SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Question 1

cognitive perspective

Answer 1

• emphasis on how perception affects behaviour.
• if you interpret noxious behaviour as accidental then it is unlikely that you will respond aggressively.
• if you interpret the same behaviour as deliberate then you may respond aggressively.

Question 2

learning perspective (observational)

Answer 2

• emphasis on principles of reinforcement and imitation
• tendency to focus on observable behaviour and ignore cognition.
• responses based on prior learning

Question 3

motivational perspective (pyramid of need)

Answer 3

• emphasis on basic human needs
• as we have biological needs - we have psychological needs

Question 4

biological perspective (evolutionary)

Answer 4

emphasis on evolutionary past and genetic disposition

Question 5

cultural perspective

Answer 5

emphasis on how culture affects social behaviour

Question 6

4 levels of explanation/ analysis in social psychology

Answer 6

1. intra-personal level
2. inter-personal level
3. inter-group level
4. societal level

Question 7

intra-personal level

Answer 7

based on what goes on inside the person

Question 8

inter-personal level

Answer 8

interactions between two people

Question 9

inter-group level

Answer 9

based on group level behaviour

Question 10

societal level

Answer 10

cultural effects on behaviour

Question 11

rousseau: the nature of mankind

Answer 11

“man is by nature good and only institutions make him bad”

Question 12

hobbes: the nature of mankind

Answer 12

“man is by nature solitary, poore, nasty and brutish”
“if not for the civilising constraints of society, there would be “a war of all against all””

Question 13

unconscious: ID

Answer 13

• primitive urges
• all about pleasure

Question 14

unconscious: ego

Answer 14

• “controlled” by reality
• tries to satisfy the ID within bounds of societal norms

Question 15

unconscious: superego

Answer 15

• internal moral policeman
• represent internalised rules
• rules breaking (acting on impulse in wrong situations) leads to punishment, which can increase anxiety
• impulses will therefore be repressed but not disappear

Question 16

what are the 4 defence mechanisms

Answer 16

1. displacement
2. reaction formation
3. projection
4. isolation

Question 17

what are the 5 origins of unconscious conflict

Answer 17

1. oral stage (0-2)
2. anal stage (2-4)
3. phallic stage (4-6)
4. latency stage (6-12)
5. genital stage (12+)

difficulties at any stage are said to lead to problems in adulthood

Question 18

issues in freud’s origins of unconscious conflict

Answer 18

1. never studied children
2. ideas not falsifiable
3. little experimental evidence to support:
   a. flaws in “supporting” evidence
   b. data better explained in other ways

Question 19

3 components of attitudes

Answer 19

• cognitive
• affective
• behavioural

Question 20

attitudes are relatively stable, however they can change:

Answer 20

cognitive dissonance- inconsistency between attitudes and behaviour (evidence: betting study)

Question 21

what is the likert scale?

Answer 21

“i like to look at myself in the mirror”
(agree 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 disagree)
- depends on honesty

Question 22

what is electromyography (EMG)

Answer 22

measures activity of facial muscles to measures attitudes and emotions

Question 23

what is the theory of planned behaviour

Answer 23

to demonstrate the relationship between attitudes and behaviour we must consider:
1. positive behaviour
2. when norms support our attitudes
3. behaviour is under our control

Question 24

attribution

Answer 24

the process of inferring the causes of events or behaviours

Question 25

pessimist vs optimist

Answer 25

blame on internal qualities vs blame on external qualities

Question 26

motivational basis of attributions

Answer 26

self esteem and control

Question 27

how is attributions linked to self esteem (2 ways)

Answer 27

1.If we behave positively or successfully and then attribute this to our own internal qualities we can achieve and maintain self-esteem.

2. If we behave negatively or fail in some way and then we attribute this to the same internal qualities, then we can suffer a decrease in self-esteem

Question 28

how is attributions linked to control

Answer 28

• attributions can enhance control
• if we attribute our successes to our internal characteristics we may believe that we are in control

Question 29

the actor- observer effect

Answer 29

• people tend to attribute the cause of their own actions to EXTERNAL factors
• they tend to attribute the causes of others actions to INTERNAL causes

Question 30

the self-serving bias

Answer 30

people take credit for their successes but not for their failures

Question 31

mere exposure effect zajonc:

Answer 31

repeated exposures to any stimulus makes it more appealing

Question 32

social facilitation

Answer 32

how the physical presence of others influences our behaviour
- ie. we are more likely to laugh if others laugh

Question 33

drive theory of facilitation (zajonc, 1980)

Answer 33

the presence of others leads to increases arousal, which strengthens the display of our dominant response

Question 34

diffusion of responsibility

Answer 34

the idea that as group size increases, individual responsibility decreases

Question 35

deindividuation

Answer 35

presence of others can have bizarre or negative effects

Question 36

factors that influence obedience 0-100% (4)

Answer 36

1. remoteness of the victim (learner is out of sight)
2. closeness and legitimacy of the authority figure
3. diffusion of responsibility
4. characteristics of the teacher?

Question 37

authoritarian perosnality

Answer 37

a personality types - overly deferential to those in authority whilst hostile towards those perceived as inferior

Question 38

fear can work when (3):

Answer 38

• the message evokes fear (depends on strength)
• the message provides a low-cost way to reduce fear tat stems from threat/ harm
• e.g. driving ads

Question 39

mcalister study on “no to smoking”

Answer 39

attitude a resistant to change when we rehearse counter arguments