Unit 9

Question 1

attribution theory

Answer 1

theory that we explain someones behavior by crediting either the situation or persons disposition

Question 2

fundamental attribution error

Answer 2

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

Question 3

attitudes

Answer 3

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

Question 4

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 4

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues (ex: speakers attractiveness)
uses attention getting cues to trigger emotional snap judgements

Question 5

central route persuasion

Answer 5

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
offers evidence and arguments that trigger careful thinking

Question 6

foot in the door phenomenon

Answer 6

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

Question 7

role

Answer 7

set of expectations about a social position, defining how these positions ought to behave

Question 8

cognitive dissonance

Answer 8

LEON FESTINGER’s theory that we act to reduce discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware our attitudes and actions clash, we reduce resulting dissonance by changing out attitudes

Question 9

conformity

Answer 9

adjusting our behavior/thinking to coincide w group standard
-> Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment

Question 10

normative social influence

Answer 10

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

Question 11

informational social influence

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Stanley Milgrim

Answer 12

experiment on the power of an authority figure’s influence on behavior
had teacher (the real subject of experiment) “electrocute” a learner for wrong answers on recall questions, observed how long participants would continue shocks despite actor’s cries of pain by scientist’s instruction.

Question 13

social facilitation

Answer 13

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others (or amplifies bad perfomance)

Question 14

social loafing

Answer 14

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

Question 15

deindividuation

Answer 15

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occuring in group situations that foster arousal & anonymity

Question 16

group polarization

Answer 16

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

Question 17

groupthink

Answer 17

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

Question 18

prejudice

Answer 18

an unjustifiable (usually neg.) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotypical beliefs, neg. feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Question 19

stereotype

Answer 19

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

Question 20

discrimination

Answer 20

unjustifiable negative behaviors toward a group or its members

Question 21

just-world phenomenon

Answer 21

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

Question 22

ingroup

Answer 22

“us” - the people with whom we share a common identity

Question 23

outgroup

Answer 23

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

Question 24

ingroup bias

Answer 24

tendency to favor our own group

Question 25

scapegoat theory

Answer 25

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

Question 26

other-race effect

Answer 26

tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races (aka cross-race effect/own-race bias)

Question 27

aggression

Answer 27

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

Question 28

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 28

frustration - the blocking of an attempt to achieve a goal - creates anger, which can generate aggression

Question 29

mere exposure effect

Answer 29

phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Question 30

passionate love

Answer 30

an aroused state of intense positive absorbtion in another, usually present at beginning of romantic relationship
->two-factor theory of emotion:
sexual desire+growing attachment=passionate love

Question 31

companionate love

Answer 31

deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined
-> as passion-facilitating hormones (testosterone, dopamine, adrenaline) subside, oxytocin remains

Question 32

self-disclosure

Answer 32

act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

Question 33

altruism

Answer 33

unselfish regard fro the welfare of others

Question 34

bystander effect

Answer 34

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

Question 35

social exchange theory

Answer 35

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

Question 36

reciprocity norm

Answer 36

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

Question 37

social-responsibility norm

Answer 37

expectation that people will help those needing their help

Question 38

conflict

Answer 38

perceived incompatibility of actions, goals or ideas

Question 39

social traps

Answer 39

situation in which conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest over the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Question 40

mirror-image perceptions

Answer 40

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

Question 41

superordinate goals

Answer 41

shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation lead to positive attitudes toward each other

Question 42

GRIT

Answer 42

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction: a strategy to decrease international tensions, small conciliatory actions can lead to mutual conciliation

Question 43

actor observer effect

Answer 43

tendency to attribute others’ behavior and experiences to dispositional AND to attribute one’s own actions to situational factors. attribution changes depends on who is observer and who is actor

Question 44

self serving bias

Answer 44

attribution of internal/dispositional factors for positive success and situational factors for negative behaviors

Question 45

self-effacing bias/modesty bias

Answer 45

tendency for individuals to minimize their abilities to not draw attention to themselves or make others feel inferior

Question 46

halo effect

Answer 46

tendency for one’s opinion of a person to positively influence one’s opinion or feelings

Question 47

self-handicapping strategy

Answer 47

tendency for people to set themselves up for failure to make a situational explanation when the failure occurs rather than dispositional explanation and preserve their self-esteem