PS261 Exam Three (Chapters 10, 11, 13, SPA-3)

Question 1

propinquity effect

Answer 1

the finding that the more we see and interact with people, the more likely they are to become our friends

Question 2

mere exposure effect

Answer 2

the finding that the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more apt we are to like it

Question 3

evolutionary approach to mate selection

Answer 3

a theory derived from evolutionary biology that holds that men and women are attracted to different characteristics in each other (men are attracted by women’s appearance’ women are attracted by men’s resources) because this maximizes their chances of reproductive success

Question 4

evolutionary psychology

Answer 4

the attempt to explain social behavior in terms of genetic factors that have evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection

Question 5

companionate love

Answer 5

the feelings of intimacy and affection we have for someone that are not accompanied by passion or physiological arousal

high intimacy and commitment but not much passion

Question 6

consummate/ passionate love

Answer 6

an intense longing we feel for a person, accompanied by physiological arousal; when our love is reciprocated, we feel great fulfillment and ecstasy

high levels of passion, intimacy, and commitment

Question 7

attachment styles

Answer 7

the expectations people develop about relationships with others, based on the relationship they had with their primary caregiver when they were infants

Question 8

secure attachment style

Answer 8

an attachment style characterized by trust, a lack of concern with being abandoned , and the view that one is worthy and well liked

Question 9

avoidant attachment

Answer 9

an attachment style characterized by a suppression of attachment needs because attempts to be intimate have bene rebuffed; people with this style find it difficult to develop intimate relationships

Question 10

anxious/ ambivalent attachment style

Answer 10

an attachment style characterized by a concern that others will not reciprocate one’s desire for intimacy, resulting in higher-than-average levels of anxiety

Question 11

social exchange theory

Answer 11

the idea that people’s feelings about a relationship depend on their perceptions of the rewards and costs of the relationship, the kind of relationship they deserve, and their chances for having a better relationship with someone else

Question 12

comparison level

Answer 12

people’s expectations about the level of rewards and punishments they are likely to receive in a particular relationship

Question 13

comparison level for alternatives

Answer 13

people’s expectations about the level of rewards and punishments they would receive in an alternative relationship

Question 14

investment model

Answer 14

the theory that people’s commitment to a relationship depends not only on their satisfaction with the relationship in terms of rewards, costs, and comparison level and their comparison level for alternatives, but also on how much they have invested int he relationship that would be lost by leaving it

Question 15

equity theory

Answer 15

the idea that people are happiest with relationships in which the rewards and costs experienced and the contributions made by both parties are roughly equal

Question 16

exchange relationships

Answer 16

relationships governed by the need for equity (i.e., for an equal ratio of rewards and costs)

Question 17

communal relationships

Answer 17

relationships in which people’s primary concern is being responsive to the other person’s needs

Question 18

prosocial behavior

Answer 18

any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person

Question 19

altruism

Answer 19

the desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper

Question 20

kin selection

Answer 20

the idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection

Question 21

norm of reciprocity

Answer 21

the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future

Question 22

empathy

Answer 22

the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another person and to experience events and emotions (e.g., joy and sadness) the way that person experiences them

Question 23

empathy-altruism hypothesis

Answer 23

the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain

Question 24

altruistic personality

Answer 24

the qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations

Question 25

in-group

Answer 25

the group with which an individual identifies as a member

Question 26

out-group

Answer 26

any group with which an individual does not identify

Question 27

urban overload hypothesis

Answer 27

the theory that people living in cities are constantly bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it

Question 28

bystander effect

Answer 28

the finding that the greater number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help

Question 29

pluralistic ignorance

Answer 29

the case in which people think that everyone else is interpreting a situation in a certain way, when in fact they are not

Question 30

diffusion of responsibility

Answer 30

the phenomenon wherein each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases

Question 31

prejudice

Answer 31

a hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group, based solely on their membership in that group

Question 32

stereotype

Answer 32

a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the member

Question 33

illusory correlation

Answer 33

the tendency to see relationships, or correlations, between events that are actually unrelated

Question 34

discrimination

Answer 34

unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group solely because of his or her membership that group

Question 35

modern racism

Answer 35

outwardly acting unprejudiced while inwardly maintaining prejudiced attitudes

Question 36

self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 36

the case wherein people have an expectation about what another person is like, which influences how they act toward that person, which causes that person to behave consistently with people's original expectations, making the expectations come true

Question 37

stereotype threat

Answer 37

the apprehension experience by members of a group that their behavior might confirm a cultural stereotype

Question 38

institutional discrimination

Answer 38

practices that discriminate, legally or illegally, against a minority group by virtue of its ethnicity, gender, culture, age, sexual orientation, or other target of societal or company prejudice

Question 39

institutionalized racism

Answer 39

racist attitudes that are held by the vast majority of people living in a society where stereotypes and discrimination are the norm

Question 40

institutionalized socialism

Answer 40

sexist attitudes that are held by the vast majority of people living in a society where stereotypes and discrimination are the norm

Question 41

normative conformity

Answer 41

the tendency to go along with the group in order to fulfill the group's expectations and gain acceptance

Question 42

out-group homogeneity

Answer 42

the perception that individuals in the out-group are more similar to each other than they really are, as well as more similar than members of the in-group are

Question 43

ultimate attribution error

Answer 43

the tendency to make dispositional attributions about an entire group of people

Question 44

blaming the victim

Answer 44

the tendency to blame individuals (make dispositional attributions) for their victimization, typically motivated by a desire to see the world as a fair place

Question 45

realistic conflict theory

Answer 45

the idea that limited resources lead to conflict between groups and result in increased prejudice and discrimination

Question 46

scapegoating

Answer 46

the tendency for individuals, when frustrated or unhappy, to displace aggression onto groups that are disliked, visible, and relatively powerless

Question 47

mutual interdependence

Answer 47

the situation that exists when two or more groups need to depend on one another to accomplish a goal that is important to each of them

Question 48

jigsaw classroom

Answer 48

a classroom setting designed to reduce prejudice and raise the self-esteem of children by placing them in small, desegregated groups and making each child dependent on the other children in the group to learn the course material and do well in the class

Question 49

acquisition

Answer 49

the process by which people notice and pay attention to information in the environment; because people cannot perceive everything that is happening around them, they acquire only a subset of the information available

Question 50

storage

Answer 50

the process by which people store in memory information they have acquired from the environment

Question 51

retrieval

Answer 51

the process by which people recall information stored in their memories

Question 52

own-race bias

Answer 52

the fact that people are better at recognizing faces of their own race than those of other races

Question 53

reconstructive memory

Answer 53

the process whereby memories of an event become distorted by information encountered after the event occurred

Question 54

source monitoring

Answer 54

the process whereby people try to identify the source of their memories

Question 55

polygraph

Answer 55

a machine that measures people's physiological responses (e.g., heart rate) while answering an operator's questions, to determine truth or deception

Question 56

recovered memories

Answer 56

recollections of a past event, such as sexual abuse, that have been forgotten or repressed

Question 57

false memory syndrome

Answer 57

remembering a past traumatic experience that is objectively false but is nevertheless accepted by the person as true

Question 58

child eyewitness testimony

Answer 58

toddlers (< age 3) less credible, more credible by age 6. age 12 = max credibility * children can be more accurate than adults * memory can't be tainted by leading questions

Question 59

juries

Answer 59

twelve heads are better than six; more likely minority members will be represented/ would have ally in larger group

Question 60

story order

Answer 60

lawyer presents to jury in order of the sequence of events

Question 61

witness order

Answer 61

lawyer presents to jury in order of witnesses they feel will have biggest impact

Question 62

eyewitness testimony

Answer 62

jurors rely heavily, overestimate accuracy

Question 63

accurate eyewitnesses

Answer 63

must complete three stages of memory processing: actual events -- acquisition -- storage -- retrieval *verbalization hinders recall

Question 64

own-race bias

Answer 64

people are better at recognizing faces of their own (vs. different) race

Question 65

own-age bias

Answer 65

people are better at recognizing faces of their own (vs. different) age

Question 66

what attracts us to others?

Answer 66

familiarity, similar personalities, interests, and experiences

Question 67

propinquity...

Answer 67

increases familiarity which leads to liking, but similarity is needed to fuel a growing friendship or romantic relationship (similar levels of intelligence, social class, religious beliefs, attractiveness, ethnicity, etc)

Question 68

reciprocal liking

Answer 68

just knowing that someone likes us fuels our attraction to the person people with a negative self-concept would rather talk to someone they know has criticized them earlier

Question 69

mate selection

Answer 69

short term relationships seem to be influenced by fertility more than long-term relationships

Question 70

sternberg's triangular theory of love

Answer 70

based upon the strength of passion, intimacy, and commitment

Question 71

culture and love

Answer 71

marrying for love most important in Western/ Westernized countries and of least importance in less developed Eastern countries

Question 72

inequitable relationships

Answer 72

result in one person feeling overbenefited or underbenefited

Question 73

validating style of marriage (support/ negotiate)

Answer 73

couples compromise often and calmly work out problems to mutual satisfaction

Question 74

volatile (passionate) style of marriage

Answer 74

conflict erupts often, resulting in passionate disputes; see each other as equals

Question 75

avoidant (minimize) style of marriage

Answer 75

couples agree to disagree, rarely confronting their differences head-on

Question 76

negative-state relief hypothesis

Answer 76

human beings have an innate drive to reduce negative moods. They can be reduced by engaging in any mood-elevating behavior, including helping behavior, as it is paired with positive value such as smiles and thank you. Thus negative mood increases helpfulness because helping others can reduce one's own bad feelings