Psychology 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

attribution theory

Answer 2

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

Question 3

fundamental attribution error

Answer 3

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

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, the 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 or respectability

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

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes

Question 10

conformity

Answer 10

adjusting our behavior of thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 11

normative social influence

Answer 11

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

Question 12

informative social influence

Answer 12

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

Question 13

social facilitation

Answer 13

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 14

social loafing

Answer 14

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

Question 15

deindividualation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

groupthink

Answer 16

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

Question 17

bystander effect

Answer 17

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