Unit 6: Social Psychology

Question 1

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Answer 1

social psychology

Question 2

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

Answer 2

attribution theory

Question 3

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Answer 3

fundamental attribution error

Question 4

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Answer 4

attitude

Question 5

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness(emotion)

Answer 5

peripheral route persuasion

Question 6

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts(logic)

Answer 6

central route persuasion

Question 7

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

Answer 7

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Question 8

A persuasion method in which the individual begins by making a large request that most likely will be turned down. After this large initial request is denied, the person makes a more reasonable request that is now more likely to be granted.

Answer 8

door-in-the-face phenomenon

Question 9

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

Answer 9

role

Question 10

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes

Answer 10

cognitive dissonance theory

Question 11

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior; prescribe “proper” behavior

Answer 11

norms

Question 12

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

Answer 12

conformity

Question 13

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

Answer 13

normative social influence

Question 14

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

Answer 14

informational social influence

Question 15

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Answer 15

social facilitation

Question 16

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Answer 16

social loafing

Question 17

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

Answer 17

deindividuation

Question 18

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Answer 18

group polarization

Question 19

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

Answer 19

groupthink

Question 20

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Answer 20

culture

Question 21

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. _________ generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

Answer 21

prejudice

Question 22

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Answer 22

stereotype

Question 23

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Answer 23

discrimination

Question 24

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

Answer 24

just-world phenomenon

Question 25

“us” - a group of people who share a sense of belonging, a feeling of common identity

Answer 25

ingroup

Question 26

“them” - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Answer 26

outgroup

Question 27

the tendency to favor our own group

Answer 27

ingroup bias

Question 28

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

Answer 28

scapegoat theory

Question 29

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

Answer 29

other-race effect

Question 30

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Answer 30

aggression

Question 31

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

Answer 31

frustration-aggression principle

Question 32

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Answer 32

social script

Question 33

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

Answer 33

mere exposure effect

Question 34

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

Answer 34

passionate love

Question 35

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

Answer 35

companionate love

Question 36

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

Answer 36

equity

Question 37

the act of revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Answer 37

self-disclosure

Question 38

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Answer 38

altruism

Question 39

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

Answer 39

bystander effect

Question 40

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

Answer 40

social exchange theory

Question 41

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

Answer 41

reciprocity norm

Question 42

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Answer 42

social-responsibility norm

Question 43

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Answer 43

conflict

Question 44

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

Answer 44

social trap

Question 45

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

Answer 45

mirror-image perceptions

Question 46

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Answer 46

self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 47

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Answer 47

superordinate goals

Question 48

the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities

Answer 48

actor observer bias