PSYC: 41-42

The mental process of inferring the causes of people's behavior is called:

Attribution

father of attribution theory

Fritz Heider

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

Groupthink

Joanna disagrees with her classmates on an issue. During a class discussion of the issue, Joanna is MOST likely to conform to her classmates' opinion if she:

believes the rest of the class is unanimous in their position.

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

central route persuasion

Once people have agreed to a small request, they have a tendency to comply with a larger request. This is known as the:

foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

Tim's new roommate Jaxon leaves dirty laundry all over his room, and Tim assumes he must be a slob. Tim ignores the fact that Jaxon is currently studying for finals and working 30 hours per week. Tim is demonstrating:

fundamental attribution error

Yung is driving to campus one day when another car cuts him off and speeds ahead. Immediately, he yells out "Crazy driver!" not realizing that the person may be rushing to get to the hospital. Yung's judgment BEST illustrates:

fundamental attribution error

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

fundamental attribution error

Because Marcie is in a foreign environment, she gets through the night by watching others who appear to know what they are doing. For each course, she follows their selection of silverware. Marcie is displaying _____ social influence. Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button.

normative

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

normative social influence

Juan was shopping for a new watch and the salesperson was pressuring him to spend money far above his financial limit. Juan attributed the behavior to the salesperson having a pushy personality. Juan's explanation of the salesperson's behavior _____ the fundamental attribution error because it is based on the salesperson's _____.

reflects; personality

Norman Triplett observed that adolescents wound a fishing reel faster in the presence of someone working simultaneously on the same task. This BEST illustrates _____.

social facilitation

psychologists who investigate how people think about, influence, and relate to one another.

social psychologists

Sherelle is with three of her friends at a restaurant. One of her friends yawns, then another friend, and then Sherelle. She has just experienced:

the chameleon effect.

While on a date with his girlfriend, Juan discovered that she was depressed about a low exam grade. He found that he began to feel dejected and they both talked very little and ended the date early. Juan's change in mood BEST illustrates:

the chameleon effect.

Cognitive dissonance theory states that in order to reduce dissonance, individuals:

try to align their attitudes and behavior.

When are people MOST likely to obey?

when the person in an authority figure

Social thinking is to _____ as social influence is to _____. A. obedience; attitude B. conformity; attribution C. attitude; obedience D. conformity; obedience

C. attitude; obedience

Janelle yells at Jason for being 10 minutes late for lunch. Rather than believe that Janelle is a rude jerk, Jason decides that she may be having difficulties with her partner. Jason's explanation of Janelle's behavior _____ the fundamental attribution error because it is based on Janelle's _____. A. does not reflect; personality B. reflects; situation C. reflects; personality D. does not reflect; situation

D. does not reflect; situation: if Jason's explanation was a reflection of the fundamental attribution error he WOULD have based Janelle's behavior on her personality instead of her situation.

When reading the comments posted on the Internet about a current news article, Cheryl notices that many of them are racist in nature. What might account for this?

Deindividuation

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

Deindividuation

father of cognitive dissonance theory

Leon Festinger

founder of social psychology and social fascination

Norman Triplett

Marsha is on trial for the murder of her husband. Marsha says it was self-defense. A psychiatrist has testified that Marsha suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of the spousal abuse she endured. What is likely to happen?

The judge will give her a lighter sentence.

A(n) _____ is a learned tendency to evaluate some object, person, or issue in a particular way that may be positive, negative, or ambivalent.

attitude

the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation (situational), or the person's traits (dispositional)

attribution theory

You have very strong opinions about the tuition increase at your university. However, once you are the student representative for the college board, you develop a more favorable attitude about the tuition increase. Which of these BEST explains why?

cognitive dissonance theory

Which phenomenon can BEST explain the emergence of student radicalism in the 1960s?

group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

group polarization

The tragic decision to launch the space shuttle Challenger resulted in part from the minimal expression of dissenting views among NASA personnel and advisers. This BEST illustrates the dangers of _____.

groupthink

Social loafing is MOST pronounced in _____ cultures

individulist

Alexandra wants to buy a new car before she goes off to college. She wants one that looks good and has a nice stereo system so that she can listen to her favorite music while driving to class. Which form of persuasion would probably be more convincing to her?

peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness

peripheral route persuasion