reaction to social and informational cues that create a conflict between personal liberties and collective responsibility during a public health crisis.

During the pandemic, the necessity of wearing masks became a topic of debate. Some saw it as their civic duty due to the scientific evidence that suggests their effectiveness in reducing virus transmission. In contrast, others viewed mask mandates as a violation of personal freedoms and chose to ignore scientific advice due to the confirmation bias and misinformation.

Informational social influence and confirmation bias greatly impacted how individuals perceived and reacted to the pandemic, especially in the face of inconsistent policies and example-setting by authorities.