Chapter 5

Question 1

Independent view of the self

Answer 1

A way of defining oneself in terms
of one’s own internal thoughts,
feelings, and actions and not in
terms of the thoughts, feelings,
and actions of other people

Question 2

Interdependent view of the self

Answer 2

A way of defining oneself in terms of
one’s relationships to other people,
recognizing that one’s behavior is
often determined by the thoughts,
feelings, and actions of others

Question 3

Introspection

Answer 3

The process whereby people look
inward and examine their own
thoughts, feelings, and motives

Question 4

Self-awareness theory

Answer 4

The idea that when people focus
their attention on themselves, they
evaluate and compare their behavior
to their internal standards and
values

Question 5

Casual theories

Answer 5

Theories about the causes of one’s
own feelings and behaviors; often
we learn such theories from our
culture (e.g., “absence makes the
heart grow fonder”)

Question 6

Reasons-generated attitude change

Answer 6

Attitude change resulting from
thinking about the reasons for
one’s attitudes; people assume
that their attitudes match the
reasons that are plausible and easy
to verbalize

Question 7

Self-perception theory

Answer 7

The theory that when our attitudes
and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous,
we infer these states by
observing our behavior and the
situation in which it occurs

Question 8

Intrinsic motivation

Answer 8

The desire to engage in an activity
because we enjoy it or find it interesting,
not because of external
rewards or pressures

Question 9

Extrinsic motivation

Answer 9

The desire to engage in an activity
because of external rewards or
pressures, not because we enjoy
the task or find it interesting

Question 10

Overjustification effect

Answer 10

The tendency for people to view
their behavior as caused by compelling
extrinsic reasons, making them
underestimate the extent to which
it was caused by intrinsic reasons

Question 11

Task-contingent rewards

Answer 11

Rewards that are given for performing
a task, regardless of how
well the task is done

Question 12

Performance-contingent rewards

Answer 12

Rewards that are based on how

well we perform a task

Question 13

Two-factor theory of emotion

Answer 13

The idea that emotional experience
is the result of a two-step
self-perception process in which
people first experience physiological
arousal and then seek an appropriate
explanation for it

Question 14

Misattribution of arousal

Answer 14

The process whereby people
make mistaken inferences about
what is causing them to feel the
way they do

Question 15

Fixed mindset

Answer 15

The idea that we have a set
amount of an ability that cannot
change

Question 16

Growth mindset

Answer 16

The idea that our abilities are
malleable qualities that we can
cultivate and grow

Question 17

Social comparison theory

Answer 17

The idea that we learn about our
own abilities and attitudes by comparing
ourselves to other people

Question 18

Upward social comparison

Answer 18

Comparing ourselves to people
who are better than we are with
regard to a particular trait or ability

Question 19

Downward social comparison

Answer 19

Comparing ourselves to people
who are worse than we are with
regard to a particular trait or ability

Question 20

Social tuning

Answer 20

The process whereby people

adopt another person’s attitudes

Question 21

Impression management

Answer 21

The attempt by people to get
others to see them as they want to
be seen

Question 22

Ingratiation

Answer 22

The process whereby people
flatter, praise, and generally try
to make themselves likable to
another person, often of higher
status

Question 23

Self-handicapping

Answer 23

The strategy whereby people
create obstacles and excuses
for themselves so that if they do
poorly on a task, they can avoid
blaming themselves

Question 24

Self-esteem

Answer 24

People’s evaluations of their own
self-worth—that is, the extent to
which they view themselves as
good, competent, and decent

Question 25

Terror-management theory

Answer 25

The theory that holds that self-esteem
serves as a buffer, protecting
people from terrifying
thoughts about their own mortality

Question 26

Narcissism

Answer 26

The combination of excessive self-love
and a lack of empathy toward
others