Chapter 11

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

the branch of psychology that studies the effects of how individuals affect each other

Question 2

social context

Answer 2

the combination of people, the activities and interactions among the people, the setting, and the expectations/social norms

Question 3

situationism

Answer 3

the view that environmental conditions may influence a peoples behaviors as much as or more than personal dispositions do under certain circumstances

Question 4

dispositionism

Answer 4

a psychological orientation the focuses primarily on the inner characteristics of an individual, such as personality, values, character, and genetic makeup

Question 5

social role

Answer 5

a socially defined pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a setting or a group

Question 6

social norms

Answer 6

a group’s expectations of what is appropriate and acceptable for it’s members

Question 7

script

Answer 7

knowledge about the sequence of events and actions that is expected in a particular setting

Question 8

chameleon effect

Answer 8

the tendency to mimic other people

Question 9

asch effect

Answer 9

a form of conformity in which a group majority may influence individual judgments of ambiguous stimuli

Question 10

conformity

Answer 10

the tendency of people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, or opinions of others in the group

Question 11

autokinetic effect

Answer 11

Muzafir Sherif’s idea of the perceived motion of a stationary dot of light in a totally dark room

Question 12

social neuroscience

Answer 12

an area of research that uses methodologies from brain sciences to investigate various types of social behavior, such as stereotyping in prejudice, attitudes, self-control, and emotional regulation

Question 13

groupthink

Answer 13

the term for poor judgments and bad decisions made by members of groups that are overly influenced by perceived group consensus or the leaders point of view

Question 14

cohesiveness

Answer 14

solidarity, loyalty, and a sense of group membership

Question 15

heroes

Answer 15

people whose actions help others in emergencies or challenge unjust corrupt systems without any reward or any thought for themselves

Question 16

bystander intervention problem

Answer 16

laboratory and field study analogues of the difficulties faced by bystanders in real emergency situations

Question 17

diffusion of responsibility

Answer 17

dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared by all group members or accepted by the leader

Question 18

in-group

Answer 18

the group with which an individual identifies

Question 19

out-group

Answer 19

those outside the group of which an individual identifies

Question 20

social reality

Answer 20

an individual’s subjective interpretation of other people and of one’s relationship with them

Question 21

reward theory of attraction

Answer 21

a social learning view that predicts that we like best when given more reward at minimum cost

Question 22

principle of proximity

Answer 22

the notion that people will make friends with people who are closer to them than with those who are farther away (next door compared to two doors down)

Question 23

similarity principle

Answer 23

the notion that people are attracted to people most similar to themselves

Question 24

self-disclosure

Answer 24

the sharing of personal information to another as a way of building trust

Question 25

matching hypothesis

Answer 25

the prediction that most people will find friends/mates at their perceived same level of attractiveness

Question 26

expectancy-value theory

Answer 26

a theory that states that people decide whether to pursue a relationship by weighing the potential value of it against their expectation of success in establishing it

Question 27

cognitive dissonance

Answer 27

Leon Festinger’s concept of a highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their beliefs/values

Question 28

romantic love

Answer 28

a temporary and highly emotional condition based on infatuation and sexual desire

Question 29

triangular theory of love

Answer 29

Sternberg’s theory that describes various kinds of love using three components: passion (attraction), intimacy (sharing feelings), and commitment (dedication)

Question 30

fundamental attribution error (FAE)

Answer 30

the dual tendency to overemphasize internal, dispositional causes and minimize external, situation pressures

Question 31

self-serving bias

Answer 31

an attributional pattern in which one takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failures

Question 32

prejudice

Answer 32

a negative attitude for an individual based solely on their membership in a group or category, often without any direct evidence

Question 33

discrimination

Answer 33

a negative action taken against an individual based on their membership in a group or category

Question 34

social distance

Answer 34

the perceived difference or similarity between oneself and another person

Question 35

scapegoating

Answer 35

blaming an innocent person/group for one’s own troubles and then discriminating against and abusing them

Question 36

dehumanization

Answer 36

the psychological process of thinking about certain other people or groups as less than human

Question 37

stereotype threat

Answer 37

the negative effect on performance that arises when an individual becomes aware that members of their group are expected to perform poorly in that domain

Question 38

system power

Answer 38

influences of behavior that come from top down sources in the form of creating and maintaining various situations that in turn have an impact on actions of individuals in those behavioral contexts

Question 39

Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 39

classic study of institutional power in directing normal, healthy college student volunteers playing randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards to behave contrary to their dispositional tendencies, as cruel guards or pathological prisoners

Question 40

Abu Ghraib Prison

Answer 40

prison in Iraq made famous by revelation of photos taken by Army Reserve MP guards in the acts of humiliating and torturing prisoners

Question 41

Schlesinger Report

Answer 41

report issued by one of the official investigations of the Abu Ghraib Prison abuses, headed by James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense. It highlighted the social psychological factors that contributed to creating such an abusive environment

Question 42

bullying

Answer 42

the act of tormenting others, in school, classroom, or work settings, by one or more others, for personal, sadistic pleasure. It qualifies as a form of normal or everyday evil