Chapter 1: What is Social Psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the effects of social and cognitive processes on the way individuals perceive, influence, and relate to others

Question 2

social processes

Answer 2

the ways in which input from the people around us affect our thoughts, feelings, and actions

Question 3

cognitive processes

Answer 3

the ways in which our memories, perceptions, thoughts, emotions, and motives influence our understanding of the world and guide our actions

Question 4

two fundamental axioms of social psychology

Answer 4

1. Construction of Reality

2. Pervasiveness of Social Influence

Question 5

construction of reality

Answer 5

the axiom that each person’s view of reality is a construction, shaped both by cognitive processes (the ways our minds work) and by social processes (input from others either actually present or imagined)

Question 6

pervasiveness of social influence

Answer 6

the axiom that other people influence virtually all of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, whether those others are actually present or not

Question 7

three motivational principles

Answer 7

1. Striving for Mastery
2. Seeking Connectedness
3. Valuing “Me and Mine”

Question 8

striving for mastery

Answer 8

the motivational principle that people seek to understand and predict events in the social world in order to obtain rewards

Question 9

seeking connectedness

Answer 9

the motivational principle that people seek support, liking, and acceptance from the people that they value

Question 10

valuing “me and mine”

Answer 10

the motivational principle that people desire to see themselves and the people connected to themselves in a positive light

Question 11

three processing principles

Answer 11

1. Conservatism Principle
2. Accessibility Principle
3. Superficiality versus Depth

Question 12

conservatism principle

Answer 12

the processing principle that individuals’ views of the world are slow to change and tend to perpetuate themselves

Question 13

accessibility principle

Answer 13

the processing principle that the information that is readily available tends to have the most impact on our thoughts, feelings and behavior

Question 14

superficiality versus depth

Answer 14

the processing principle that people tend to put little effort into processing information, but at times are motivated to consider information in more depth