Social Psychology

Question 1

Person Perception

Answer 1

The process of forming impressions of others.

Question 2

Attractiveness Stereotype (“What Is Beautiful Is Good” Effect)

Answer 2

The tendency to assume that attractive people possess positive qualities and competence, leading to rapid judgments based on physical appearance.

Question 3

Stereotypes

Answer 3

Widely held beliefs about the characteristics of members of a particular group (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, occupation) that serve as cognitive shortcuts.

Question 4

Subjectivity in Person Perception

Answer 4

The tendency for individuals to see what they expect to see, often resulting in overestimations (illusory correlations) and confirmatory memory biases that reinforce existing stereotypes.

Question 5

Evolutionary Perspectives on Person Perception

Answer 5

A view suggesting that some cognitive biases—such as favoring ingroup over outgroup members—are rooted in evolutionary processes and natural selection.

Question 6

Attribution Processes

Answer 6

Inferences made about the causes of behavior and events, evaluating whether they stem from internal dispositions or external circumstances.

Question 7

Internal vs. External Attributions

Answer 7

Internal attributions assign behavior to personal qualities (traits, dispositions, abilities), whereas external attributions attribute behavior to situational or environmental factors.

Question 8

Success and Failure Attribution

Answer 8

The process by which individuals evaluate causes behind outcomes, often attributing successes to internal causes and failures to external circumstances.

Question 9

Bias in Attribution

Answer 9

The cognitive tendency to make inaccurate explanations for behavior—such as the fundamental attribution error (overemphasis on internal causes for others’ behavior) and the self-serving bias (crediting personal success to internal traits but failures to external factors).

Question 10

Culture and Attributions

Answer 10

The idea that cultural values influence how people explain behavior; individualistic cultures emphasize personal traits, while collectivistic cultures give more weight to group influences.

Question 11

Interpersonal Attraction

Answer 11

The positive feelings that draw individuals toward one another, influenced by factors like physical attractiveness, similarity in characteristics, and mutual liking.

Question 12

Matching Hypothesis

Answer 12

The notion that people tend to seek out and form relationships with others who are similar in physical attractiveness.

Question 13

Similarity Effect

Answer 13

The tendency for couples and friends to share similar attributes such as age, race, religion, social class, education, personality traits, attitudes, and values.

Question 14

Reciprocity in Attraction

Answer 14

The principle that people tend to like others who show that they like them, thereby reinforcing mutual positive feelings.

Question 15

Passionate Love

Answer 15

A form of love characterized by complete absorption in another person, featuring intense emotions, sexual passion, and the overwhelming ecstasy and agony of deep feelings.

Question 16

Companionate Love

Answer 16

A stable, affectionate form of love marked by warmth, trust, and deep emotional ties resulting from long-term commitment and shared lives.

Question 17

Romantic Love Attachment Styles

Answer 17

Patterns of attachment in romantic relationships, including: Secure (comfortable with intimacy and trusting), Anxious-Ambivalent (preoccupied, fearful of rejection, volatile), and Avoidant (tends to avoid closeness and intimacy).

Question 18

Cultural Approaches to Love and Marriage

Answer 18

The contrast between cultures that base marriage on romantic love (common in individualistic Western societies) and those that favor arranged marriages, which are more typical in cultures with collectivistic values.

Question 19

Internet and Close Relationships

Answer 19

The understanding that virtual relationships can be as intimate as face-to-face ones, though online interactions (e.g., on Facebook) may simultaneously foster feelings of connection and disconnection.

Question 20

Social Networking and Social Capital

Answer 20

The dual role of social networks in providing beneficial supportive resources (social capital) while sometimes triggering negative emotions like envy.

Question 21

Evolutionary Perspectives on Attraction

Answer 21

Views on attraction that emphasize adaptive characteristics, such as facial symmetry and waist-to-hip ratio in women as signals of genetic fitness, and that suggest men tend to value youth and physical attractiveness while women emphasize a mate’s ambition and resource potential.

Question 22

Mating Strategies

Answer 22

Evolved behavioral patterns in mating, where men generally focus on cues of physical attractiveness and youthfulness, and women may adjust their preferences based on factors such as fertility across the menstrual cycle.

Question 23

Attitudes

Answer 23

Evaluations—either positive or negative—of objects, people, or ideas, comprising three components: cognitive (beliefs), affective (emotions), and behavioral (actions).

Question 24

Accessibility of Attitudes

Answer 24

The frequency and speed with which an attitude comes to mind, thereby influencing how readily it guides behavior.

Question 25

Attitude-Behavior Relationship

Answer 25

The observation that while attitudes influence behavior, the correlation is modest (around 0.41) because many attitudes are weakly held and behavior is heavily influenced by situational factors.

Question 26

Implicit vs. Explicit Attitudes

Answer 26

Explicit attitudes are reflections of conscious beliefs that can be readily expressed, whereas implicit attitudes are automatic and unconscious responses that may differ from conscious beliefs.

Question 27

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Answer 27

A tool used to measure implicit attitudes by examining the strength of automatic associations between concepts.

Question 28

Factors in Persuasion – Source

Answer 28

The notion that the persuasiveness of a message is influenced by the communicator’s credibility, trustworthiness, and likeability.

Question 29

Factors in Persuasion – Receiver

Answer 29

The characteristics of the message recipient, such as the strength of their existing attitudes and their predisposition to be influenced by forewarning, which affect how persuasive a message will be.

Question 30

Factors in Persuasion – Message

Answer 30

The content and structure of a message, with two-sided arguments (addressing both pros and cons) typically being more effective than one-sided presentations.

Question 31

Factors in Persuasion – Channel

Answer 31

The medium through which a message is conveyed, which can modify the message’s reception and overall persuasive impact.

Question 32

Mere Exposure Effect

Answer 32

The phenomenon whereby repeated exposure to a stimulus increases one’s familiarity with—and liking for—that stimulus.

Question 33

Theories of Attitude Formation – Learning Theory

Answer 33

The theory that attitudes are acquired and modified through experiences, reinforcement, and conditioning.

Question 34

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 34

The mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes, often leading individuals to change their attitudes to reduce the inconsistency.

Question 35

Effort Justification

Answer 35

The tendency to adjust one’s attitudes to align with the effort or sacrifices made in achieving a goal, thereby making those efforts feel worthwhile.

Question 36

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Answer 36

A dual-route theory of persuasion that distinguishes between the central route (careful analysis of message content) and the peripheral route (reliance on superficial cues), with central processing yielding more enduring attitude changes.

Question 37

Conformity

Answer 37

The act of adjusting one’s behavior or beliefs to align with those of a group, often due to real or perceived social pressure.

Question 38

Normative Influence

Answer 38

The social pressure to conform in order to gain approval or avoid disapproval from others.

Question 39

Informational Influence

Answer 39

The influence exerted by others when one relies on their behavior or opinions as a guide for action in uncertain or ambiguous situations.

Question 40

Obedience

Answer 40

Compliance with direct commands from an authority figure, even when such commands conflict with personal conscience or ethical standards.

Question 41

Group Polarization

Answer 41

The tendency for group discussion to amplify the dominant views within the group, leading to more extreme positions than those initially held by individual members.

Question 42

Groupthink

Answer 42

A group decision-making dysfunction in which the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome due to suppressed dissent and critical evaluations.

Question 43

Bystander Effect

Answer 43

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help a person in need when other bystanders are present, due primarily to a diffusion of responsibility.

Question 44

Diffusion of Responsibility

Answer 44

The reduced sense of personal accountability experienced in group settings, under the assumption that someone else will step in.

Question 45

Social Loafing

Answer 45

The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working collectively in a group compared to when working individually.

Question 46

Group Cohesiveness

Answer 46

The strength of the bonds and interpersonal relationships among group members, which influences group effectiveness, productivity, and decision-making outcomes.