Chapter 14: Social Psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

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

Question 2

fundamental attribution error

Answer 2

the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Question 3

attribution theory

Answer 3

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

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

Question 5

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 5

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Question 6

central route persuasion

Answer 6

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Question 7

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 7

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

Question 8

role

Answer 8

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

Question 9

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 9

he theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior

Question 11

conformity

Answer 11

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 12

normative social influence

Answer 12

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Question 13

informational social influence

Answer 13

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Question 14

social facilitation

Answer 14

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

Question 15

social loafing

Answer 15

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

Question 16

deindividuation

Answer 16

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

Question 17

group polarization

Answer 17

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Question 18

groupthink

Answer 18

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

Question 19

culture

Answer 19

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 20

prejudice

Answer 20

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members

Question 21

stereotype

Answer 21

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

Question 22

discrimination

Answer 22

(1) in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (In operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced.) (2) in social psychology, unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Question 23

just-world phenomenon

Answer 23

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

Question 24

ingroup

Answer 24

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

Question 25

outgroup

Answer 25

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

Question 26

ingroup bias

Answer 26

the tendency to favor our own group

Question 27

scapegoat theory

Answer 27

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

Question 28

other-race effect

Answer 28

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

Question 29

aggression

Answer 29

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

Question 30

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 30

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

Question 31

social script

Answer 31

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Question 32

mere exposure effect

Answer 32

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

Question 33

passionate love

Answer 33

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

Question 34

companionate love

Answer 34

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

Question 35

equity

Answer 35

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

Question 36

self-disclosure

Answer 36

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

Question 37

altruism

Answer 37

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 38

bystander effect

Answer 38

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

Question 39

social exchange theory

Answer 39

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 40

reciprocity norm

Answer 40

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

Question 41

social-responsibility norm

Answer 41

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

Question 42

conflict

Answer 42

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Question 43

social trap

Answer 43

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Question 44

mirror-image perceptions

Answer 44

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

Question 45

self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 45

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Question 46

superordinate goals

Answer 46

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Question 47

GRIT

Answer 47

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension- Reduction—a strategy designed to decrease international tensions