Social Psychology Exam 2 Cards

Question 1

Attitude

Answer 1

Evaluative beliefs about objects, ideas, events, groups of people, individuals.

Question 2

Strong positive attitude

Answer 2

Lasting over time; resistant of change; predictive behavior → Not easily persuaded; if try to change it, attitude becomes even stronger. [Polarized]. People start counter arguing.

Question 3

Non-attitude

Answer 3

Don’t care about particular object/subject; can be changed easily; not defending anything. Easy to create an attitude from someone else.

Question 4

Three Components of Attitudes

Answer 4

ABCs:

1. Affect (move emotionally)
2. Cognitive
3. Beliefs

Question 5

Dual attitude

Answer 5

Loving and hating something at the same time. [You want it BUT, you don’t] Very common.

Question 6

Balance Theory [Heider]

Answer 6

We strive to maintain cognitive balance, where our attitudes, behavior, feelings in line with each other. [Cognitive consistency is what we want]

Question 7

Dissonance Theory:

Answer 7

Attitudes can be inconsistent with behaviors and vice versa [behaviors can be inconsistent with attitudes]

Question 8

How can you eliminate dissonance?

Answer 8

1. Change attitude

2. Change behavior

Question 9

Dissonance will only occur what certain circumstances?

Answer 9

1. Minimal compliance pressure

2. Commitment

Question 10

Insufficient Justification

Answer 10

When you engage in counterattitude behavior for very little justification.

Question 11

Postdecision Regret

Answer 11

When you have to choose between two equally wanted items, and you select one, you may experience dissonance.

Question 12

Displacement Effect

Answer 12

Change of ratings after choice is made.

Question 13

Impression Management Theory (Tedeschi)

Answer 13

There is no Dissonance; People only to manage their impression.

Question 14

Self-Affirmation Theory (Claude Steele)

Answer 14

Argues that activities that produce dissonance are activities that threaten integrity of self-concept.

Question 15

Self-Perception Theory (Bem)

Answer 15

There’s no motivating force, no uncomfortable mental tension.

Question 16

Misattribution Paradigm

Answer 16

Identifying a different/false cause.

Question 17

Reconciliation

Answer 17

When Self-Perception and when Dissonance are important

Question 18

Ways to reduce dissonance

Answer 18

1. Change Attitudes
2. Add cognitions; add other info.
3. Alter the importance of the discrepancy
4. Reduce perceived choice
5. Make self-affirmations
6. Change Behavior

Question 19

LaPier (1934): Road Trip

Answer 19

Found out that attitudes do not predict behavior. Attitudes are irrelevant to understanding behavior.

Question 20

Intention (Fishbein & Arjen)

Three things that contribute to intention of behavior:

Answer 20

1. Attitude: Like/dislike; Support/do not support, agree/disagree
2. Perceived behavioral control: How capable are you about going after what you want?
3. Estimates of likelihood of success, and expectations of important others (subjective norms)

Question 21

Rumination

Answer 21

If you have a failure, a loss, mistake, fight, and you sit there and think about it, you get more and more angry, upset.

Question 22

Vested Interest

Answer 22

The extent to which a person perceives an issue to be associated with her/his wellbeing (some kind of “stake” in the issue)
• Attitude/behavior is predicative for people with high vested interest.

Question 23

Self Monitoring – Snyder

Answer 23

The extent to which people use their surroundings to guide their actions.

Question 24

Persuasion

Answer 24

= changing attitude

Question 25

Central Root Processing

Answer 25

elaborating, deep, effortful, deliberate, careful, logical processing. Focused on message.

Question 26

Peripheral processing

Answer 26

= e.g. paying attention to music, pizza, hairstyles.

Question 27

Stereotypes

Answer 27

Cognitive structure) Generalized beliefs about the characteristics and behaviors of a group as a whole.

Question 28

Prejudice

Answer 28

(Emotional component) Negative affect directed toward all members of a specific social category

Question 29

Discrimination

Answer 29

(Behavioral component) Any act, attitude, or institutional structure that subordinates a person because of their social category membership (their race/ethnicity, their sex, etc.)

Question 30

Illusory Correlation

Answer 30

Forming an association between a social group and particularly distinctive members when there is actually no relationship between the distinctive characteristics and group memberships.

Question 31

Ingroup Bias:

Answer 31

The tendency to favor ingroups over outgroups. Ignore people not in our group.

Question 32

Social Identity Theory

Answer 32

Our individual sense of self esteem stems in large part from the social groups to which we belong.

Question 33

Emotional Effects of Ingroup Bias:

Answer 33

1. Ethnocentrism 2. Cognitive Effects of Ingroup Bias 3. Ultimate Attribution Error

Question 34

Ethnocentrism

Answer 34

An increasing pattern of loyalty toward ingroup accompanied by increased in hostility toward outgroup.

Question 35

Cognitive Effects of Ingroup Bias

Answer 35

We remember positive things about things from people in our group and forget negative things of people in our group and show the opposite for people in the outgroup.

Question 36

Ultimate Attribution Error

Answer 36

When talking about groups we discount positive acts/qualities by the outgroup. We ignore or explain and thus conflict never ends.

Question 37

Outgroup Homogeneity

Answer 37

Outgroup members are seen as more similar to each other than are ingroup members (“They are all the same”)

Question 38

Social Distance (Bogardus)

Answer 38

Ones willingness to participate in social contact of varying degrees of closeness with members of diverse social groups.

Question 39

Old Fashioned Racism

Answer 39

Blatantly negative stereotypes based on beliefs in racial superiority of one’s group, with open opposition to racial equality.

Question 40

Aversive Racism

Answer 40

Egalitarian social values (meaning everyone should be treated equally regardless of group membership) but negative emotions/anxiety; lead to avoidance of interaction.

Question 41

Social Influence

Answer 41

When one or more people change their behavior as a consequence of the words or actions of others.

Question 42

Informational Social Influence

Answer 42

(Lasting) A process by which people use information provided by others to facilitate their understanding of ambiguous stimuli; to assist them when forming judgments. [Only works when you are unsure]

Question 43

Normative Social Influence

Answer 43

(Temporary) Changing one’s behavior in response to another based on a desire to gain rewards and/or avoid punishments. → E.g. Slowing down [changing behavior] while driving when you see a cop to avoid a ticket [punishment]