Social Psychology Exam 5

Self-Worth/Self-Esteem

Your evaluation of your worth or value based on your perception of such things as your skills, abilities, talents, and appearance

Which of the following would be an example of reflected appraisal at work? a. "This is my third job managing large databases so I guess I must like it." b. "I know I did well because I was promoted and Dorian was not." c. "I love serving in management and supervisory roles." d. "I do not feel successful because I know no one else thinks I am good at my job."

"I do not feel successful because I know no one else thinks I am good at my job."

Which folk saying is likely used in a collectivist culture? a. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." b. "If you've got it, flaunt it." c. "The nail that stands up is pounded down." d. "You are the captain of your ship."

"The nail that stands up is pounded down."

Evolutionary Standpoint of the Sociometer Hypothesis

Acceptance rather than ostracism by a social group ensures our survival so we actively take action to increase social acceptance

2 Ways that Self-Handicapping can be Expressed

1) Creating barriers that reduce the chance of success so blame can be placed on these barriers 2) Claiming barriers by formulating excuses before starting a task

Leary and Kowalski Identified Two Factors That Influence Our Motivation to Impress

1) Impression management is goal-directed behavior; we engage in impression management when it facilitates achievement of a goal 2) Impression management is likely when one perceives a difference between the current image others have of a person, and the image that person would like others to have

Taylor and Brown listed three positive illusions that people have about themselves

1) People believe that they are better than they really are 2) People expect more positive outcomes for themselves than is rational 3) People overestimate the amount of control that they have over their outcomes

People's Desire to Have a Coherent View of the Self Has Several Implications

1) Research has shown that people tend to prefer interactions with people whose perceptions of them are consistent with how they perceive themselves 2) The desire for self-verification occurs even when it is a negative view of the self that people are seeking to confirm (there are times when self-verification goals are given priority over self-enhancement goals)

Leary and Kowalski Posited that Three Variables Affect the Kinds of Impressions we Construct

1) Self-concept is a major influence on image creation; people want to manage the impressions others have of the characteristics that are important to their self-concept 2) Individuals are motivated to construct images that are consistent with the important roles they hold; nurses want to create nurturing impressions, religious leaders want others to think of them as highly moral, and professors may want others to see them as intelligent 3) Individuals sometimes create the kinds of impressions that important others will value; if your partner values sensitivity, you may emphasize the parts of yourself that are related to sensitivity

Procrastination

A form of self-handicapping in which one creates barriers or excuses that impede success on an upcoming task, while also ambiguating the cause of poor performance

Which of the following information has high warranting value for an online dating profile? a. A link to a user's professional portfolio b. A narrative about personal interests c. A description of their job d. A photograph of the person

A link to a user's professional portfolio

Warranting

A process in which we judge the behavior of others based on information that cannot be easily manipulated or controlled by the person being judged

Orth and Colleagues on Adolescent Self-Esteem

Adolescent self-esteem was a significant predictor of later levels of mood and depression, relationship satisfaction, and job satisfaction Life outcomes were not a significant predictor of self-esteem

Self-Handicapping

An impression management strategy where it allows us to take credit for success and avoid blame for failure

Imagine you met the four people below for the first time. According to information integration theory, which person would you like most? a. Langston, who seemed kind of mean. b. Rosa, who is friendly, kind, selfish, and dishonest. c. Aniya, who sounds honest. d. Jada, who seems fun but untrustworthy.

Aniya, who sounds honest.

Self-Esteem and Depression

As self-esteem declines, depression increases, and as self-esteem increases, depression declines

State Self-Esteem

Consists of the dynamic momentary evaluations that you make about yourself in response to events and experiences

According to implicit personality theory a. Certain traits go along with certain behaviors. b. We like those who like us. c. We can identify one's personality just by looking at a picture of them. d. We are attracted to people who have highly favorable traits.

Certain traits go along with certain behaviors.

Self-Efficacy

Concerns your subjective perception of your ability to perform a task or reach a goal

Ingratiation

Conveying an interest in others by means of praise or flattery with a purpose to get others to like you

Descriptive Stereotypes (Gender)

Describe what women and men are

Self-Verification Motive

Drives people to seek out information that verifies their existing impressions of themselves

Self-Schema

Each specific belief or piece of information about the self

Which of the following terms describes trait self-esteem? a. Variable b. Momentary c. Enduring d. Event-based

Enduring

Which of the following choices concerning the accuracy of thin slices is accurate? a. Even thin slices that are less than one second can be accurate. b. Thin slices must be at least 5-10 seconds to be accurate. c. Thin slices need to be at least one minute to be accurate. d. Though many people think thin slices are accurate, recent research shows they are not.

Even thin slices that are less than one second can be accurate.

For people to prefer receiving self-verifying information over self-enhancing information, one of two things needs to happen

First, it's possible to increase people's desire for self-verification motives by giving them feedback that challenges their views of themselves. Second, though self-enhancement motives seem to inform our rapid, emotional reaction to receiving self-relevant information, when we are given more time and space to really think about the implications of the information we are receiving, self-verification motives seem to win out

Main Hypothesis of Leon Festinger's A Theory of Social Comparison Processes

Humans have a drive to evaluate their abilities and opinions

We have some goal state that we're seeking and that self-regulation operates via comparing our current state to that goal

If we find that our current state is consistent with that goal, we don't need to take any action. If our current state deviates in some way from our goal state, we're motivated to take action to reduce this discrepancy

Participants in a study rated teachers based on thin slices of behavior. The researchers compared these ratings with end-of-semester student evaluations of teachers. What did they find? a. Impressions from the thin slices were consistent with end-of-semester evaluations. b. Impressions from the thin slices were always more favorable than end-of-semester evaluations. c. Impressions from the thin slices accurately predicted end-of-semester evaluations for positive but not negative teacher traits. d. Impressions from the thin slices were not consistent with end-of-semester evaluations.

Impressions from the thin slices were consistent with end-of-semester evaluations.

Thin Slices of Behavior

Impressions we form based on very brief exposures to others

Self-Concept Later in Life

Increasingly influenced by peers and life experiences

Early research on self-esteem showed that high self-esteem is correlated with which of the following benefits? a. Anxiety b. Initiative in interpersonal behavior c. Financial success d. Depression

Initiative in interpersonal behavior

Collectivist Culture and Self-Concept

It is likely that your self-concept will include values like cooperation, social harmony, and interdependence. In addition, you are more likely to see the goals of the group as greater than the goals of the individual

Hazel Markus and Ziva Kunda on the Self-Concept

It is on one hand, stable over time, and, on the other hand, malleable across situations

Kali Trzesniewski on Adolescent Self-Esteem

Longitudinal study shows that adolescent self-esteem was a significant predictor of adult outcomes across a range of domains: Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Physical Health, Criminal Convictions, and Economic Prospects

Which of the choices below are the components in the two-component model of impression management? a. Motivation and distinction b. Confusion and distinction c. Construction and deconstruction d. Motivation and construction

Motivation and construction

Front-Stage Behavior (Goffman)

Occurs in settings with an audience where we want to perform appropriately, according to rules and norms that govern behavior in such situations; we are typically performing, working to manage the impressions we want others to have of us

Exemplification

Occurs when individuals self-sacrifice in order to over-perform, so as to be seen as dedicated and hard-working.

Back-Stage Behavior (Goffman)

Occurs when there is no audience and performers feel as though they can relax and be their true selves. Back-stage performers may dress differently, act in less prescribed ways, or have different body posture The time when people practice the behaviors they might perform in front-stage situation sin the future

Reflected Appraisal

Occurs when we come to think of ourselves as we believe others think of us

Self-Concept Early in Life

Originates from the influence of gender, family, and culture

Researchers have cataloged a large array of different goals that we might pursue when recieving self-relevant information that can organized into three broad themes

People are motivated to have 1) A positive view of the self 2) A coherent view of the self 3) An accurate view of the self

Which of the following is NOT one of the positive illusions stemming from self-enhancement? a. People believe they have more control over their world than they actually do. b. People distance themselves from others who are more skilled than they are. c. People anticipate better outcomes for themselves than they have a right to. d. People believe they are better than they really are.

People distance themselves from others who are more skilled than they are.

Which of the following will increase the likelihood of people pursuing an accuracy goal? a. People must believe the feedback they receive is likely to be negative. b. People must be performing a task in which their performance is changeable. c. People must view the feedback they receive as consistent with their prevailing ideas about themselves. d. People must believe the feedback they receive is likely to be positive.

People must be performing a task in which their performance is changeable.

Hazel Markus and Self-Schemas

People process information about the self more quickly than they process information unrelated to the self. That is, people respond more quickly to adjectives that are part of their self-concept than to words they deem unrelated. Further, they can recall more behavior that is consistent with a self-schema than inconsistent. In addition, they are resistant to information that contradicts their self-schema.

Self-Regulation

Provides structure to help us achieve our goals by harnessing our thoughts and feelings

Accuracy Motive

Pushes us to seek out objectively accurate information about the self

Harry Wallace and Diane Tice on Reflected Appraisal

Refers simultaneously to Person A's self-appraisal and Person A's appraisal of Person B's appraisal of Person A

Gender and Job Applicants

Research has demonstrated that job applicants prefer advertisement wording that is consistent with their own gender

Early Research on Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem predicts happiness and general life satisfaction, task persistence when persistence was believed to be useful, and initiative in interpersonal behavior; much of this research was correlational, preventing researchers from making claims about causality

Liam is feeling ambivalent about the new dish he started cooking and asks his roommate, who is generally positive and not picky, to taste-test it. Which of the following self-motives best applies in this scenario? a. Self-verification b. Self-awareness c. Accuracy d. Self-enhancement

Self-enhancement

Which of the following is a conclusion from contemporary longitudinal research on self-esteem? a. Self-esteem in adolescence predicts a wide range of important life outcomes in adulthood. b. Though self-esteem is correlated with success, it is not possible to say whether self-esteem predicts success or success predicts self-esteem. c. In most studies, early depression is a significant predictor of later self-esteem. d. Though self-esteem matters, it is not possible for any one variable to predict later outcomes.

Self-esteem in adolescence predicts a wide range of important life outcomes in adulthood.

Self-Promotion

Self-presentation tactic in which individuals highlight their positive attributes with the purpose of presenting an image of competence

Kiara, who has written her first novel, is scrolling through the comments about her book on a review site. She focuses on the four- and five-star reviews to see what they liked about the book, and these reviews confirm what she feels are her best talents in writing fiction. Which of the following self-motives best applies in this scenario? a. Self-enhancement b. Self-reliance c. Accuracy d. Self-verification

Self-verification

The situational factors that encourage people to seek accurate information about the self focus mostly on the consequences of the information for future success or failure on a task

Situations in which (a) the task that a person is completing is perceived as important and (b) performance on the task is changeable, people are most likely to seek accurate feedback

Prescriptive Stereotypes (Gender)

Suggest what women and men ought to be

Sociometer Hypothesis

Suggests that self-esteem functions as a gauge that indicates how accepted we are by others

High Self-Monitors

Tend to adapt and adjust to suit the demands of a given situation; the primary concern is to address what others think about them and given the best impression

Low Self-Monitors

Tend to remain consistent in how they might behave in different situations; they know what they want and tend to stick to what they hold as true; they tend to be more inward facing and less concerned about what others might think about them

Self-Monitoring

The ability to observe and control our behaviors and self-presentation to suit different situations and audiences

Implicit Personality Theory

The belief that certain traits go together more than others

Self-Concept

The collection of beliefs and information we have about our self; "Who am I?"

Trait Self-Esteem

The global and relatively enduring level of self-esteem you experience over time

Impression Formation

The process of integrating information about another person into a coherent perception; we base our impressions on such varied information as traits, verbal descriptions, facial features, and body shape

Impression Management

The process of managing the impressions others are forming of us; began with sociologist Erving Goffman (1959), who conceived of humans going about their day as actors performing in a play

Working Self-Concept

The subset of self-schemas active in a given situation; as the contents shift from one situation to the next, the self-concept adopts a certain degree of malleability, although it is rarely substantially different from the stable elements of self-concept

There is a high degree of impression management with internet dating

There is always the risk of encountering profiles that are inauthentic and intentionally deceptive

Which of the following is true concerning the accuracy of impressions from thin slices? a. They are only accurate when based on thin slices of actual behavior. b. They are often quite accurate. c. They are accurate but only when based on video clips. d. They are typically inaccurate.

They are often quite accurate.

Self-Enhancement Motive

This motivation guides people to seek out positive information about the self as well as attempt to avoid, ignore, or counterargue negative information about the self

Daryl Bem on Self-Perception

We can learn about ourselves in the same way that we learn about others: by observing behavior

Downward Social Comparison

We compare ourselves to others who are less fortunate or less accomplished in an effort to bolster our self-concept

Upward Social Comparison

We compare ourselves with others who are more accomplished or better off in some way than we are

Terror Management Theory

We cope with the reality that we will all one day perish by anchoring ourselves to cultural and religious identities, social causes, and worldviews that provide meaning to our lives; self-esteem protects us from anxiety-causing agents

George Goethals and Eric Nelson on Social Comparison

We seek to compare with similar others for information on our values but seek dissimilar others to compare beliefs. They argued that if even dissimilar others, whose history and perspective are likely to be different, agree with us, we can be more confident in the correctness of our position.

Ideal Self

What we want to do or be

Self-concept is expressed in the answer to which of the following questions? a. Where am I? b. How did I get here? c. What happened? d. Who am I?

Who am I?

Individualistic Culture and Self-Concept

Will include values such as independence and autonomy. Moreover, the ability to achieve individual goals is likely paramount

Couples who met online a. express lower levels of marital satisfaction compared to couples who met offline. b. are more likely to remain married compared to couples who met offline. c. are more likely to separate than couples who met offline. d. experience the same levels of marital satisfaction as married couples who met offline.

are more likely to remain married compared to couples who met offline.

When traits are _______, we would generally expect likability scores to ________ with the introduction of more traits. a. averaged; decrease b. averaged; increase c. summed; increase d. summed; decrease

averaged; decrease

According to terror management theory, self-esteem functions as a _______ against anxiety. a. gauge b. buffer c. counterbalance d. warning

buffer

A firm handshake _____________ impression, resulting in _______ favorability with a potential employer. a. creates a negative; decreased b. creates a positive; decreased c. creates a negative; increased d. creates a positive; increased

creates a positive; increased

According to implicit personality theory, a person who is judged to be pessimistic will also be thought of as a. happy. b. critical. c. disinterested. d. motivated.

critical

A well written job advertisement should a. include information about ethnicity. b. exclude gendered language. c. exclude the organization's vision. d. include age requirements.

exclude gendered language.

According to the sociometer hypothesis, self-esteem functions as a ______ that allows us to know the state of our _______ with others. a. emotion; happiness b. gauge; relationships c. warning; attitudes d. buffer; anxiety

gauge; relationships

A person who is a low self-monitor may a. have a tightly knit circle of friends. b. have an expansive network of friends. c. enjoy going on speed dates. d. avoid a dating partner with common interests.

have a tightly knit circle of friends.

Sam describes herself by saying, "I am an engineer, I enjoy playing soccer, I have two dogs, and I am hard working." Sam is likely to have a(n) _________________ view of the self. a. interdependent b. independent c. relational d. communal

independent

"We average the traits we have about another person," is a statement made by a proponent of a. information integration theory. b. implicit personality theory. c. attribution theory. d. thin slices of behavior.

information integration theory.

"Wow! Your organization has a really impressive strategic plan. The focus on education and advocacy is inspiring." This statement is an example of a. self-promotion. b. self-handicapping. c. self-monitoring. d. ingratiation.

ingratiation

"Yes, I know how important it is that we complete this project on time. The long-term success of our department is very important to me. I'm skipping my vacation next week so I can continue working on the project. I know I can do a great job but I hope I live up to your high standards." This statement is an example of a. integration. b. self-handicapping. c. ingratiation. d. self-monitoring.

ingratiation

When writing a character reference letter for a person you feel very positive about, it would be most beneficial to write a letter that describes a. only highly favorable traits. b. only moderate traits. c. a mixture of favorable and unfavorable traits. d. a mixture of favorable traits.

only highly favorable traits.

A person who is described as honest will most likely be viewed as __________. This is the result of our ______________________ a. skillful; information integration. b. reliable; implicit personality theory. c. irritable; implicit personality theory. d. confident; information integration.

reliable; implicit personality theory.

"A collection of beliefs and information about the self" is also called a a. self-motive. b. self-concept. c. world view. d. reflected appraisal.

self-concept.

Mateo earned high scores on all of his tests throughout the semester, so he is confident he will do well on the final exam. His evaluation of his ability is an example of a. state self-esteem. b. trait self-esteem. c. self-concept. d. self-efficacy.

self-efficacy

Trusting your ability to complete a task is reflective of your a. self-image. b. self-deception. c. self-efficacy. d. self-esteem.

self-efficacy.

Knowing that you are good enough and feeling good about yourself is reflective of your a. self-esteem. b. self-efficacy. c. self-concept. d. self-image.

self-esteem.

This forward looking impression management strategy reduces blame for failures and enhances recognition for success a. self-monitoring. b. self-promotion. c. self-deprecation. d. self-handicapping.

self-handicapping.

In the absence of an objective standard, we typically determine how well we performed on a task by engaging in a. self-enhancement. b. self-verification. c. social comparison. d. reflected appraisal.

social comparison.

The sense of pride and achievement you feel when your supervisor acknowledges your effort is known as a. state self-esteem. b. trait self-esteem. c. state self-efficacy. d. trait self-efficacy.

state self-esteem.

Self-esteem can indicate how accepted we are by others. This idea is known as a. state self-esteem. b. the sociometer hypothesis. c. an anxiety buffer. d. trait self-esteem.

the sociometer hypothesis.

Internet daters are likely to misrepresent their a. ethnicity. b. religious/spiritual beliefs. c. weight. d. education.

weight.