Chapter One: Introduction to Social Psychology

Question 1

Social psychology is also an ___________-________ science. Ideas and assumptions about social thinking and behaviour
are tested by the objective and systematic collection of data
using the __________ method.

Answer 1

• experiment-based
• scientific

Question 2

Social psychologists are interested in studying how and why
our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are shaped by our
__________ ____________.

Answer 2

social environments

Question 3

Folk psychology and common sense are other ways of
understanding human nature, but the conclusions reached by these methods are _______, _______, and ___________.

Answer 3

unreliable, oversimplified and contradictory.

Question 4

Sociology and Psychology differ in their levels of _______. Social Psychology studies _________, while Sociology examines broad ______ _______.

Answer 4

• analysis
• individuals
• societal factors

Question 5

Social psychology seeks to identify universal properties of ________ _______ that make everyone susceptible to social influence, regardless of social ______ or _________.

Answer 5

• human nature
• class
• culture

Question 6

Both Social psychology and personality psychology share an emphasis on _________ and the reasons for their _________. However, Social psychologists emphasize the psychological processes shared by most _______ that make them susceptible to ______ ________, while Personality psychologists focus on _________ _________, or the aspects of people’s personalities that make them different from others.

Answer 6

• individuals
• behaviour
• people
• social influence
• individual differences

Question 7

Underestimating the power of a given situation can lead to
_____________of complex situations, which then decreases our understanding of human behavior, and can also lead to ________ ____________.

Answer 7

• oversimplification
• victim blaming

Question 8

Study by Liberman, Samuels, and Ross (2004) (wall St vs community game)

Answer 8

• Asked students to predict if fellow students would behave
  competitively or cooperatively in a strategy game.
• The students who played were told it was either a “Wall
  Street Game” or a “Community Game”.
• Independent variables
  – How students were predicted by others to play
  (cooperatively or competitively)
  – Instructions given to players (Wall Street vs. Community
  Game)
• Dependent variable
  – Percentage choosing cooperative strategy
• The results: Players were mostly influenced by the name given to the game (the situational factor)

Question 9

TRUE OR FALSE: We may alter our recollections of past actions of which we are unhappy, upset, or ashamed, in order to feel good about our past actions and decisions.

Answer 9

TRUE

Question 10

TRUE OR FALSE: Enduring an embarrassing initiation to join a club or
team may cause individuals to decrease their positive
feelings about the club.

Answer 10

FALSE: it increases their positive feelings about the club.

Question 11

__________ __________ is how people select, interpret, remember and use social information.

Answer 11

Social cognition

Question 12

The incorporation of human cognitive abilities into theories
of social behaviour is called the ________ ________ _______.

Answer 12

Social Cognition Approach

Question 13

List 4 examples of the social cognition approach

Answer 13

1. reasoning abilities
2. decision-making
3. judgments about others
4. explanations of others’ behaviour

Question 14

List three examples where social psychological research has attempted to understand human social behavior and to find solutions to social problems.

Answer 14

1. Reducing hostility and prejudice
2. Examining the effects of violent television on behaviour
3. Discouraging unhealthy behaviours