Chapter 12

Question 1

Person perception

Answer 1

the process of forming impressions of others

Question 2

Stereotypes

Answer 2

widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group

Question 3

Illusory correlation

Answer 3

occurs when people estimate that they have encountered more confirmations of an association between social traits than they have actually seen

Question 4

Attributions

Answer 4

inferences that people draw about the cause of events, others’ behavior, and their own behavior

Question 5

Internal Attributions

Answer 5

ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings

Question 6

External Attributions

Answer 6

ascribe the causes of behavior to situational demands and environmental constraints

Question 7

Fundamental Attribution Error/Actor Observer Bias

Answer 7

refers to observers’ bias in favor of internal attributions in explaining others’ behavior

Question 8

Self-serving bias

Answer 8

the tendency to attribute one’s successes to personal factors and one’s failure to situational factors

Question 9

Attitudes

Answer 9

positive or negative evaluations of objects of thought

Question 10

Implicit attitudes

Answer 10

covert attitudes that are expressed in subtle automatic responses over which one has little conscious control

Question 11

Explicit attitudes

Answer 11

attitudes that one holds consciously and can readily describe

Question 12

Dissonance theory

Answer 12

inconsistency among attitudes propels people in the direction of attitude change

Question 13

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 13

when related attitudes or beliefs are inconsistent (contradict each other)

Question 14

Conformity

Answer 14

occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pressure

Question 15

Asch’s Research

Answer 15

CONFORMITY
Subjects asked to match lines, accomplices responded with obviously wrong answers and people conformed to the same answers

Question 16

Informational influence

Answer 16

operates when people look to others for guidance about how to behave in ambiguous situations

Question 17

Obedience

Answer 17

a form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority

Question 18

Milgram’s studies

Answer 18

OBEDIENCE
Milgram used 40 diverse men and assigned roles of teacher and learner. Learner strapped to electric chair, zapped by teacher when they made a mistake. Teacher observed by experimenter, asked questions and increased the shock level. Teachers wanted to stop, experimenter insisted they go on. 65% of teachers administered all 30 levels of shock. Conclusion: obedience to authority was more common than he anticipated.

Question 19

Bystander effect

Answer 19

people are less likely to provide needed help when they are in groups than when they are alone

Question 20

Social loafing

Answer 20

a reduction in effort by individuals when they work in groups, as compared with when they work by themselves

Question 21

Social psychology

Answer 21

The scientific study of how people think about and are influenced by other people.

Question 22

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study

Answer 22

In 1971, Zimbardo randomly assigned Stanford University students to be either ‘prisoners’ or ‘guards’ in a mock prison for a 2 week experiment.

Question 23

Reasons for obedience

Answer 23

• legitimate authority figure

- proximity of victim and authority

Question 24

Reasons for conformity

Answer 24

group size, group unanimity