Chapter 12- Social Psychology

Question 1

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Answer 1

social psychology

Question 2

the tendency, when analyzing others’ behavior, to overestimate the influence of personal traits and underestimate the effects of the situation

Answer 2

fundamental attribution error

Question 3

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

Answer 3

attitude

Question 4

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

Answer 4

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Question 5

a set of expectations about social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Answer 5

role

Question 6

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) clash. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions don’t match

Answer 6

cognitive dissonance theory

Question 7

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Answer 7

conformity

Question 8

an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior in a given group

Answer 8

norm

Question 9

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

Answer 9

social facilitation

Question 10

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

Answer 10

social loafing

Question 11

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

Answer 11

deindividuation

Question 12

strengthening of a group’s preexisting attitudes through discussions within the group

Answer 12

group polarization

Question 13

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

Answer 13

groupthink

Question 14

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. It generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Answer 14

prejudice

Question 15

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

Answer 15

stereotype

Question 16

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Answer 16

discrimination

Question 17

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

Answer 17

just-world phenomenon

Question 18

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

Answer 18

ingroup

Question 19

“them”— those perceived as different or apart from our group

Answer 19

outgroup

Question 20

the tendency to favor our own group

Answer 20

ingroup bias

Question 21

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Answer 21

scapegoat theory

Question 22

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

Answer 22

other-race effect

Question 23

any act intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

Answer 23

aggression

Question 24

the principle that frustration— the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal— creates anger, which can generate aggression

Answer 24

frustration- aggression principle

Question 25

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Answer 25

social script

Question 26

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

Answer 26

mere exposure effect

Question 27

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

Answer 27

passionate love

Question 28

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

Answer 28

companionate love

Question 29

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Answer 29

equity

Question 30

revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

Answer 30

self-disclosure

Question 31

unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Answer 31

altruism

Question 32

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

Answer 32

bystander effect

Question 33

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

Answer 33

reciprocity norm

Question 34

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Answer 34

social- responsibility norm

Question 35

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Answer 35

conflict

Question 36

mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Answer 36

mirror-image perceptions

Question 37

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Answer 37

superordinate goals