Social Psych Exam 4

Question 1

• Hostile vs. instrumental aggression

Answer 1

o Hostile
 Driven by anger and performed as an end in itself (hot process)
o Instrumental
 Means to some other end (cold process)

Question 2

• Aggression as biology

Answer 2

o	Adaptive benefits
	 Freudian (thanatos)
•	 Self-destructive impulse directed outward
	 Evolutionary
•	 Inherited fighting instinct related to mating success
o	Frontal lobe connection
	Prefrontal cortex size and activity 
o	Effects of alcohol
	Reduces self-awareness
o	Effects of testosterone
	Increase

Question 3

• Frustration-Aggression hypothesis, original and revised

Answer 3

o Original
 Frustration Aggression Hypothesis
o Revised
 Frustration Anger
 Anger: an emotional readiness to aggress
o Displaced Aggression
 The redirection of aggression to a target to a safer or more socially acceptable target
o Relative deprivation principle
 The perception that one is less well off than others to whom one compares oneself

Question 4

• Social learning theory of aggression

Answer 4

o Behavioral consequences (self and others)
o Rewards and punishments
o Bobo Doll Study
 Children showed aggression by striking bobo doll violently

Question 5

• Pain-Attack response

Answer 5

o Pain
 Pain-attack response in many species
 Headache, hunger
o Attacks/Insults
 Lab study: Increasingly severe shocks met with escalating shocks
o Heat and Aggression
 Violent crimes increase
 Greater irritability
o Physiological arousal and experience of emotion (Schacter & Singer study)
 Arousal feeds emotions based on interpretation
• Injected participants with adrenaline (causes physiological arousal)
• Group 1: Shot will cause arousal
• Group 2: Given no information
• Interaction with hostile or funny confederates
• GROUP 2 had stronger emotional reactions

Question 6

• Priming effects for weapons

Answer 6

o Symbols that may activate violent associations and lead to release of anger
o Those who have guns in their homes are 2.7 times more likely to be murdered
o As a riot begins, aggressive acts spread quickly from the “trigger”

Question 7

• Catharsis

Answer 7

o Reduce aggressive drive by “releasing” aggressive energy

o Acting out or fantasy

Question 8

• Need to Belong

Answer 8

o Ostracism is real pain

o School shooters (13 of 15 from 1995 – 2011 experienced ostracism)

Question 9

• Effects of social ostracism

Answer 9

o Excluded from society

o Lonely, no one there

Question 10

• Proximity and functional distance

Answer 10

o Leads to friendship and attraction

Question 11

• Mere exposure effect

Answer 11

o Tendency for novel stimuli to be liked more with repeated exposure

Question 12

• Matching phenomenon

Answer 12

o People tend to be attracted to people who are similar to them in looks/attractiveness

Question 13

• Evolution and attraction

Answer 13

o	Beauty signals biologically important information
o	Mate preferences of males
	Health
	Waist-to-hip ratio (.7 ideal)
	Youth
	Fertility
o	Mate preferences of females
	Social Status
	Economic Resources (or good financial prospects)

Question 14

• Women attracted to masculine facial features during ovulation

Answer 14

o T-shirts worn by more symmetrical men smelled better, but only if women were ovulating
o Masculine face preference strengthens during ovulation

Question 15

• Physical attractiveness stereotype

Answer 15

o Assume that people who are physically attractive also possess other socially desirable personality traits

Question 16

• Contrast Effects

Answer 16

o We compare our mates and ourselves to others

Question 17

• Similarity vs. Complementarity

Answer 17

o Similarity
 Friends/couples share common attitudes, beliefs, values
 Greater similarity = less divorce
 Similarity leads to liking (not the other way around)
o Complementarity
 Completion of the ‘missing piece’ (shy/outgoing)
 Evolutionary advantage?
 Greater differences = greater opportunity for conflict

Question 18

• Reward theory of attraction

Answer 18

o We like those whose behavior is rewarding to us or whom we associate with rewarding events

Question 19

• Two-factor theory of love

Answer 19

o	In a romantic context, arousal from any source may be interpreted as romantic feelings
o	Passionate Love
	Emotional, exciting, intense
	Longing for union
	Expressed physically
	Being “In Love”
o	Compassionate Love
	Deep affection
	Occurs after passionate love fades

Question 20

• Altruism vs. egoism

Answer 20

o Egoism
 Motive to increase one’s own welfare
o Altruism
 Desire to increase another person’s welfare without regard for one’s self interest

Question 21

• Social Exchange Theory

Answer 21

o Human interactions are transactions
o Maximize rewards (internal or external)
o Minimize costs (e.g., guilt)

Question 22

• Mini-max strategies

Answer 22

o Maximize rewards (internal or external)

o Minimize costs (e.g., guilt)

Question 23

• Effects of positive mood on helping

Answer 23

o Decrease our own negative emotions

Question 24

• Reciprocity norm

Answer 24

o Help those who have helped you

o People may feel bad if they can’t return the favor

Question 25

• Social-responsibility norm

Answer 25

o Help those who need help

o Attributions matter

Question 26

• Attributions and helping

Answer 26

o Happy people = Helpful people

Question 27

• Evolution and helping

Answer 27

o	Must benefit both parties
	Hunting and meat sharing
•	Those who cooperate in this way will have a survival and reproductive advantage
o	 Works best in small, cohesive groups
	Problem of cheating

Question 28

• Bystander effect

Answer 28

o Tendency of a bystander to be LESS likely to help in an emergency if there are other onlookers present

Question 29

• Good Samaritan study and time constraints on helping

Answer 29

o A Jewish man is robbed, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite pass him by. A third man who is a Samaritan, a group despised by Jews, gives aid to the man, saving his life.
o Theology students
o ½ were lecturing on the “Good Samaritan”
o Met shabbily dressed person lying in the hallway