social psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of how the social context influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions

Question 2

social thinking

Answer 2

• attributing behaviour to persons or situations
• attitudes and action

Question 3

attribution theory

Answer 3

we have a tendency to give causal explanations for someone’s behaviour

Question 4

external attribution

Answer 4

the situation credited in attribution theory

Question 5

internal attribution

Answer 5

the person credited in attribution theory

Question 6

fundamental attribution error

Answer 6

• tendency to overemphasize internal attribution rather than situations/external factors in explaining the behaviours of others
  
  • common in Western individualistic cultures

Question 7

self-serving bias/attribution

Answer 7

perceive our actions and outcomes in ways that benefit us

Question 8

attitude

Answer 8

a belief and feeling that informs choices and decisions

Question 9

cognitive dissonance

Answer 9

the unease people feel when their behaviour is out of line with their beliefs, values, or attitudes

Question 10

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 10

• when there is conflict between our attitudes and actions, we change one to reduce dissonance
  
  • change attitude to match behaviour or vice versa

Question 11

social influence

Answer 11

how social factors influence attitudes, beliefs, decisions, and actions

Question 12

conformity

Answer 12

adjusting one’s behaviour or thinking to comply with a group

Question 13

normative social influence

Answer 13

influence resulting from one’s desire to gain social approval or avoid social disapproval
- Solomon Asch’s Line Test Experiment

Question 14

informational social influence

Answer 14

• influence resulting from one’s valuing of others’ opinion about reality
• eyewitness identification task

Question 15

obedience

Answer 15

• direct command (as opposed to social pressure)
• Stanley Milgram: the effects of authority on obedience

Question 16

social influence

Answer 16

improved performance on easy tasks
- presence of others boosts arousal

Question 17

social loafing

Answer 17

tendency of an individual in a group to exert less effort toward a common goal than when evaluated individually
-> anonymity increases social loafing

Question 18

deindividuation

Answer 18

loss of self-awareness and self restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity -> ex. riots, military

Question 19

group polarization

Answer 19

• enhances a group’s prevailing attitudes through discussion
• if a group is like-minded, discussion strengthens its prevailing opinions and attitudes

Question 20

groupthink

Answer 20

occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides the realistic appraisal of alternatives
-> ex. JFK failed Bay of Pigs invasion

Question 21

prejudice

Answer 21

an unjustifiable negative attitude toward a group and its members

Question 22

components of prejudice

Answer 22

• beliefs
• emotions (hostility, envy, fear)
• predisposition (tendency) to act (to discriminate)

Question 23

roots of prejudice

Answer 23

• social inequality
• social identity theory
• emotional
• cognitive

Question 24

social inequality

Answer 24

• money, power, and prestige can lead to prejudice
• prejudice rationalizes inequality

Question 25

the just-world phenomenon

Answer 25

- people get what they deserve and deserve what they get -> leads to blaming the victim of prejudice -> cognitive dissonance and fundamental attribution error **possibly** contribute

Question 26

ingroup

Answer 26

- people with whom one shares a common identity - perceived as more individualistic

Question 27

outgroup

Answer 27

- those perceived as different from one's ingroup - perceived more generalist

Question 28

ingroup bias

Answer 28

tendency to favour one's own group

Question 29

emotional roots of prejudice

Answer 29

- outlet for anger, blame - scapegoating

Question 30

cognitive roots of prejudice

Answer 30

we categorize people into groups by stereotyping them

Question 31

Gordon Allport's contact hypothesis

Answer 31

friendly, positive, cooperative interactions between different groups reduces prejudice

Question 32

aggression

Answer 32

any behaviour with a goal of harming another living being

Question 33

biology of agression

Answer 33

1. genetic 2. neural 3. biochemical

Question 34

psychology of aggression

Answer 34

1. aversive events 2. learning (reinforcement) 3. observing models 4. social scripts (media conditioned)

Question 35

what predicts attraction

Answer 35

- proximity - physical attractiveness - similarity

Question 36

proximity in attraction

Answer 36

mere exposure effect

Question 37

facial symmetry

Answer 37

strong predictor for attractiveness

Question 38

physically attractive people are seen as _\_\_\_\_ but not more _\_\_\_\_

Answer 38

- happier, healthier, more sensitive, more successful, more socially skilled - honest or compassionate

Question 39

similarity

Answer 39

- less of similarity pulling us to one person but possibly rather dissimilarity pushing us away from another

Question 40

passionate love

Answer 40

- aroused state of intensive positive absorption in another - usually most present at the beginning of a romantic relationship

Question 41

2 factor theory of emotion

Answer 41

1. physical/emotional arousal 2. cognitive appraisal of arousal

Question 42

misattribution theory in romantic love

Answer 42

mistake high arousal for romantic emotions

Question 43

companionate love

Answer 43

a deep, affectionate love for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Question 44

keys to a long and happy relationship

Answer 44

1. equity 2. self-disclosure 3. avoid criticism, stonewalling, contempt, defensiveness

Question 45

why do we help?

Answer 45

- kin selection - norm of reciprocity - social-responsibility norm

Question 46

kin selection

Answer 46

helping relatives is adaptive bc it increases that odds of successfully passing on our genes

Question 47

norm of reciprocity

Answer 47

- tendency to help those who have helped us or can help us in the future - possibly related to cultural evolution

Question 48

social-responsibilty norm

Answer 48

right thing to do even if no self-benefit

Question 49

bystander effect

Answer 49

we are less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present