unit 2: social psych

Question 1

attribution theory

Answer 1

we have the tendency to explain someone’s behavior as either due to the situation or that person’s disposition or personality/attitude (who they are)

Question 2

fundamental attribution error

Answer 2

overestimate a person’s disposition (who they are) and underestimate the situation

Question 3

attitude

Answer 3

a belief or feeling that predisposes a person to respond in a particular way to objects, other people, and events

Question 4

foot in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 4

small request –> large request

Question 5

door in-the-face phenomenon

Answer 5

large request –> small request

Question 6

zimbardo’s stanford prison experiment

Answer 6

• took place in stanford university basement
• random assignment with roles
• extremely realistic
• guards abused power
• prisoners tried to revolt
• canceled in 6 days because it worked too well
• questionable ethically
• proved the hypothesis: the role you are playing will change your thinking (attitude)

phillip zimbardo - standford prison experiment (role playing affects attitudes)

Question 7

cognitive dissonance

Answer 7

• tension that exists when our actions and attitudes don’t match
• we often try to adjust our attitude to match our actions

Question 8

festinger & carlsmith’s cognitive dissonance experiment

Answer 8

paid to praise boring task

all subjects given a boring task, all subjects were asked to tell the next group of volunteers that the experient was fun, half the subjects were paid $1, half were paid $20 to say it was fun

cognitive dissonance: action: “this is fun” attitute, “this is boring”

• all subjects were asked to rank how boring the task was
• the $1 group rated it the most fun: proving cognitive dissonance

Question 9

conformity

Answer 9

when we follow the behavior of other humans

Question 10

obedience

Answer 10

when we comply with an authority figure

Question 11

chameleon effect

Answer 11

a person unconsciously adjusts their behavior to conform with a group

ex. sneezing

Question 12

asch’s line test experiment

Answer 12

• subjects placed in a room with 5-6 confederates (looked like subjects, but were part)
• judged length of lines
• they gave wrong answer
• saw whether 5th person went along with the group

solomon asch - line length - group conformity

Question 13

normative conformity

Answer 13

(people conform for 2 main reasons)

to gain the approval of the group or avoid rejection

Question 14

informative conformity

Answer 14

(people conform for 2 main reasons)

the group may be right, or have valuable information

Question 15

milgram’s shock experiment

Answer 15

• subjects were paired with a partner, who was a confederate (hooked to “shock machine”)
• everytime they got it wrong the shocks got stronger each time
• experimenter said they must continue
• most poeple went furthur (proving obidence)

stanley milgram - shock experiment - obedience

Question 16

central route to persuasion

Answer 16

convincing someone to do something with facts

Question 17

peripheral route to persuasion

Answer 17

convincing someone to do something with anything other than fact

Question 18

social facilitation

Answer 18

improved performance on tasks in the presence of others

(if you are good at something you get better when others watch you)

Question 19

social inhibition

Answer 19

if you are bad at something and others watch you, you will get worse

Question 20

social loafing

Answer 20

an individual in a group shows less effort than if he or she were doing it individual (think high school group projects!)

Question 21

deindividuation

Answer 21

individuals lose their sense of self-awareness and self-control when they are in a large group

Question 22

group polarization

Answer 22

members of a group tend to think alike their opinions will strengthen with the more time they spend together

Question 23

groupthink

Answer 23

people will try to keep harmony in a group and lose sight of realistic alternatives to their thinking

ex. a group where everyone gets along, that even if you disagree, you go along with the group

Question 24

prejudice

Answer 24

unjustiable (usually negative) attitude toward a group

Question 25

discrimination

Answer 25

negative BEHAVIOR towards a group

Question 26

scapegoat theory

Answer 26

(emotional scapegoat)

blaming someone for the faults or wrongs of others, usually because its easier than dealing with the roots cause

Question 27

ingroup

Answer 27

people who share a common identity

Question 28

outgroup

Answer 28

not included in an in-group

Question 29

ingroup bias

Answer 29

tendency to favor your own group

Question 30

outgroup homogeneity

Answer 30

the tendency to believe your ingroup is more diverse than your outgroup

Question 31

just-world phenomenon

Answer 31

tendency for people to believe that the world is just (or fair) and that people get that they deserve

Question 32

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 32

frustration –> anger –> aggression

Question 33

social trap

Answer 33

conflicting parties, by each pursuing their own self-interests, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Question 34

mere exposure effect

Answer 34

the more you see someone, the more you like them

Question 35

passionate love

Answer 35

an aroused state of intense positive absorptions (usually at the beginning of a relationship)

Question 36

companionate love

Answer 36

deep, affectionate attachment for those with whom are lives are spent

Question 37

altruism

Answer 37

unselfish regard for others

Question 38

equity

Answer 38

people receive the same amount as they give in a relationship

Question 39

bystander effect

Answer 39

tendency of any given bystander (witness) to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Question 40

diffusion of responsibility

Answer 40

“someone else will do it”

Question 41

pluristic ignorance

Answer 41

“no one else seems concerned, it might not be an emergency”

Question 42

social exchange theory

Answer 42

all of our social behavior can be described as trying to maximize benefits while minimizing costs

Question 43

reciprocity norm

Answer 43

we should return help and not harm those who have helped us

Question 44

social responsibility norm

Answer 44

help others when they need us even though they may not repay us

Question 45

superordinate goals

Answer 45

shared goals that often can go above individual differences

Question 46

collectivist culture

Answer 46

• ex. japan
• stress conformity or ties to others

Question 47

individualistic culture

Answer 47

• ex. united states
• stress uniqueness and standing out

Question 48

g.r.i.t.

Answer 48

• this is a strategy designed to decrease international tensions
• work together on mutual interests to relieve tension

graduated & reciprocated in tension - reduction (grit)