Social Psychology

Question 1

Attribution Theory

Answer 1

the theory that we can explain someone’s behaviour by crediting either their stable, enduring traits (their disposition) or the situation at hand.

Question 2

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 2

the tendency for observers, when analysing another’s behaviour to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of the personal disposition

Question 3

Central Route Persuasion

Answer 3

involved calling on basic thinking and reasoning to convince people. developed by John Cacioppo

Question 4

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Answer 4

influences people by way of incidental cues, like a speaker’s physical attractiveness or personal reliability. (gut reaction)

Question 5

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

Answer 5

the tendency for people to more readily comply with a certain big request after they’ve first agreed to smaller more innocuous requests

Question 6

Leon Festinger’s Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 6

the notion that we experience discomfort (dissonance) when our thoughts, beliefs or behaviours are inconsistent with each other. we want to resolve this tension

Question 7

Normative Social Influence

Answer 7

the idea that we comply in order to fuel our need to be liked or belong

Question 8

Social Faciliation

Answer 8

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 9

Social Loafing

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Deindividuation

Answer 10

the loss of self-awareness and restraint that can occur in group situations

Question 11

Group Polarization

Answer 11

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Question 12

Groupthink

Answer 12

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Question 13

Implicit Association Test

Answer 13

a test implemented in the late 1990s to try to gauge implicit attitudes, identities, beliefs and biases people are willing or unable to report

Question 14

Realistic Conflict Theory

Answer 14

conflict happens when you combine negative prejudices with competition over resources

Question 15

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

Answer 15

the idea that people become aggressive when they are blocked from reaching a goal

Question 16

Altruism

Answer 16

our selfless or even self-sacrificing regard for the welfare of others

Question 17

Bystander effect

Answer 17

when in groups our sense of responsibility is weakened. similar to social loafing

Question 18

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 18

the theory that our social behaviour is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximise benefits and minimise costs. Can be that we act altruistically because we expect that the people we help will go on to help others.

Question 19

Reciprocity Norm

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Social-Responsibility Norm

Answer 20

an expectation that people will help those dependent on them

Question 21

Social Trap

Answer 21

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behaviour

Question 22

__________ is best known for his research on conformity.

Answer 22

Asch

Question 23

example of a superordinate goal

Answer 23

protecting clean water supplies

Question 24

There is a strong relationship between dating frequency and physical attractiveness for (male/female)

Answer 24

female

Question 25

Aggression is best defined as

Answer 25

any action carried out with the intent of harming another person.

Question 26

The real danger of “groupthink” is that it

Answer 26

leads to a suspension of critical thinking.

Question 27

The three techniques used for brainwashing identified by McConnell are

Answer 27

isolation, dependency, and reward.