Social Psychology (Ch. 11)

Question 1

Agression

Answer 1

social behavior whose objective is to harm someone either physically or verbally

Question 2

altruism

Answer 2

giving to another person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself

Question 3

groupthink

Answer 3

the impaired group decision making that occurs when making the right decision is less important than maintaining group harmony

Question 4

stereotype

Answer 4

a generalization about a group’s characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another

Question 5

stereotype

Answer 5

a generalization about a group’s characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another

Question 6

prejudice

Answer 6

an unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on the individual’s membership in a group

Question 7

discrimination

Answer 7

an unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because the person belongs to that group

Question 8

cognitive dissonance

Answer 8

an individuals psychological discomfort caused by two inconsistent thoughts

Question 9

polarization effect

Answer 9

the solidification and further strengthening of an individual’s position as a consequence of a group discussion or interaction

Question 10

bystander effect

Answer 10

the tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to be less likely to help when others are present

Question 11

Why does bystander effect occur?

Answer 11

People look to each other for cues of how to behave, deindividualization

Question 12

deindividualization

Answer 12

the reduction in personal identity and erosion of the sense of personal responsibility when one is part of a group

Question 13

fundamental attribution error

Answer 13

observer’s overestimation of the importance of internal traits and underestimation of the importance of external situations when they seek explanations of another person’s behavior

Question 14

Why does fundamental attribution error occur?

Answer 14

people focus on trying to understand an actor’s mental states and miss the influence of a situation

Question 15

false consensus effect

Answer 15

observer’s overestimation of the degree to which everybody else thinks or acts the way they do

Question 16

out-of-group homogeneity

Answer 16

the perception of out-group members as more similar to one another than are in-group members

Question 17

What is social learning theory and who created it?

Answer 17

argued that cognition needed a place in learning and modeling was successful to fill that need; created by Albert Bandura

Question 18

Three types of modeling

Answer 18

live model, verbal instruction, symbolic (in medial or literature)

Question 19

What biological factors increase altruistic acts?

Answer 19

high levels of serotonin, dopamine receptors, and the neurohormone oxytocin

Question 20

Which characteristics are connected to prosocial behavior (altruistic acts)?

Answer 20

Agreeableness, empathy, and happiness

Question 21

What social factors are linked to higher prosocial behaviors?

Answer 21

lower-class, women (an immediate impulse), and those who consume prosocial media

Question 22

What is the difference between when men and women will behave prosocially?

Answer 22

women are more likely to act when the context involves existing interpersonal relations or nurturing; men are more likely to act when they sense danger or feel competent

Question 23

Asch’s Experiment: what was it? what were the findings?

Answer 23

A group was shown three lines of different lengths and asked which was the longest. Everyone at the table says the incorrect answer to see if the participant will conform; Participants conformed 35% of the time

Question 24

Milgram’s Experiment: what is it and what were the results?

Answer 24

Participants shocked a man begging them to stop at a researchers demand; 2/3 of the participants delivered the full voltage

Question 25

How are the results of Milgram’s experiment explained?

Answer 25

Participations were new to the situation and didn’t know how to respond, experimenters authority was interpreted, did not have to feel personally responsible, participants not given time to think

Question 26

Zimbardo’s experiment: what is it? what were the results?

Answer 26

Participants were split into guards and prisoners where guards had all the authority; immediately prisoners started raging and guards started attacking and harassing.

Question 27

Why is the validity of Zimbardo’s experiment in question?

Answer 27

people who responded to an ad about a prison experiment are more aggressive, Zimbardo encouraged the behavior

Question 28

What did Zimbardo’s experiment conclude?

Answer 28

anyone can do evil things if the situation supports it (dehumanization, norms supporting behavior, personal responsibility removed)

Question 29

How to improve group relationships?

Answer 29

working together on a shared goal unites people and causes positive relationships to develop