Social Psychology Exam 2

Question 1

Overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes.

Answer 1

self-concept

Question 2

4 Main Functions of Self

Answer 2

1) Self-knowledge
2) self-control
3) impression management
4) self-esteem

Question 3

Looking inward and examining their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions

Answer 3

introspection

Question 4

Concrete. References to age/sex/neighborhood/hobbies.

Answer 4

Child’s self concept

Question 5

Less about physical characteristics. More emphasis on psychological states and how others judge us.

Answer 5

Maturing self concept

Question 6

Idea that when people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and compare their behavior to their internal standards and values.

Answer 6

Self-awareness theory

Question 7

Theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviors. (often we learn this from our culture)

Answer 7

Causal Theories

Question 8

Attitude change resulting from thinking about the reasons for one’s attitudes. (people assume their attitudes match the reasons that are plausible and easy to verbalize)

Answer 8

Reasons-Generated Attitude Change

Question 9

When our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our behavior and the situation in which it occurs.

Answer 9

Self-Perception Theory

Question 10

Do something because of enjoyment and interest. Not external rewards or pressures.

Answer 10

Intrinsic Motivation

Question 11

Do something for external reasons. Not because of enjoyment or interest.

Answer 11

Extrinsic Motivation

Question 12

Tendency to view your behavior as caused by compelling extrinsic reasons, making them underestimate the extent to which it was caused by intrinsic reasons.

Answer 12

Overjustification Effect

Question 13

Rewards for performing a task, regardless of how well the task is done.

Answer 13

Task-Contingent Rewards

Question 14

Rewards that are based on how well we perform a task

Answer 14

Performance-Contingent Rewards

Question 15

Idea that we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change.

Answer 15

Fixed Mindset

Question 16

Idea that our abilities can cultivate and grow

Answer 16

Growth Mindset

Question 17

We experience emotions in a 2 step process. 1) Experience psychological arousal. 2) Seek appropriate explanation for it.

Answer 17

Schater’s 2 Factor Theory of Emotion

Question 18

Making mistaken inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do.

Answer 18

Misattribution of Arousal

Question 19

Idea that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people.

Answer 19

Social Comparison Theory

Question 20

Process where people adopt another person’s attributes.

Answer 20

Social Tuning

Question 21

People’s predictions about how they will feel in response to a future emotional event.

Answer 21

Affective Forecasts

Question 22

Making choices about present plans and plans for the future.

Answer 22

Self-control

Question 23

Attempt to avoid thinking about something we would prefer to forget.

Answer 23

Thought Suppression

Question 24

Attempt by people to get others to see them as they want to be seen.

Answer 24

Impression Management

Question 25

Flattering/Praising/Trying to make ourselves likable to another person who is often of higher status.

Answer 25

Ingratiation

Question 26

Creating obstacles and excuses for ourselves. 2 Types. Behavioral - act in ways to reduce the likelihood or success. Reported - devise readymade excuses in case we fail.

Answer 26

Self-Handicapping

Question 27

Overall evaluation that people have of themselves.

Answer 27

Self-Esteem

Question 28

Combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others.

Answer 28

Narcissism

Question 29

Reducing dissonance by adding a cognition about other positive attributes.

Answer 29

Self-Affirmation

Question 30

Overestimate the intensity and duration of our emotional reactions to future negative events.

Answer 30

Impact Bias

Question 31

Discomfort people feel when 2 cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict or when they behave in a way that is inconsistent with their conception of themselves.

Answer 31

Cognitive Dissonance

Question 32

3 Ways To Reduce Dissonance

Answer 32

1) Change behavior
2) Justify behavior by changing one of the dissonant cognitions.
3) Justify behavior by adding new cognitions.

Question 33

Dissonance is most painful when one of the cognitions is __________.

Answer 33

About the self.

Question 34

After making a decision, we typically reduce dissonance by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and devaluing the rejected alternatives. (more important, greater permanence = more dissonance)

Answer 34

Postdecision Dissonance

Question 35

Salesperson gets customer to agree to low cost, claims it was an error, raises price and customer usually agrees to the higher price.

Answer 35

Lowballing

Question 36

Tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain.

Answer 36

Justification of Effort

Question 37

Reason or explanation for dissonant personal behavior that resides outside the individual. (reward or punishment)

Answer 37

External Justification

Question 38

Reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself.

Answer 38

Internal Justification

Question 39

Stating opinion or attitude that runs counter to one’s private belief or attitude.

Answer 39

Counterattitudinal Advocacy

Question 40

Dissonance when individuals lack sufficient external justification for resisting something, usually resulting in devaluing the forbidden thing.

Answer 40

Insufficient Punishment

Question 41

Long lasting form of attitude change that results from attempts at self-justification.

Answer 41

Self-Persuasion

Question 42

If we dislike someone, then do them a favor, we will like them more. (Ben Franklin Effect)

Answer 42

Dissonance Theory

Question 43

Evaluations of people, objects, and ideas.

Answer 43

Attitudes

Question 44

3 Components of Attitudes.

Answer 44

Affective (emotional reaction)
Behavioral (actions or observable behavior)
Cognitive (thoughts and beliefs)

Question 45

A stimulus that elicits and emotional response is paired with a neutral stimulus. Neutral stimulus takes on the emotional properties of the first stimulus.

Answer 45

Classical Conditioning

Question 46

Freely chosen behaviors increase or decrease when followed by reinforcement or punishment.

Answer 46

Operant Conditioning

Question 47

Sometimes people do not know how they feel until they see how they behave.

Answer 47

Self-Perception Theory

Question 48

Attitudes that we consciously endorse and can report.

Answer 48

Explicit Attitudes

Question 49

Attitudes that are involuntary, uncontrollable, and at times unconscious.

Answer 49

Implicit Attitudes

Question 50

The strength of the association between an attitude object
and a person’s evaluation of that object, measured by the
speed with which people can report how they feel about
the object

Answer 50

Attitude Accessibility

Question 51

People’s intentions are the best predictors of their

deliberate behaviors. (more specific attitudes better predict behavior)

Answer 51

Theory of Planned Behavior

Question 52

beliefs about how people they care about will view

the behavior in question

Answer 52

Subjective norms

Question 53

Intentions are influenced by the ease with which they

believe they can perform the behavior.

Answer 53

Perceived behavioral control

Question 54

The study of the conditions under which people are
most likely to change their attitudes in response to
persuasive messages. (who, what, to whom)

Answer 54

Yale Attitude Change Approach

Question 55

An explanation of the two ways in which persuasive

communications can cause attitude change.

Answer 55

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Question 56

When people are motivated and have the ability to pay

attention to the arguments in the communication

Answer 56

Central route

Question 57

When people do not pay attention to the arguments but are

instead swayed by surface characteristics

Answer 57

Peripheral route

Question 58

A personality variable reflecting the extent to which people

engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities

Answer 58

Need for Cognition

Question 59

Persuasive messages that attempt to change

people’s attitudes by arousing their fears

Answer 59

Fear-Arousing Communications

Question 60

An explanation of the two ways in which persuasive
communications can cause attitude change:
 Systematically processing the merits of the arguments
 When using peripheral route
– Use mental shortcuts (heuristics)
• e.g., “Experts are always right”
– Use emotions as heuristic

Answer 60

Heuristic–Systematic Model of Persuasion

Question 61

Words or pictures that are not consciously perceived but
may nevertheless influence people’s judgments, attitudes,
and behavior

Answer 61

Subliminal Messages

Question 62

– Making people immune to attempts to change their
attitudes by initially exposing them to small doses of
the arguments against their position

Answer 62

Attitude Inoculation

Question 63

People feel their freedom to perform a certain behavior
is threatened, an unpleasant state of reactance is
aroused, which they can reduce by performing the
threatened behavior

Answer 63

Reactance Theory