Ch 6 Social Psychology (Terms)

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

The study of the way in which people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people.

Question 2

Attributions

Answer 2

The process of assigning causes to behaviour

Question 3

Internal Attribution

Answer 3

The inference that a person is behaving in a certain way because of something about them, such as attitude, character, or personality.

Question 4

External Attribution

Answer 4

The inference that a person is behaving a certain way because of something about the situation they are in.

Question 5

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) (definition, cause, result)

Answer 5

People often think someone’s actions are caused by their personality or who they are (dispositional influences) while ignoring how the situation or environment might have influenced their behaviour.

Caused by: Salience

Results in: Victim Blaming

Question 6

Conformity

Answer 6

A change in behaviour resulting from the real or imagined influences of other people

Question 7

De-individuation

Answer 7

The tendency of people to engage in atypical behaviour when they are stripped of their usual identities

ex. sports fans; military torture

Question 8

Social Roles

Answer 8

Expectations that are shared by group members about how individuals should behave

Question 9

Stanford Prison Study (3)

Answer 9

Assigned 24 male undergraduates to be prisoners or guards

Guards and prisoners quickly adopted their respective social role

Guards became abusive; Prisoners may have “played along” due to social expectation

Question 10

Groupthink

Answer 10

Emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking

Question 11

Cult (2)

Answer 11

A group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause

• Practices are often considered deviant and outside of conventional norms

Question 12

Inoculation effect

Answer 12

Approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first exposing them to reasons why the perspective might be correct, and then debunking those reasons

Question 13

Obedience (3)

Answer 13

Adherence to instructions from authority figures

• Important for groups and society to work
• Negative consequences when we do not critically evaluate our authority figures

Question 14

Prosocial Behaviour

Answer 14

Any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person or group

Question 15

Bystander Effect

Answer 15

The finding that the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely it is that any one of them will help

Question 16

Pluralistic Ignorance

Answer 16

Error of assuming that no one in the group perceives things as we do

Question 17

Diffusion of responsibility

Answer 17

Reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others

Question 18

Altruism

Answer 18

Helping others for unselfish reasons, even if there is a personal cost

Question 19

Aggression

Answer 19

Behaviour intended to harm others either physically or psychologically

Question 20

Relational Aggression

Answer 20

A form of indirect aggression marked by spreading rumours, gossiping, social exclusion, and nonverbal putdowns

Question 21

Attitudes

Answer 21

Evaluations of people, objects, or ideas

Question 22

Three Components of Attitudes (3)

Answer 22

Affective: Emotional responses toward attitude object

Behavioural: thoughts and beliefs about attitude objects

Cognitive: Actions or observable behaviour toward the attitude object

Question 23

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 23

A state of tension or discomfort that arises from holding two conflicting attitudes, or an attitude that conflicts with a behaviour

Question 24

Self-Perception Theory

Answer 24

Attitudes are acquired by observing our own behaviour

Question 25

Impression Management Theory

Answer 25

We don’t change our attitudes, but we report changes to appear consistent with our attitudes