psyc 2040 LSU exam 1

the evolutionary perspective on social behavior suggests that_______.

we inherit tendencies or predispositions to behave in certain ways.

the evolutionary perspective on social psychology suggests that

we inherit tendencies to behave in certain ways

the planning fallacy is

a tendency for individuals to believe that projects will take less time than they actually do

LaShawna meets another girl at a part who is not from LaShawna's ethnic group, and whom LaShawna judges based on her stereotype of that group, is probably shallow and a gossip. The best description of LaShawna's judgement is that she is engaged in

a social cognitive process

social psych embraces ___ as core scientific values

accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, and open-mindedness

as a scientific discipline, social psych strives for

an objective understanding of behavior

recent research on implicit processes demonstrate that such proccesses

are quite influential in our social behavior & thought

social psychologists are primarily interested in understanding the many factors and conditions that shape, the social ____ & _____ of individuals

behavior; thought

Radha is from India & is Jana's friend. In making a judgement about Radha's reason for being late for coffee, Jana may infer that Radha was late bc she had a confusing day, or Jana may decide that Radha doesn't really have much respect for her schedule. This is best explained as an example of a

cognitive process

the ways we think about other people and the things we remember about them may have an effect on our behavior. These thoughts & memories are examples of

cognitive processes

why take a scientific approach? part of the answer lies in the ____ nature of proverbs, axioms, maxims, and the like.

contradictory

The divorce rate in the US has changed dramatically since the 1950s. This change may be explained in part by the effect that___ have on behavior

cultural beliefs

the social rules concerning how individuals should behave in specific situations are know as

cultural beliefs & norms

the system of shared meanings, perceptions, and beliefs held by persons belonging to the same group is known as ____

culture

people tend to become more irritable & aggressive when the weather is hot & humid. this fact is an ex. of the effects of ____ on social behavior

environmental variables

despite some variation, there appear to be universal mating preferences for certain physical features. This fact suggests that these attractiveness features are influenced by______.

evolutionary factors

based on a(n)_____, a child, early in life, is more likely to look like ____.

evolutionary perspective; its father

the branch of psychology that seeks to examine the potential role of genetic factors in different aspects of human behavior is known as

evolutionary psychology

______ processes represent those factors & processes which influence thought, feelings, or behaviors and of which we are either not aware or only dimly aware.

implicit

Louis doesn't think he is very worthwhile person, and spends most of his time engaged in bad business deals. Having been influenced by a(n) ____ process, Louis has relocated to ____.

implicit; St. Louis, MO

the variation referred to by evolutionary psychologists is that

individual members of any given species differ from each other in many ways

in one study, when participants encountered a person who was _____ on both warmth & competence, neural circuitry that normally responds to the presence of a human being _____.

low; was not activated, as if the person were not human.

Armando, based on his estimate of how long it would take him to complete his mid-term essay, told his instructor he would turn in the paper on Tuesday, but was late turning it in, causing his instructor to deduct a letter grade from the paper. Next time Armando makes such a promise based on a plan, he will likely

make the same planning error, and be late again

social psychologists focus their attention mainly on individuals because

our behavior is influenced by the actions of other individuals in social situations

which of the following categories is NOT one of the five categories mention in your text regarding factors affecting social interaction?

perceptual processes

_______ is the area of psychology that studies the interplay between brain events and thought, emotion, and behavior.

social neuroscience

the focus of social psychology is on

the behavior & thoughts of individuals

social psychology

the branch of psychology that seeks to understand the nature & causes of individual behavior and though in social situations is

the moon is full, and Christinel has been behaving wildly. although sober, he's been alternately barking like a dog at strangers on the street and/or asking them, "aren't ya just happy now?" it is possible that Christinel's behavior is due to

the moon as an environmental influence

one reason that social scientists put their faith in the scientific method is that

the scientific method produces more conclusive evidence than other methods

Kim knows she needs to go take summer courses, but worries about leaving her new bf for 3 months. She wonders, will "absences make the heart grow stronger" be true, or is "out of sight, out of mind" more applicable. This is an example of

the unscientific nature of conventional wisdom

in one study, 3-month old African infants who had grown up with mainly African people, or who had grown up with a mixture of both African & caucasian people, were shown photos of both African & caucasian people. while the infants from the first group spent more time looking at photos of africans, the second group showed no preference, demonstrating that __.

there was an implicit influence for attraction to the photos of persons reflecting the racial make up of those with whom they had grown up

recent neuroscience research has demonstrated that prejudice actually has 2 underlying dimensions, _____ and _____, with each dimension having a low or high value.

warmth; competence