Social Psychology

Question 1

attribution theory

Answer 1

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation (a situational attribution) or the person’s stable, enduring traits (a dispositional attribution).

Question 2

fundamental attribution error

Answer 2

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

Question 3

attitude

Answer 3

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Question 4

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 4

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Question 5

door-in-the-face phenomenon

Answer 5

a persuasive tactic of making a large request that a person will likely refuse in order to get the person to subsequently agree to a smaller request.

Question 6

Hawthorne effect

Answer 6

when a participant’s behavior changes as a result of being observed, rather than as a result of an intervention.

Question 7

Zimbardo prison experiment

Answer 7

a two-week simulation of a prison environment that examined the effects of situational variables on participants’ reactions and behaviors. Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo managed the research team who administered the study.

Question 8

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 8

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 9

conformity

Answer 9

the adjustment of one’s opinions, judgments, or actions so that they become more consistent with (a) the opinions, judgments, or actions of other people or (b) the normative standards of a social group or situation. Conformity includes temporary outward acquiescence (compliance) as well as more enduring private acceptance (conversion).

Question 10

Solomon Asch studies

Answer 10

revealed the degree to which a person’s own opinions are influenced by those of a group. Asch found that people were willing to ignore reality and give an incorrect answer in order to conform to the rest of the group.

Question 11

normative social influence

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Milgram’s experiments on obedience

Answer 12

demonstrated the human tendency to obey commands issued by an authority figure, and more generally, the tendency for behavior to be controlled more by the demands of the situation than by idiosyncratic traits of the person.

Question 13

social facilitation

Answer 13

in the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks.

Question 14

social loafing

Answer 14

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

Question 15

deindividuation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

group polarization

Answer 16

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Question 17

groupthink

Answer 17

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

Question 18

social control

Answer 18

the use of social pressure by parents, police, and other authority figures in society to influence the actions, beliefs, and movements of individuals. It is the process by which a group regulates itself according to the beliefs and values which most of its individuals hold.

Question 19

personal control

Answer 19

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

Question 20

prejudice

Answer 20

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves negative emotions, stereotyped beliefs, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Question 21

four cognitive ways we maintain prejudice

Answer 21

1. Seeking dominance · 2. Feeling threatened · 3. Conservative values · 4. Struggling with complex ideas.

Question 22

stereotype

Answer 22

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Question 23

discrimination

Answer 23

(1) in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been associated with a conditioned stimulus. (In operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced.) (2) in social psychology, unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Question 24

in group bias

Answer 24

the tendency to favor our own group

Question 25

out group bias

Answer 25

“them” — those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.

Question 26

scapegoat theory

Answer 26

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

Question 27

just-world phenomenon

Answer 27

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

Question 28

social learning theory

Answer 28

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Question 29

social traps

Answer 29

a situation in which two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Question 30

altruism

Answer 30

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 31

bystander intervention

Answer 31

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

Question 32

superordinate goals

Answer 32

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

Question 33

motivation

Answer 33

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior..

Question 34

instinct

Answer 34

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

Question 35

drive-reduction theory

Answer 35

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

Question 36

homeostasis

Answer 36

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

Question 37

incentive

Answer 37

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.

Question 38

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 38

a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. The five levels of the hierarchy are physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization

Question 39

self actualization

Answer 39

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential.