Unit 14 (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 observance, when analyzing another’s behavior, 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 persuasion

Answer 5

attitude changes path in which interested people form on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Question 6

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 6

attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Question 7

foot in the door

Answer 7

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

Question 8

roles

Answer 8

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

Question 9

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 9

theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Question 10

chameleon effect

Answer 10

unconsciously mimicking others expressions, postures, and voice tones to help us feel what they are feeling

Question 11

mood linkage

Answer 11

sharing ups and downs with the type of people around them

Question 12

conformity

Answer 12

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

Question 13

normative social influence

Answer 13

influences resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Question 14

information social influence

Answer 14

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

Question 15

social facilitation

Answer 15

stronger response on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 16

social loafing

Answer 16

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their effort toward attaining a common goal then when individually accountable (doing less in group projects)

Question 17

deindividuation

Answer 17

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

Question 18

group polarization

Answer 18

the enhancement of group’s prevailing inclinations through discussions within the group (prejudice people are put together and their attitudes increase and vise versa)

Question 19

groupthink

Answer 19

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

Question 20

culture

Answer 20

the enduring behavior, idea,s attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 21

norm

Answer 21

an understood rule for accepted and ejected behaviors

Question 22

personal space

Answer 22

the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies

Question 23

social control

Answer 23

the power of the situation

Question 24

personal control

Answer 24

the power of the individual

Question 25

minority influence

Answer 25

the power of one or two individuals to many majorities

Question 26

prejudice

Answer 26

an unjustifiable attitude towards a group and its members

Question 27

stereotypes

Answer 27

a generalized belief about a group of people

Question 28

discrimination

Answer 28

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Question 29

blame the victim

Answer 29

holding the victim of a crime, accident, or any type of maltreatment to be entirely or partially responsible for the transgressions committed against them

Question 30

social identities

Answer 30

we associate ourselves with certain groups and contrast ourselves with others

Question 31

ingroup

Answer 31

"us" people with whom we share a common identity

Question 32

outgroup

Answer 32

"them" those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Question 33

just-world phenomenon

Answer 33

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

Question 34

scapegoat theory

Answer 34

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

Question 35

outgroup homogeneity

Answer 35

overestimating the similarity of those within our groups

Question 36

other race effect

Answer 36

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races

Question 37

frustration aggression principle

Answer 37

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

Question 38

social scripts

Answer 38

mental tapes for how to act, provided by ones culture

Question 39

mere exposure effect

Answer 39

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

Question 40

passionate love

Answer 40

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

Question 41

compassionate love

Answer 41

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

Question 42

equity

Answer 42

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

Question 43

self disclosure

Answer 43

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Question 44

altruism

Answer 44

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 45

bystander effect

Answer 45

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

Question 46

social exchange theory

Answer 46

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

Question 47

reciprocity norm

Answer 47

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

Question 48

social responsibility norm

Answer 48

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Question 49

conflict

Answer 49

a perceived incompatibility of action, goals, or ideas

Question 50

social trap

Answer 50

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Question 51

mirror image perception

Answer 51

mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Question 52

self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 52

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Question 53

superordinate goals

Answer 53

a shared goal that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Question 54

GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction)

Answer 54

a strategy designed to decrease international tensions