Module 35. Social Thinking And Social Influence

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."

Feelings that predispose one to act in certain ways to people, objects, or events are called _____, whereas the explanations one develops for others' behavior or one's own are called _____.

attitudes; attributions

Bob has very strong opinions about the tuition increase at his university. However, once he is the student representative for the college board, he develops a more favorable attitude about the tuition increase.

cognitive dissonance theory

Which phenomenon is MOST likely to explain the growth of Islamic terrorism in the 1990s?

group polarization

People often conform to gain approval. This is called _____ social influence.

normative

Dahlia is trying to make partner at one of the city's most prestigious law firms. It is generally understood that associates remain hard at work in the office until at least 8 or 9 each evening. This is an element of the firm's:

norms

Dr. Perez is studying prejudice and discrimination. She is MOST likely a _____ psychologist.

social

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

social

An individual working in a group puts forth less effort when he or she is not personally accountable. This is known as _____.

social loafing

Marilyn thinks a strict class attendance policy is an indication of her professor's overly controlling personality, rather than a necessity dictated by the limited number of class sessions in a course that meets only once each week. Her judgment BEST illustrates:

the fundamental attribution error

Celebrity endorsements represent one way to influence an audience via _____ route persuasion.

peripheral