Social Psychology

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Question 2

Attribution Theory

Answer 2

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

Question 3

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Attitude

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Central Route to Persuasion

Answer 5

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Question 6

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Answer 6

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Question 7

Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Role

Answer 8

a set of expectations (norms) about social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Question 9

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 9

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of out thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent

Question 10

Conformity

Answer 10

adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 11

Normative Social Influence

Answer 11

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Question 12

Social Facilitation

Answer 12

stronger responses to simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 13

Social Loafing

Answer 13

the tendency to exert less effort when pooling efforts towards a common goal rather than when individually accountable

Question 14

Deindividuation

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Group Polarization

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Groupthink

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Prejudice

Answer 17

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude towards a group and its members. Generally involves stereotypical beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Question 18

Stereotype

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Discrimination

Answer 19

unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group and its members

Question 20

Confederate

Answer 20

someone who is “in on” an experiment, but those participating do now know it

Question 21

Altruism

Answer 21

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 22

Bystander Effect

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 23

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 24

Reciprocity Norm

Answer 24

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Question 25

Social Responsibility Norm

Answer 25

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Question 26

Ingroup

Answer 26

people with whom we share a common identity with; “us”

Question 27

Outgroup

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Ingroup Bias

Answer 28

the tendency to favor our own group

Question 29

Scapegoat Theory

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Other-Race Effect

Answer 30

the tendency to recall faces of ones own race more accurately than faces of other races

Question 31

Just-World Phenomenon

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Aggression

Answer 32

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Question 33

Frustration-Aggression Principle

Answer 33

the principle that frustration (the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal) creates anger, which can generate aggression

Question 34

Mere Exposure Effect

Answer 34

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Question 35

Passionate Love

Answer 35

an aroused state of intense. positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship

Question 36

Companionate Love

Answer 36

the deep, affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Question 37

Equity

Answer 37

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Question 38

Self-Disclosure

Answer 38

Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to otheres

Question 39

Solomon Asch

Answer 39

studied conformity, impression formation: gave a list of adjectives describing people and changed one word to see its effects on first impressions

Question 40

Leon Festinger

Answer 40

introduced cognitive dissonance theory: when people change their beliefs to fit their actions

Question 41

Stanley Milgram

Answer 41

shock experiment

Question 42

Philip Zimbardo

Answer 42

Stanford Prison Experiment