Ch. 13 Social Psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Question 2

attribution theory

Answer 2

theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation of the person’s disposition

Question 3

fundamental attribution error

Answer 3

tendency, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of the personal disposition

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Question 5

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 5

tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Question 6

role

Answer 6

set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Question 7

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 7

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our
attitudes.

Question 8

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 8

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Question 9

central route persuasion

Answer 9

occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior

Question 11

conformity

Answer 11

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 12

normative social influence

Answer 12

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Question 13

informational social influence

Answer 13

influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Question 14

social facilitation

Answer 14

in the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks

Question 15

social loafing

Answer 15

tendency for people to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Question 16

deindividuation

Answer 16

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonyminity

Question 17

group polarization

Answer 17

enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the groupo

Question 18

groupthink

Answer 18

mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Question 19

prejudice

Answer 19

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Question 20

stereotype

Answer 20

generalized belief about a group of people

Question 21

discrimination

Answer 21

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Question 22

just-world phenomenon

Answer 22

tendency for people to believe that the world is just and people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Question 23

ingroup

Answer 23

“us” - people with whom we share a common identity

Question 24

outgroup

Answer 24

“them” - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Question 25

ingroup bias

Answer 25

tendency to favor our own group

Question 26

scapegoat

Answer 26

theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Question 27

other-race effect

Answer 27

tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

Question 28

aggression

Answer 28

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

Question 29

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 29

principle that frustration - the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal - creates anger, which can generate aggression

Question 29

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 29

principle that frustration - the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal - creates anger, which can generate aggression

Question 30

social script

Answer 30

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Question 31

mere exposure effect

Answer 31

tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them

Question 32

passionate love

Answer 32

aroused state of intense positive absorption in another

Question 33

companionate love

Answer 33

deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Question 34

equity

Answer 34

condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Question 35

self-disclosure

Answer 35

act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

Question 36

altruism

Answer 36

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 37

bystander effect

Answer 37

tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Question 38

social exchange theory

Answer 38

theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 39

reciprocity norm

Answer 39

expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Question 40

social responsibility norm

Answer 40

expectation that people will help those needing their help

Question 41

conflict

Answer 41

perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Question 42

social trap

Answer 42

a situation in which two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Question 43

mirror image perceptions

Answer 43

mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Question 44

self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 44

belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Question 45

subordinate goals

Answer 45

shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation

Question 46

GRIT

Answer 46

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction - a strategy designed to decrease international tensions