Chapter 11: Social Psychology

In the field of social psychology, the term ____ describes an opinion or belief that someone has about people, objects, and ideas.

attitude

What is the term in social psychology for the opinions and beliefs we have about people, things, and ideas?

attitudes

The result of inferences that we make about someone based on their behavior are referred to as

attribution

___ theory identifies the important dimensions at work in attributions.

attribution theory

The explanations of the causes of someone's behavior that are the result of inferences that you make about that person are known as

attributions.

_____ theory explains the connection between attitudes and behaviors by suggesting that individuals make inferences about their attitudes by perceiving their own behavior.

Self-perception theory

A person who experiences stereotype _____ is well aware of stereotypical expectations for them as a member of a group.

THREAT

TRUE/FALSE Happy people are more likely than unhappy people to help others.

TRUE

TRUE/FALSE High levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and oxytocin are related to prosocial behavior.

TRUE

TRUE/FALSE The face is an important social cue.

TRUE

TRUE/FALSE The fundamental attribution error likely occurs because people focus on trying to understand the mental states of others.

TRUE

The elaboration likelihood model describes communication that can take two routes: the peripheral route or the ___ route

central route

Modifying attitudes, rationalizing attitudes, and/or changing behavior are all ways to reduce what?

cognitive dissonance (multiple saying that you prioritize sleep but you stay out all night multiple times to please your friends)

cognitive ___ is the conflict that occurs when a person holds two contradictory attitudes or thoughts.

cognitive dissonance example: saying your healthy but smoking cigarettes everyday.

Shelby's friends congratulate her on the beautiful cake she baked for an upcoming party. Shelby says that the cake was easy to make because she read the recipe carefully and allowed herself plenty of time to get it made. Shelby is attributing her success at baking the cake to a(n) _____ cause.

controllable cause

what is an evolutionary theory that posits that sometimes we engage in a behavior with high personal costs to communicate honest information about ourselves to others?

costly signaling theory page: 419

What is stereotyping?

creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group are alike

One theory of aggression suggests that ____(the reaction to the thwarting or blocking of goals) produces anger, leading to a readiness to display ____

frustration aggression

The ___ attribution error is the tendency to explain the behavior of others in terms of their personalities rather than aspects of the situation.

fundamental

The role of _____ in aggression is most easily seen in nonhuman animals and the process of selective breeding.

genes

The genetic basis for aggression states that ____ are important in understanding the biological basis of aggression.

genes or genetics

Altruism is which of the following? Multiple choice question. a. giving to another person to ensure reciprocity b. giving aid to another person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself c. giving in to the request of another person d. adhering to social norms of expected behavior

giving aid to another person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself

what is controllable or uncontrollable causes

having the power to control or not control some causes controllable cause: preparing food for a picnic uncontrollable cause: the rain on picnic day

What is prosocial behavior?

helping behavior that benefits others

what is NOT associated with aggression?

high levels of introversion

In one study, just a 100-millisecond exposure was long enough for participants to form a(n) ____ of the unfamiliar individual.

impression

Matt sees a painting that Ben painted and says that the painting is good because Ben is a talented artist. Matt is attributing Ben's work on the painting to a(n) _____ cause.

internal cause

In so-called cultures of honor, a man's reputation

is an essential aspect of his (and his family's) economic survival.

The bystander effect makes it ____ (more/less) likely an individual will help someone in need when other people are around.

less

How long did it take participants in one research study to form an impression of an unfamiliar face?

less than a second

Which of the following has been linked to aggressive behavior?

lower levels of serotonin

If people think that members of a specific group lack ambition, they may treat them in a way that actually brings about a lack of ambition. What does this illustrate?

self-fulfilling prophecy

Lower levels of the neurotransmitter ____ have been linked to aggressive behavior.

serotonin

____ psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.

social

The ____ learning approach to aggression emphasizes that social and environmental conditions can teach individuals to be aggressive.

social OR observational

___ ___ is the area of social psychology that explores how people select, interpret, remember, and use social information.

social cognition

Noah sees a man in a store yelling at the cashier and thinks, "That guy is a mean jerk." Noah is attributing the man's behavior to a(n) ___ cause

stable cause

A ___ is a generalization about a group's characteristics that does not consider any individual differences.

stereotype

Social expectations that cause an individual to act in such a way that the expectations are realized are known as

stereotype

___ threat is a person's fast-acting, self-fulfilling fear of being judged based on a negative stereotype about their group.

stereotype threat

Pam's new friend is a librarian, so Pam assumes that the person is intellectual, politically liberal, shy, not very social, and probably a vegetarian. What does Pam's thinking on this describe?

stereotyping

When trying to explain other's behavior, we can reduce the likelihood of making the fundamental attribution error by

taking the perspective of others/ taking the perspective of others while trying to explain their behavior helpful link https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/the-fundamental-attribution-error

Researchers who take a(n) ____ viewpoint examine the influence of genetics and neurobiological factors on aggression.

testosterone

___ is the male hormone that is typically associated with aggressive behavior.

testosterone

The tendency for observers to overestimate the importance of internal traits and underestimate the importance of external situations when they seek explanations is referred to as

the fundamental attribution error.

What is the definition of social psychology?

the study of how people think about, influence, and relate to other people

what is social exchange theory

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

Sierra arrives at work late but states that it isn't her fault because there was a car accident on the highway. Sierra is attributing her lateness to a(n) _____ cause.

uncontrollable cause

Bill pays for Madeline's lunch and seems very happy. Madeline thinks to herself, "Bill must be in an unusually good mood today." According to attribution theory, Madeline is attributing Bill's behavior to a(n) _____ cause.

unstable cause

Attribution theory is the

view that people are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior in order to make sense of that behavior. ALSO (SAME THING) view that people are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior in order to make sense of that behavior.

Social cognition is the

way in which individuals think about social situations and other people.

Which of the following is a circumstance in which researchers would NOT expect attitudes to guide behavior?

when the person's attitudes recently changed

Aggression is social behavior

whose objective is to harm someone physically or verbally.

what are positive illusions

"positive views of oneself that are not deeply rooted in reality", and/or tendencies to perceive ourselves more favorably than others do

Which of the following are ways to reduce cognitive dissonance? select all that apply -Ignore the attitude causing the dissonance. -Change the attitude causing the dissonance. -Change the behavior causing the dissonance. -Change the behavior causing the dissonance.

-Change the attitude causing the dissonance. -Change the behavior causing the dissonance.

Multiple Select Question Select all that apply Which of the following features were participants accurate at detecting or determining, based on viewing a photograph, having a brief interaction, or only watching brief video clips? Multiple select question. -a person's taste in music -a person's romantic interest in the participant -a person's artistic ability -a person's sexual orientation -a person's propensity for violence

-a person's romantic interest in the participant -a person's sexual orientation -a person's propensity for violence

select all that apply Which of the following personality traits are associated with aggression? -low levels of introversion -coldness toward others -low levels of agreeableness -low levels of conscientiousness - low levels of neuroticism

-coldness toward others -low levels of agreeableness -low levels of conscientiousness

Select all that apply Which of the following neurotransmitters and neurohormones are associated with prosocial behavior? Multiple select question. -serotonin -norepinephrine -GABA -oxytocin -dopamine

-serotonin -oxytocin -dopamine page 421

Select all that apply When are attitudes more likely to guide behavior? Multiple select question. -when a person has strong attitudes -when a person rehearses and practices their strong attitudes -when the person's attitudes do not affect the individual personally -when a person is very aware of their own attitudes -when the person's attitude changed recently

-when a person has strong attitudes -when a person rehearses and practices their strong attitudes -when a person is very aware of their own attitudes

what is stable cause

Attributions are also classified in terms of stability, from stable to unstable. Stable causes are those that are difficult to change such as intelligence; unstable causes can be changed. For example, a student might fail a test because they didn't put enough effort into preparation. Effort, therefore, is an unstable cause of the failure (it can be changed), intelligence, however, is often thought of as stable (it doesn't change).

___ involves trying to change someone's attitudes and/or behavior.

Persuasion

_____ involves trying to change someone's attitudes and/or behavior.

Persuasion

Infants as young as _____ showed a preference for looking at attractive faces.

3 to 6 months old

What is the bystander effect?

A person is less likely to provide help when there are other bystanders. example: someone falls and a group of people watch but no one helps the person who fell

Egoism is which of the following? Multiple choice question. A. giving to another person to ensure reciprocity B. adhering to social norms of expected behavior C. giving aid to another person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself D. giving in to the request of another person

A. giving to another person to ensure reciprocity

___ refers to social behavior whose objective is to harm someone physically or verbally.

Aggression

______ is giving aid to another person with the ultimate goal of benefiting that person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself.

Altruism

what summarizes the evolutionary psychology explanation of altruistic behavior?

Altruism is more likely to occur among family members, because helping a relative also means promoting the survival of the family's genes.

What is discrimination?

Biased actions against an individual or group

_____ involves giving to another person for personal gain, such as to feel good or avoid guilt.

Egoism

TRUE/FALSE Acts of kindness may actually lead to a negative mood.

FALSE it increases positive mood

_____ refers to a tendency to explain behavior in terms of personalities, rather than the situation.

Fundamental attribution error

_____ people are more likely to help others.

Happy

When we feel compassion for another person's suffering, areas of the midbrain associated with the perception of _____ are activated.

PAIN (page 421)

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others example: attributing a coworker's lateness to the fact that they are unreliable rather than that they got stuck in traffic. example: Antonio almost hit you with his car in the parking lot because he's a jerk, not because he couldn't see around a blind corner.

example of altruism

Worker honeybees die when stinging intruders to defend hive, but they increase the fitness of the queen by doing so

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment (example: believing your wont pass the test, so you dont study, and then you fail the test.)

What is conformity?

a change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure (example: following fashion trends to fit in with crowd)

Which of the following features was NOT one that participants were accurate at detecting or determining, based on viewing a photograph, having a brief interaction, or only watching brief video clips? a. a person's artistic ability b. a person's sexual orientation c. a person's romantic interest in the participant d. a person's propensity for violence

a. a person's artistic ability

The limbic system and the frontal lobes are the brain structures related to which of the following?

aggression

The personality trait of _____ is most strongly associated with prosocial behaviors.

agreeableness

The dorsomedial ___ cortex is involved in first impression formation.

prefrontal

According to self-perception theory, individuals often make inferences about their attitudes by perceiving their own

behavior.

Researchers who take a _____ viewpoint examine the influence of genetics and neurobiological factors on aggression.

biological

What is the tendency for individuals to NOT help someone in need if other people are around?

bystander effect

Which of the following is a social cue that is especially likely to influence voters if the voters have little information about the election? Multiple choice question. a. a high-profile endorsement of the candidate b. a photograph of the candidate's face c. the candidate's resume d. a copy of the candidate's platform

c. a photograph of the candidate's face

Which of the following personality traits is most strongly associated with prosocial behaviors? Multiple choice question. a. openness to experience b. conscientiousness c. agreeableness d. extroversion

c. agreeableness

Person perception is which of the following? a. the study of how people think about, influence, and relate to other people b. the way in which individuals think in social situations c. the processes by which we use social stimuli to form impressions of others d. the study of human societies, organizations, and institutions

c. the processes by which we use social stimuli to form impressions of others

Based on the results of research in psychology, which of the following individuals is the LEAST likely to express aggression in the given situation? Multiple choice question. a. Bill got stuck in a traffic jam for 3 hours in 90-degree weather. b. Stephen got stuck in a crowded elevator for 2 hours. c. Aadiya stepped on a board and hurt her foot with a nail. d. Samantha had to sit in an air-conditioned waiting room for 20 minutes.

d. Samantha had to sit in an air-conditioned waiting room for 20 minutes.

Which area of the brain is involved in first impression formation?

dorsomedial prefrontal cortex

The ____ likelihood model theory identifies two ways by which a message can be persuasive.

elaboration

A key social emotion in altruism is _____, a person's feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another.

empathy

What is a key emotion involved in altruism that involves feeling a oneness with the emotional state of another?

empathy

______ is a feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another person.

empathy

The ____ perspective of reciprocity is that it serves to secure the survival of the family's genes, even if the helped individual is not actually family.

evolution/evolutionary

Elaina complained to her best friend that she lost the spelling bee because the judges were unfair and gave her all of the harder words to spell. Elaina is attributing her performance in the spelling bee to a(n) _____ cause.

external cause

When we feel compassion for another person's suffering, areas of the midbrain associated with the perception of ____ are activated.

pain

person ___ refers to the processes by which we form impressions of others.

person perception

Helping others consistently leads to increased ____ mood.

positive

positive ___ are views of oneself that are not deeply rooted in reality.

positive illusions