ch 9

Question 1

Phillip Zimbardo

Answer 1

Stanford prison experiment, which was later severely criticized for both ethical and scientific reasons

Question 2

Leon Festinger

Answer 2

known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory

Question 3

Solomon Asch

Answer 3

Gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology. He created seminal pieces of work in impression formation, prestige suggestion, conformity

Question 4

Stanley Milgram

Answer 4

controversial experiments on obedience conducted in the 1960s during his professorship at Yale. Milgram was influenced by the events of the Holocaust, especially the trial of Adolf Eichmann, in developing the experiment

Question 5

Attribution theory

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 6

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

Question 7

attitude

Answer 7

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

Question 8

foot in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 8

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

Question 9

cognitive dissonance

Answer 9

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Question 10

conformity

Answer 10

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 11

social facilitation

Answer 11

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 12

deindividuation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

groupthink

Answer 13

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

Question 14

prejudice

Answer 14

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. involved stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Question 15

stereotype

Answer 15

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Question 16

just-world-phenomenon

Answer 16

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

Question 17

ingroup

Answer 17

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

Question 18

outgroup

Answer 18

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

Question 19

aggression

Answer 19

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

Question 20

mere-exposure effect

Answer 20

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Question 21

passionate love

Answer 21

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship

Question 22

companionate love

Answer 22

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

Question 23

altruism

Answer 23

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 24

bystander effect

Answer 24

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

Question 25

reciprocity norm

Answer 25

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

Question 26

social exchange theory

Answer 26

the theory for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Question 27

group polarization

Answer 27

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