Chapter 12

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

Social Psychology is the scientific study of how a
person’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings
influence and are influenced by social groups.

Question 2

Conformity + ex

Answer 2

changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people

Question 3

Groupthink

Answer 3

occurs when people place more
importance on maintaining group
cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of
the problem with which the group is
concerned

Question 4

Social Facilitation

Answer 4

positive influence of

others on performance

Question 5

Social impairment

Answer 5

negative influence of

others on performance

Question 6

Social Loafing

Answer 6

: people who are lazy tend not to do
as well when other people are also working on the
same task, but they can do quite well when
working on their own

Question 7

Compliance

Answer 7

changing one’s behavior as a
result of other people directing or asking for
the change

Question 8

Foot-in-the-door

Answer 8

asking for a
small commitment and, after gaining
compliance, asking for a bigger commitment

Question 9

Door-in-the-face

Answer 9

: asking for a
large commitment and then, after being
refused, asking for a smaller commitment

Question 10

Obedience

Answer 10

changing one’s behavior at the

command of an authority figure

Question 11

Attitudes

Answer 11

: a tendency to respond positively or
negatively toward a certain person, object,
idea, or situation

Question 12

Attitude Formation

Answer 12

• Direct contact with the person, situation,

object, or idea

Question 13

impression

Answer 13

forming of the first
knowledge a person has about another
person

Question 14

Attribution

Answer 14

the process of explaining one’s own behavior

and the behavior of others

Question 15

Situational cause Attribution

Answer 15

cause of behavior attributed to external
factors:
– delays
– the action of others
– some other aspect of the situation

Question 16

Dispositional cause Attribution

Answer 16

: cause of behavior attributed to internal
factors
– personality
– character

Question 17

• Fundamental attribution error

Answer 17

the
tendency to overestimate the influence of
internal factors in determining behavior while
underestimating situational factors

Question 18

Prejudice

Answer 18

negative attitude held by a person
about the members of a particular social
group

Question 19

Discrimination

Answer 19

treating people differently
because of prejudice toward the social group
to which they belong

Question 20

• In-groups:

Answer 20

social groups with whom a person

identifies; “us”

Question 21

Out-groups

Answer 21

social groups with whom a

person does not identify; “them

Question 22

• Realistic conflict theory

Answer 22

conflict between

groups increases prejudice and discrimination

Question 23

Interpersonal attraction

Answer 23

liking or having the
desire for a relationship with another person
– physical attractiveness
– proximity: physical or geographical nearness
– people like people who are similar to themselves
OR who are different from themselves
(complementary)
– reciprocity of liking: tendency of people to like
other people who like them in return

Question 24

reciprocity of liking

Answer 24

tendency of people to like

other people who like them in return

Question 25

Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Answer 25

• Sternberg’s three components of love:

1. intimacy
2. passion
3. commitment

Question 26

Altruism

Answer 26

prosocial behavior that is done with
no expectation of reward and may involve the
risk of harm to oneself

Question 27

Diffusion of responsibility

Answer 27

a person fails to
take responsibility for action or for inaction
because of the presence of other people who
are seen to share the responsibility