Midterm

Question 1

Scientific method-4 steps

Answer 1

Meaning an observation, forming a hypothesis, making a prediction, conducting an experiment and finally analyzing the results.

Question 2

Social identity

Answer 2

• In group/out group
  -three ways we react to differences
  1: social mobility
  2: social creativity
  3:social connection

Question 3

Agentic state/ Agentic shift

Answer 3

Different situations, we behave a certain way

Question 4

Projection

Answer 4

Unconsciously attributing one’s ow threatening impulses, emotions or beliefs to other people or things

Question 5

Greenstein’s formula for impact on policy:position + situation + personality = impact on policy

Answer 5

• Position: where does the person fit in the group
  -situation: how critical is the moment
• personality: five traits
• impact on policy: this is the predicted behavior

Question 6

Defense mechanisms - what they are and why they are used

Answer 6

A method used by the ego to ward off threats from the id, superego, or external world, and to reduce the corresponding anxiety.
Most operate unconsciously making possible the primary goal of self-deception
- constantly relying on these, makes you pathological

Question 7

Maslow’s hierarchy - how it fits into politics(PSBES)

Answer 7

Physiological: basic needs, water, shelter, sex, etc.
Safety: sense of security
Belonging:sense of belonging
Esteem: self worth
self actualization: the meaning of life, the perfect moment,doing actually what was the right thing to do
No one makes to the last one,stuck at belonging

Question 8

5 traits of personality(OCEAN)

Answer 8

Everyone has some of these traits, on a scale of low to high, all except neuroticism is fine to be high in
- openness (open to the idea): sometimes referred to as intellect, having wide interests, imaginative, insightful , willingness to listen without commitment
-conscientiousness: organized, thorough, playful, aware of how actions affect others
- Extroversion: sometimes called surgency, the broad dimension compasses traits such as talkative or energetic
-agreeableness:sympathetic, kind
-neuroticism: sometimes referred to as emotional stability,tense, moody, anxious, depressed

Question 9

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 9

State of tension occurring when a person holds two cognitions (ideas, belifs) that are psychologically inconsistent

Question 10

Confirmation bias

Answer 10

• In an effort to reduce anxiety, people will listen to other people that say what they already believe
  -when the information conflicts with what we already believe, we get anxious
  -hardwired into our brains. The reasoning portion op our brain becomes active when we hear something we like we pay attention
  (opposite for something we don’t like)

Question 11

Bonding and bridging social capital

Answer 11

-social capital: doing something nice without an incentive
-bonding( only with our social group)
-bridging( lost it. Only talk to people in our “group”)

Question 12

Decision pyramid - dealing with cognitive dissonance

Answer 12

-everyone starts in the same place but different paths are chosen
- we start to justify our behavior which carries us further from the truth
- once we go down one path, it is harder to go back and get on the other path (distance is too great)
- small decisions start the process of entrapment
-action -justification-further action with increasing intensity and commitment

Question 13

Aggression cycle

Answer 13

Aggression begets self justification, which begets more aggression
-happens the most dv cases justifying action, and allowing the behavior, child thinks its normal

Question 14

Vividness effect

Answer 14

Very important in politics
-The ability to make a connection with current memories

Question 15

Components of thought

Answer 15

Emotions, attitude, values, identity, personality

Question 16

Heuristics

Answer 16

Characteristics used in attribution theory
-mental shortcuts we use to process information

Question 17

Bounded rationality

Answer 17

Humans make decisions based on information they know
- problem is they don’t know everything
- bounded by what information they do have

Question 18

Schema

Answer 18

-organize our knowledge
-use this to categorize people
-then use these categories as short cuts to form opinions (lead to stereotype)

Question 19

Feature integration theory

Answer 19

-focus attention to stimuli before we can synthesize its features into a pattern
-take parts of what we know and use them to make sense of things (works well for objects, not people)

Question 20

Attitude importance - 3 factors: 1:self interest, 2:social identification, 3:values

Answer 20

• Is a belief that links an attitude to an attribute of some degree of psychological significance
  1- attainment of desired goods or opportunities
  2- identification with a social group and protection of that group
  3-the closer you hold a value or standard, the more important it becomes

Question 21

Long term vs. Short term memory

Answer 21

Long: organized associatively in networks of meaning
Short: working memory limited capacity
( 7- 12 chunks of info at a time)

Question 22

Relationship of the following: 1.need for power, 2.locus of control, 3.ethnocentrism

Answer 22

Leadership characteristics
1: one’s need for impact, control and influence over others
2: how much control over situation one feels they have
3: views The World as his/her nation being on center stage and most important

Question 23

Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts?

Answer 23

We all have values and beliefs and chose to be around groups who feel the same