12.1 What Is Social Psychology?

Question 1

Social psychology

Answer 1

field of psychology that examines how people impact or affect each other, with particular focus on the power of the situation

Question 2

Situationism

Answer 2

describes a perspective that behavior and actions are determined by the immediate environment and surroundings; a view promoted by social psychologists

Question 3

dispositionism

Answer 3

describes a perspective common to personality psychologists, which asserts that our behavior is determined by internal factors, such as personality traits and temperament

Question 4

internal factor

Answer 4

internal attribute of a person, such as personality traits or temperament

Question 5

fundamental attribution error

Answer 5

tendency to overemphasize internal factors as attributions for behavior and underestimate the power of the situation

Question 6

individualistic culture

Answer 6

culture that focuses on individual achievement and autonomy

Question 7

collectivistic culture

Answer 7

culture that focuses on communal relationships with others such as family, friends, and community

Question 8

actor-observer bias

Answer 8

phenomenon of explaining other people’s behaviors are due to internal factors and our own behaviors are due to situational forces

Question 9

attribution

Answer 9

explanation for the behavior of other people

Question 10

Self-serving bias

Answer 10

tendency for individuals to take credit by making dispositional or internal attributions for positive outcomes and situational or external attributions for negative outcomes

Question 11

just-world hypothesis

Answer 11

ideology common in the United States that people get the outcomes they deserve