chapter 10

Question 1

characterization of the ego as an entity that carefully controls the information so as to promote its own positive image

Answer 1

totalitarian ego

Question 2

the quality of constructing mental models with one’s interests and perspective at their center

Answer 2

egocentric

Question 3

in greenwald’s theory of the totalitarian ego, taking crediti for causing good outcomes to happen while avoiding accepting the blame for bad outcomes

Answer 3

beneffectance

Question 4

the tendency of people to search for information that supports their point of view in preference to challenging information

Answer 4

confirmation bias

Question 5

information about how closely an ongoing process is to meeting a standard

Answer 5

feedback

Question 6

a mechanism for controlling the action of a system that involves feedback as to whether or not it is meeting its goals

Answer 6

feedback loop

Question 7

a field of study that focuses on communication and control in systems, particularly in relation to the system’s self-governance

Answer 7

cybernetics

Question 8

a mechanism for controlling the action of a system in which the discrepancy between a goal and its attainment is reduced (negated) through feedback

Answer 8

negative feedback loop

Question 9

a portion of a feedback loop that judges the difference between the current state of affairs and the desired goal

Answer 9

comparator

Question 10

a mental process described by the social-cognitive psychologist George Kelly, in which a person thinks about a problem (circumspects), decides enough time has been spent on it (preemption), and makes a decision about how to act (control)

Answer 10

circumspection-preemption-control cycle

Question 11

in terms of social-cognitive theory, a concept or idea, such as trusting others, which is applied in too many cases or to too many situations

Answer 11

dilated constructs

Question 12

in terms of social-cognitive theory, limiting concepts to very small areas of life

Answer 12

constricted constructs

Question 13

a type of mental model, in Kelly’s theoretical system, that is rigid and is not easily changed

Answer 13

tight constructs

Question 14

a type of mental model, in George Kelly’s theoretical system, that is like a “first draft” and may be readily revised in the future

Answer 14

loose constructs

Question 15

a state within a person, or a long-term trait, that describes a condition in which the individual closely observes his or her own mental processes or behaviors

Answer 15

self-monitoring

Question 16

an adaptive type of pessimism in which a person imagines bad outcomes in order to motivate herself or himself toward higher achievement

Answer 16

defensive pessimism

Question 17

high-level control exerted by the personality system in general, some of which involves conscious self-control, and other portions of which involve unconscious mechanisms

Answer 17

personal control

Question 18

a state in which concepts that are naturally associated in memory are divided from one another through the establishment of mental barriers and the ideas then operate independently of the ideas to which they had been related previously

Answer 18

dissociated

Question 19

a theory proposed by Ernest Hilgard in the 1970s to re-explain earlier ideas of dissociation and automatism-dating from the 1890s- in more contemporary psychological language

Answer 19

neo-dissociationism

Question 20

an introspective feeling that one has involuntarily responded to an instruction, such as hearing the direction to move one’s head, and then having it move without willing it to do so

Answer 20

classic suggestion effect

Question 21

a hypnotic participant who is especially able to enter into the trance state and is especially talented at carrying out mental tasks under hypnosis

Answer 21

hypnotic virtuoso

Question 22

a defense mechanism that involves the conscious blocking out or expelling thoughts that one wishes to avoid thinking about

Answer 22

suppression

Question 23

full facial expressions of basic emotions that occur in roughly a quarter of a second or less and then disappear

Answer 23

micro-expressions

Question 24

the unconscious forgetting or blocking out of unpleasant or threatening ideas that one wishes to avoid thinking about

Answer 24

repression

Question 25

a defense mechanism in which the individual maintains a claim in the face of obvious information to the contrary

Answer 25

denial

Question 26

a defense mechanism in which the person sees his or her own unpleasant attributes in another person while being unable to see them in him or herself

Answer 26

projection

Question 27

a research finding that people often believe more others agree with them than is actually the case

Answer 27

false consensus effect

Question 28

a defense mechanism in which a person employs a plausible, but false, reason for explaining her or his behavior that covers up a real but more unpleasant or threatening reason

Answer 28

rationalization

Question 29

a defense mechanism in which someone acts opposite to their real inclinations in order to hide them-for example, is intentionally generous in order to mask feelings of stinginess

Answer 29

reaction formation