Social Psych

Question 1

Who published the first study of social psychology and what was it about?

Answer 1

Norman Triplett, on effect of competition on performance

Question 2

What were the contributions of William McDougall and EH Ross?

Answer 2

Both independently published the first textbooks on social psych in 1908

Question 3

What decade did the field of social psych start developing rapidly?

Answer 3

1950s

Question 4

What is suggested by Verplank’s studies in the 1950s?

Answer 4

That social approval influences behavior (conversation changes bases on feedback)

Question 5

What did Verplank, Pavlov, Thorndike, Hull, and Skinner help establish as an important perspective in studying social behavior?

Answer 5

Reinforcement theory

Question 6

Who challenged early reinforcement theorists by proposing that behavior is influenced by imitation rather than just rewards/punishments?

Answer 6

Social Learning Theorists- Albert Bandura

Question 7

What is role theory?

Answer 7

People are aware of social roles they are expected to fulfill and much of their observable behavior can be attributed to adopting those roles (Bindle, 1979)

Question 8

What is the consistency theory? Give an example of how someone would try to resolve an inconsistency.

Answer 8

People prefer consistency and will change or resist change to be consistent with their surroundings or themselves. For example, if a person who hates smoking falls in love with a smoker, they will either change their attitudes about smoking (“it’s not that bad” or take it up themselves) or try to get their partner to quit.

Question 9

What are the 3 interacting elements of Fritz Heiders balance theory?

Answer 9

P- person talked about
O- some other person
X- a thing, idea, or some other person

Question 10

Is the following situation balanced or imbalanced: Patrick (P) does not like Olivia (O). Patrick likes motorcycles (X) but Olivia does not.

Answer 10

Balanced

Question 11

Is the following example balanced or imbalanced: Patrick (P) likes Olivia (O) and both dislike anchovies.

Answer 11

Balanced

Question 12

Is the following example balanced or imbalanced according to Heiders theory? Patrick (P) dislikes Olivia (O), and both like horror movies.

Answer 12

Imbalanced

Question 13

According to Heiders theory, is the following situation balanced or imbalanced? Patrick (P) likes Olivia (O). Patrick likes sushi (X) and Olivia does not.

Answer 13

Imbalanced

Question 14

What is Leon Festingers cognitive dissonance theory? Give an example.

Answer 14

Cog dissonance is the conflict ppl feel when their attitudes are not in synch with your behaviors. For example, a feminist Catholic is asked about her views on abortion, creating dissonance between 2 identities. She can say “I support women’s rights but not abortion”. Or she can say that women’s rights are more important and the Church can’t tell women what not to do with their bodies. Or she could take a middle of the road answer like “it’s only ok for cases of rape, rare diseases, etc”

Question 15

What is the difference between free choice and forced compliance dissonance?

Answer 15

Free choice dissonance occurs when a person makes a choice between several desirable options, and feels dissonance over losing the options he/she didn’t choose.
Forced compliance dissonance occurs when an individual is forced into behaving a certain way that is inconsistent w/ his/her beliefs/attitudes.

Question 16

What is the minimal/insufficient justification effect? How is this demonstrated in Carl and Festingers 1959 study?

Answer 16

When external justification is minimal, ppl reduce dissonance by changing their attitude. For example, Festingers and Carlsmiths study on paying ppl $1 to lie vs $20 to lie. The ppl who got $1 were more likely to change their attitudes to believe the lie bc how else could they justify lying for only $1?

Question 17

What is Bems self perception theory? How can this theory be applied to Festingers and Carlsmiths experiment w/ some participants paid $1, others $20 to lie.

Answer 17

People infer what their attitudes are based on observation of their own behavior. Applied to Festingers and Carlsmiths experiment, the participant receiving $1 thinks “$1 is not enough to get me to lie, so I must have had some fun with the experiment.”

Question 18

What is the overjustification effect? Give an example.

Answer 18

If you reward ppl for something they already like doing, they may stop liking it. For example, if a kid who likes washing dishes starts getting paid for it, they will like washing dishes less. They will think that they are only doing it for the $

Question 19

A persuasive argument is more successful from a source with high vs low credibility. However, over time the impact of the high credibility source decreases while the impact of the low credibility source increases. What is the name of this effect?

Answer 19

The sleeper effect

Question 20

What is the difference between the central and peripheral routes of persuasion?

Answer 20

The central route is the method we use when the arguement is important to us- we pay attention and generate counter arguements. We use the peripheral route when the arguement is not important to us, can’t hear the message clearly or are distracted. Instead of paying attention, we focus on how the arguement is being presented- by whom, what they look like, how they speak and where they are.

Question 21

What is belief preserverance? Give an example.

Answer 21

When people hold beliefs even after they are shown to be false. For example, someone may believe that eating greasy foods causes acne, even after being told that its false, they still believe it.

Question 22

What is the name of this principle: We will like someone more if thier liking for us has increased (shown a gain) than someone who has consistantly liked us. We will dislike someone more if their liking for us decreases (a loss) than somoneo who has conistantly disliked us.

Answer 22

Gain-loss principle

Question 23

What is social exchange theory?

Answer 23

People way the costs and rewards of interacting with another person. The more the rewards outway the costs, the greater attraction to the other person.

Question 24

How does the equity theory apply to the social exchange theory?

Answer 24

The equity theory proposes that we consider not only our own costs and rewards, but that of the other person, and prefer them to equal. If one person feels he/she is getting less or more out of the relationship than the other, there will likely be instability.

Question 25

What is the attractiveness stereotype?

Answer 25

The tendency to attribute positve and desireable qualities to attractive people

Question 26

What are the two situational factors that prevent a bystander from helping in an emergency?

Answer 26

social influence and diffusion of responsibility

Question 27

What is pluralistic ignorance?

Answer 27

When other people assume an ambiguous event is a non-emergency because others aren’t reacting to it as an emergency.

Question 28

What is diffusion of repsonsibility?

Answer 28

The more people present in an emergency, the less likely any individual will offer help because they assume someone else will.

Question 29

In Batson’s empathy-altuism model, who are more likely to help someone else: someone who experiences mental pain/anguish upon seeing someone else hurt (distress) or someone who vicariously feels the emotions of the person being hurt (empathetic)?

Answer 29

The empathetic person.

Question 30

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 30

When people are frustrated, they act aggressively. The more frustrated they get, the more aggressive they get.

Question 31

What are the two things that Bandura’s social learning theory proposes aggression is learned through?

Answer 31

Modeling (observing behavior and imitating it) and Reinforcement (rewards/punishments)

Question 32

Explain how modeling and reinforcement are demonstrated in Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment.

Answer 32

Modeling- children imitated the aggressive behavior of adults shown toward the Bobo doll. Reinforcement- the kids expected to be rewarded like the adult was for aggressive behavior.

Question 33

How did Sherif’s study on the autokinetic effect demonstrate the tendency to conform?

Answer 33

The participants would stare at an unmoving point of light on the wall in a dark room. The light appears to move (autokinetic effect), and the participants had to guess how much the light moved. The watched it alone and provided estimates, and then in a group. In a group their estimates would change to match the rest of the groups estimates.

Question 34

How did Asch’s study comparing the length of lines demonstrate conformity?

Answer 34

Students were asked which of 3 lines presented match another line (a very easy task). Confederates would answer before them, getting the answer right for the first 2 rounds, but then answering the same wrong answer in the rounds after. Many of the participants conformed by giving the same wrong answer as everyone else.

Question 35

In Stanley Milgrams study involving participants giving someone else electric shocks, the drive to ________ was stronger than the drive not to hurt someone.

Answer 35

Obey

Question 36

What is the foot-in-the-door effect?

Answer 36

Compliance w/ a small request increases likelihood of compliance with a larger request.

Question 37

What is the door-in-the-face effect?

Answer 37

Ppl who refuse a large initial request are more likely to agree to later smaller request

Question 38

What did Clark and Clarksville original doll preference study (1947) show among children of that time?

Answer 38

Both white and black children preferred the white doll, showing the effects of racism and minority groups status on the self-concept of black children.

Question 39

It is believed that our identities are organized according to a hierarchy of salience. What does that mean?

Answer 39

Whatever aspect of our identity is most important (salient) for us in each particular situation.

Question 40

What is the primacy effect?

Answer 40

Remembering first impressions or first learned info more than subsequent impressions or info.

Question 41

What is the recency effect?

Answer 41

Remembering information we learned recently over information learned before

Question 42

What is the name of the theory that focuses on the tendency fir individuals to infer the causes of other ppls behavior?

Answer 42

Attribution theory

Question 43

What is the difference between dispositional and situational causes, and how is it related to attribution theory?

Answer 43

Dispositional- relate to features of person being considered, including beliefs, attitudes, and personality characteristics.
Situational- external, relate to features of surroundings. Examples are threats, $, social norms, peer pressure.
This relates to attribution theory bc ppl explain other ppls behavior using either dispositional or situational causes.

Question 44

Is the following an example of a dispositional or situational cause? My professor is always a few min late to class bc she is lazy or doesn’t think being on time is important.

Answer 44

Dispositional

Question 45

Is the following an example of a dispositional or situational cause? My teacher is always a few min late to class bc she has young children she needs to bring to school before our class.

Answer 45

Situational

Question 46

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Answer 46

The tendency for ppl to make dispositional attributions to other ppl rather than situational ones.

Question 47

What bias effect is this an example of? “I like Jill.” therefore “Jill must be a good writer; Jill can do no wrong.” or “I dislike Bill. Bill must be a bad writer; Bill is always wrong.”

Answer 47

The Halo effect; tendency to allow a general impression about a person influence other, more specific evaluations about the person.

Question 48

What is the belief in a just world? How does it increase likelihood of “blaming the victim.”.

Answer 48

In a just world, good things would happen to good ppl, bad things to bad ppl. Victims must be bad ppl and deserving of being victimized

Question 49

What is actor-observer attributional divergence?

Answer 49

The tendency for the person who is doing the behavior to have a diff perspective on the situation than a person watching the behavior.

Question 50

How did Theodore Newcombs study on the conservative/liberal views of students at a small women’s college demonstrate the influence of group norms?

Answer 50

Most women at the college came from wealthy, conservative families, but the college had a very liberal atmosphere. The longer students spent at college, the more liberal they became. They increasingly accepted the norms of the community. However, liberal women who married conservative men often reverted back to conservatism

Question 51

What is the meaning of the term Edward Hall coined, proxemics?

Answer 51

The cultural norms that determine how far away we stand from ppl we’re speaking to, based on our relationship w/ them.

Question 52

Explain Zajonc’s theory on the effect of the presence of others on performance?

Answer 52

When a person is learning something new, the presence of others will likely increase their errors. When they are well practiced/learned, the presence of others will help them perform better

Question 53

Explain how social loafing would apply to a team game of tug o war?

Answer 53

Collectively, the rope pulling strength of the team is less (actually half) than the sum of the individual rope pulling strengths. Ppl slack off in teams.

Question 54

How does anonymity influence behavior of individuals in a social environment?

Answer 54

When a person is anonymous, there is a diminished restraint of unacceptable behavior. They are more likely to commit antisocial acts

Question 55

What is deindividuation ?. How did Philp Zimbardo’s prison simulation experiment reflect it?

Answer 55

Deindividuation is the loss of self awareness and personal identity. In the prison simulation experiment, students’ sense of self was overwhelmed by the roles they were playing-guard or prisoner. Guards become authoritarian and abusive, prisoners suffered mental and emotional breakdowns.

Question 56

What is group think?

Answer 56

The tendency of decision making groups to strive for consensus by not considering discordant info

Question 57

What is the risky shift and how does it effect group decisions?

Answer 57

Group decisions tend to be riskier than the average of the individual choices.

Question 58

How does the value hypothesis explain the risky shift of groups?

Answer 58

The value hypothesis suggests that the risky shift occurs in situations in which riskiness is culturally valued (ie business ventures)

Question 59

When a dilemma about a controversial situation is presented to a couple, is the decision they make more cautious or more risky?

Answer 59

Generally more cautious

Question 60

How is group polarization used to describe extremity shifts in groups?

Answer 60

Group polarization is the tendency for group discussion to enhance the initial tendency towards riskiness/caution. In the end, the group takes on a more extreme stance on the riskiness or caution it started off with

Question 61

What were the effects of the 3 leadership styles Kurt Lewin used to supervise boys in an afterschool program?

Answer 61

Laissez-faire: less efficient, less organized, less satisfying
Autocratic: more hostile, more aggressive, more dependent on leader, most quantity of work produced
Democratic: most satisfying for the buys, most motivation and interest, most cohesive

Question 62

Explain the prisoners dilemma and how it deals w/ cooperation vs competition.

Answer 62

Two prisoners have been taken into custody and separated. The DA is convinced they’re both guilty, but needs a confession from at least one prisoner. The prisoner who cofesses gets his charges dropped while the other gets a harsh sentence. If bothcap fess, they both get a moderate sentence. If neither confess, they both get misdemeanors. Cooperation or competition depends on self-interest and trust in the other prisoner

Question 63

How was cooperation and competition manipulated in Muzafer Sherifs boys camp at Robbers Cave study ?

Answer 63

There were 2 groups of boys, the groups did not know of the other. The groups did cooperative activities in their own groups the first week, gave their groups a name and developed group pride. The 2nd week they had a tournament between the two groups. They were very competitive. Then the 3rd week researchers tried to reduce hostility by contact between the groups. That didn’t work, but when problems arouse that the groups had to work on together to solve, they began to cooperate.

Question 64

What is a superordinate goal and how does it improve intergroup relations?

Answer 64

A superordinate goal is best obtained through intergroup cooperation, which reduces hostility and creates friendships.

Question 65

What is the self-serving attributional bias?

Answer 65

Interpreting ones own actions and motives in a positive way, blaming situations for failures, and taking credit for successes

Question 66

What is the slippery slope fallacy?

Answer 66

The belief that a small first step in one direction will eventually lead to greater steps w/ significant impact.

Question 67

What is the belief that, looking back, thinking you knew something all along (ie “I told you I was right!”)?

Answer 67

Hindsight Bias

Question 68

What is the bias that when expectations for a person (ie stereotypes) draw out the expected behavior?

Answer 68

Self fulfilling prophecy

Question 69

What is the tendency to assume most other ppl think as you do?

Answer 69

False consensus bias