Social Psychology Part 1

Question 1

Define Attitides

Answer 1

Evaluation towards an object, issue and person. Typically viewed as positively or negatively

Question 2

Implicit vs Explicit Attitude

Answer 2

• Implicit Attitude: unconscious and automatic evaluations
• Explicit Attitude: conscious evaluations

Question 3

How are Attitude Formed?

Answer 3

1. Mere-exposure effect:
   - Like things after repeated exposure
   - Expection; if dislike something initially, will likely not change this attitude
2. Classical Conditioning:
   - The pairing (conditioning) of a neutral stimulus with a response
   - Can form both explicit and implicit attitudes
   - Used in marketing
3. Polarization:
   - Attitude can become more extreme through reflecting upon them
   - Confirmation bias
4. Persuasion:
   - Central route is A route of persuasion that involves the person receiving the message to think carefully and weigh up the arguments in the message
   - Peripheral route
5. Cognitive Dissonance:
   - Behaviour and attitude are inconsistent
   - To eliminate cognitive dissonance either the attitude has to change or the behaviour has to change

Question 4

Define ‘ The Self”

Answer 4

• We all have ‘a self’
• Can be stable and transformative

Question 5

List the 3 parts of ‘ The Self’

Answer 5

1. Self-knowledge (self-concept): self-awareness, self-esteem; self-deception, self-schema
2. Interpersonal self (Public self): self-presentation, group membership, social roles, reputation
3. Agent self ( executive functioning): decision-making, taking charge of the situation

Question 6

Define Social Cognition

Answer 6

How we perceive and think about ourselves, others and social interaction

Question 7

Describe Knowlege Structure

Answer 7

1. Schemas:
   - Pattern of knowledge stored in memory
   - organised information and can guide acquisition of new information
   - Reduce amount of the information that we need to process
2. Attributions:
   - Casual explanations people give for their behaviours
   - Internal factors ( personality trait)
   - External factor (environmental factor)
   - Consensus > the way MOST people respond
   - Consistency > how person ALWAYS responds
   - Distinctiveness > respond this way to MANY different stimuli

Question 8

Explain Attribution Errors

Answer 8

1. Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency people have to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others’ behavior.
2. Self Serving Bias: People typically see themselves in a more positive way than others see them

Question 9

Identify Cognitive Errors & Biases

Answer 9

1. Confirmation Bias - Tendency to notice/ search for information that confirms a pre-existing belief

Question 10

Define Self-Presenation

Answer 10

The strategy where people attempt to control what impressions others form of them

Question 11

Define Self-handicapping

Answer 11

A process where people set themselves up to fail when success is uncertain in an attempt to maintain their self-esteem

Question 12

Define Attitiude

Answer 12

An association between an act or object and an evaluation

Question 13

Define Source

Answer 13

An aspect of persuasion that refers to the person giving the message. People tend to be more persuasive when they are credible, attractive, likeable and powerful.