MCAT Attraction, Aggression, Attachment, Altruism

Question 1

Interpersonal attraction

Answer 1

Liking and having positive feelings for someone.

Driven by similarity, physical attractiveness, believing your liked, and proximity effects attraction.

Question 2

Aggression

Answer 2

Behavior that’s intended to harm someone.

Driven by the amygdala

Question 3

Frustration- aggression model

Answer 3

People who have their efforts blocked or become frustrated can become aggressive.

Question 4

Attachment. Describe securely attached children and insecurely attached children

Answer 4

Attachment is the emotional bond between child and caregiver.

Securely attached children explore their environment confidently and come back to their caregiver as an emotional base. When caregiver leave they get upset quickly but calms quickly.

Insecurely attached children do not explore environment and can act clingy or indifferent to their caregiver. When caregiver leaves that can be indifferent or get upset.

Question 5

Altruism

Answer 5

Unselfish behavior that benefits others often to the extent of yourself.

Question 6

Attributional theory, attributional biases

Answer 6

Attributional theory is the idea that people assign reasons for their behavior. Can be internal (dispositional) or external (situational).

Attributional biases is biases we have when we apply reasons for our behavior.

Question 7

Self- serving bias

Answer 7

When someone attributes their success to dispositional factors and their failures on situational factors.

Question 8

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 8

When some over attributes a person’s behavior on dispositional factors rather than situational factors.

Question 9

Halo effect

Answer 9

When someone applies additional positive qualities to someone who they see already have a positive quality.

Question 10

Actor- observer bias

Answer 10

When someone attributes their behaviors on situational factors while they attribute other’s behaviors on dispositional factors.

Question 11

Just- world hypothesis

Answer 11

The idea that bad things happen to people because they deserve it and good things happen to people because they deserve it.

Question 12

Prejudice

Answer 12

Negative feelings towards an individual or group of people based on generalizations of them.

Question 13

Power v. Prestige V. Class

Answer 13

• Power - The ability to act in someone’s own interest without restrictions.

-Prestige- amount of respect you have based on your social position.

• Class- determined by socioeconomic status.

** People with less power and prestige experiences prejudice by people with more people and prestige. **

Question 14

Stereotype

Answer 14

A generalized idea of a group of people. The difference between this and prejudice is that it can be positive, negative, or neutral unlike prejudice which is always negative.

Question 15

Stereotype threat

Answer 15

The anxiety someone feels when they’re a part of a group that has a stereotype and they’re aware of that stereotype.

Question 16

Self- fulfilling prophecy

Answer 16

When someone internalizes the stereotype of the group they’re in.

Question 17

Stigma

Answer 17

Anything that’s view negatively in society in society

Question 18

Ethnocentrism v. Cultural relativism

Answer 18

Ethnocentrism - when someone view their culture as superior over another culture. Can result in imposing their culture on the other culture and feelings of prejudice and discrimination.

Cultural relativism - When someone examines another society through their lines and not yours. Can promote inclusivity.

Question 19

Discrimination

Answer 19

Unfair treatment of individuals based on being part of a specific group.

Institutional discrimination is discrimination that has been built into the policies or framework of organizations.

Question 20

Social facilitation

Answer 20

When completing a well- practiced task becomes easier when other people are present.

Question 21

Social control

Answer 21

Exertion of power over a group of people to get them to conform to your wants.

Question 22

Social loafing

Answer 22

When people put into less effort when with a group of people than by themselves.

Question 23

The bystander effect

Answer 23

People tend to help other people less when other people are around. This is due to the diffusion of responsibility which is the idea that someone else will come forward and help so you don’t have to.

Question 24

Deinviduation

Answer 24

When a person acts different when being part of a group v. being alone.

Question 25

Conformity

Answer 25

The adjustment of one’s behavior or thinking to align with the group. This is done to prevent being rejected or to fit in.

Question 26

Obedience

Answer 26

The compliance of an individual to the orders of an authority figure.

Question 27

Group polarization

Answer 27

When the group’s opinions become more polarized as they discuss it amongst themselves.

Question 28

Groupthink

Answer 28

When the group cohesion overshadows critical thinking and individual opinions over the group. This creates the group coming to a consensus without much cohesion.

Question 29

Norms. Describe each type:
- Folkways
- Mores
- Laws
- Taboos

Answer 29

Norms behaviors that people in society are expected to follow. They differ in how important they are to society.

• Folkways- normative, informal rules ( ie. not burping loud in public)
• Mores - More serious norms that has a moral aspect to it and is connected to cultural values. ( ie. calling someone a slur).
• Laws - formal rules that governs right or wrong behavior.
• Taboos - the most serious norm that’s the most immoral ( ie. eating another human being).

Question 30

Sanction

Answer 30

Used to enforce normative behavior.

• Can be positive (get reward) or negative (get punishment).
• Formal (written down) or informal (not written down, enforced by members of the community).

Question 31

Anomie

Answer 31

When a set of social norms are not relevant in a society anymore. (i.e. war causes destruction to a society which disrupts regular life).

Question 32

Deviance

Answer 32

When someone doesn’t follow the social norms of a society.

Question 33

Differential association theory

Answer 33

A theory to describe why deviant behavior occurs. States that people participate in deviant behavior because other people are participating in deviant behavior. To them this becomes normative behavior within the group.

Question 34

Labeling theory

Answer 34

Theory that states that people become deviant because people label them as deviant. Happens in two steps:

Primary deviance- includes the labeling of a deviant and initial acts of deviance, which are usually mild.

Secondary deviance- includes the internalization of the deviant title and the escalation to more serious deviant behavior.

Question 35

Strain theory

Answer 35

Theory that states people perform deviant behavior because the people’s wants for something but their inability to obtain it.