13. Social Psychology

A student fails to speak or raise his hand in class all semester. The teacher assumes that the student is exceptionally shy. The teacher is illustrating the:

fundamental attribution error.

Barry is watching golf and sees Tiger Woods scowl after a missed putt. He would be making the fundamental attribution error if he assumed that Woods:

has an angry and volatile personality.

The influence of _____ on aggression has been demonstrated by research from archaeology, economics, geography, political science, and psychology.

hotter temperatures

If researchers found that people take longer to identify words such as assertive and bold as strong when the words are associated with black faces rather than with white faces, this finding would illustrate:

implicit prejudice.

Francesca is currently _____, which has made her more eager to help and more generous.

in a good mood

Normative social influence

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

Which of the following has recently been found in over 200 convicted murderers?

reduced tissue in the frontal lobes

Evidence shows that people exhibit heightened levels of prejudice when they are economically frustrated. This offers support for the:

scapegoat theory.

Superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Evan's father yells at him for being 5 minutes late for tee time. Rather than believe his father is a rude jerk, he decides that he may be having difficulties at his job. This means he makes a _____ attribution about his behavior.

situational

Dr. Pena is conducting research about how people form impressions of others and how they interpret one another's behavior in a variety of situations. Dr. Pena is probably a _____ psychologist

social

You decide that your free time over the weekend to volunteer at the Special Olympics is not as important to you as the good feelings and the joy you receive from giving back to the community by volunteering. This illustrates the:

social exchange theory.

Cora loves to work out at the gym. She tends to walk faster on the treadmill when other people are using nearby equipment. This BEST illustrates:

social facilitation.

Group polarization

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

Deindividuation

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

Social Loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Mere exposure effect

the tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them

Who of the following are more sensitive to the power of the situation?

those from China or Japan

Cognitive dissonance theory emphasizes that we seek to reduce the discomfort we feel when:

two of our cognitions are inconsistent.

Norms

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe "proper" behavior

When is the central route of persuasion MOST likely to be used?

when people are naturally inquisitive

outgroup

"them" - Those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

Just- world Phenomenon

The tendency for people to believe that the world is just and people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Attribution Theory

The theory that er explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.

Social Exchange theory

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

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Cognitive dissonance theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent.

The fundamental Attribution error involves?

Underestimating the situational influence of another persons behavior

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

equity

a condition in which people receive form a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Social Script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Social Trap

a situation in which the conflict parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Passionate love

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship

Social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

Reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

Prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

Agression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

The ______________ indicates that although we often cannot directly control all of our feelings, we can influence our feelings by changing our actions.

attitudes-follow-behavior principle

_____ route persuasion uses evidence and argument to motivate careful thinking, whereas _____ route persuasion uses superficial cues to trigger emotion-based judgments.

c. Central; peripheral

Ingroup

"us" -people with whom we share a common identity

Summer watches as a student stumbles and drops her books in the hall. If she demonstrates the fundamental attribution error, how would Summer explain the student's behavior?

She is a clumsy person.

Self-Disclosure

The act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others.

Companionate love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

The text notes that in some nations, political conservatives explain the poverty and unemployment of some members of society by citing their lack of initiative or responsibility. This explanation MOST closely reflects:

The fundamental attribution error

Joshua is on trial for simple assault. He has pleaded not guilty. A psychiatrist has testified that Joshua has a gene that has altered the area of his brain related to aggressive behavior. What is likely to happen?

The judge will give him a lighter sentence

Foot-in-the door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor our own group

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency, when analyzing others behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Elsa voices concern that many people in her town gather in groups to socialize, visit open businesses unnecessarily, and fail to wear face masks. Her friend explains this behavior by citing the low rate of infection in their area and inconsistent messages from the media and from political leaders. Elsa's friend is making a(n) _____ attribution for townspeople's behavior.

situational

A close friend visits Katy and asks her to lend her $10 for gas. She happily agrees. Two weeks later, her friend visits again and this time asks for $20 for gas, and she agrees again. This is known as

the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

Other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect and the own race bias

Stereotype

A generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Ami, age 19, is an Asian female who is in her second year at the university. Research on how we categorize social information suggests that Ami is most likely to believe that MOST:

Black people tend to dress pretty much alike.

Frustration-Aggression principle

The principle that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger, which can generate aggression

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another.

Dr. Cheng, who studies social influence, is concerned because the rates of conformity in his experiments are much higher than those reported by his cousin, another social influence researcher. Which of the following reasons might account for this difference?

Dr. Cheng is conducting his experiments in a country that honors group standards, whereas his cousin is conducting experiments in a country that prizes individualism.

Attitude

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension- Reduction- a strategy designed to decrease international tensions

Discrimination

In social psychology, under justifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Social Facilitation

In the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks.

Informational social influence

Influence resulting from a person's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

Who proposed the cognitive dissonance theory?

Leon Festinger

Mirror-image perceptions

Mutual Views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful an views the other side as evil and aggressive

We tend to feel discomfort when our thoughts are inconsistent with our actions and then act to reduce that discomfort. This is known as the _____ theory

cognitive dissonance

Festinger is to Zimbardo as _____ is to _____.

cognitive dissonance; role playing

Brad feels anonymous when he comments online, which may lead to:

deindividuation.

Circumstances that increase self-awareness are likely to reduce:

deindividuation.

University students charged the field after the game in response to their team's loss. They vandalized the opposing team's field, and the police had to be called in. This behavior is best understood in terms of:

deindividuation.

When more people share responsibility for helping, _____ is likely to occur.

diffusion of responsibility

Research shows that after extensive exposure to X-rated, sexual films, men are subsequently ________ accepting of women's sexual submission and ________ likely to perceive a woman's friendliness as sexual interest.

more; more

While working on wedding preparations, Jason conforms to the expectations of his future bride's family simply to win their favor. His behavior illustrates the importance of:

normative social influence.

Hostilities between a riverfront community's two racial subgroups were dramatically reduced when the threat that the river would flood its banks required them to work together to save their town. This BEST illustrates the impact of:

superordinate goals.

Although neighbors heard Kitty Genovese screaming for help as she was being murdered, they failed to call the police in time to save her. This BEST illustrates:

the bystander effect.

Mr. Hughes was walking 30 yards from the ocean shoreline when he heard a swimmer's cry for help. He continued walking, however, because he figured that one of the many swimmers in the vicinity would provide help if it was needed. His reaction best illustrates:

the bystander effect.

It is an election year, and a volunteer asks if you would put a small 1-foot sign in your yard. You agree. The next week, your wife cannot believe you agreed to let the volunteer put a new 3-foot sign on the front lawn. This technique is known as

the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

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.

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: a. the fundamental attribution error. b. cognitive dissonance. c. the foot-in-the-door phenomenon. d. social loafing.

the fundamental attribution error

Central route persuasion

Occurs when interested people's thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments.

Peripheral route persuasion

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