Week 2; Schemas

Question 1

Schemas

Answer 1

Mental structures that people use to organise knowledge about their world; including knowledge about “self”, “other people” and “social situations

Question 2

Person Schema

Answer 2

Mental structures suggesting that certain traits and behaviours go together and that individuals who possess these traits and behaviours represent a certain type of person
- Our schemas of others are often a lot more simple than our schemas of ourselves

Question 3

Stereotype

Answer 3

Simple mental models that we apply to a group of people

Question 4

Prejudice

Answer 4

A stereotype that has a negative connotation attached

Question 5

Role Schemas

Answer 5

-Information about how persons playing specific roles generally act
- Our reaction to people’s behaviour is dependent on whether they conform to their role schemas. We may be surprised if people’s actions are incongruent to our schema

Question 6

Situational Schema

Answer 6

Relate events/ sequencing of events to specific situations. They indicate what is expected to happen in a specific situation i.e. going on a date, visiting the dentist

Question 7

2 Factor Theory of Emotion

Answer 7

-A theory of emotion stating that the label applied to physiological arousal results in the experience of an emotion
- Experiment with the epinephrine/placebo and angry man in waiting room

Question 8

Social Comparison Theory

Answer 8

• Self Assessment (compare to people similar to us)
• Self Improvement (upward social comparison)
• Self Enhancement (Downward Social Comparison)

Question 9

Self Serving Bias

Answer 9

• Our tendency to perceive ourselves favourably
• We readily accept responsibility for our successes but often attribute our failures to external factors

Question 10

Better Than Average

Answer 10

When the dimension is socially desirable and subjective; most of us rate ourselves as better than people in general

Question 11

Unrealistic Optimism

Answer 11

• Even though we know basic rates for various events, we think that we are immune i.e. couples who think that they won’t divorce despite 50% of US marriages ending in one

Question 12

False Consensus Effect

Answer 12

Our tendency to overestimate the commonality of one’s opinions or one’s undesirable behaviours

Question 13

False Uniqueness Effect

Answer 13

Our tendency to underestimate the commonality of one’s desirable/ socially acceptable behaviours

Question 14

Self Handicapping

Answer 14

• A way to protect one’s self image with behaviours that create a handy excuse later i.e. drinking before an exam