EXAM 1 PSY 240

Power of the Situation

situations can determine behavior regardless of an individual’s attributes

Milgram Experiment

is the teacher (participant) willing to shock the learner (confederate) harder and harder because they’re told to?

Darley and Batson’s Good Samaritan study

people are more likely to help if they ARE NOT in a hurry

Gestalt Psychology

nonconscious interpretation of what the object represents as a whole

Construal

how people interpret or infer social situations/stimuli to shape their perceptions and reactions.

Schemas

cognitive framework/knowledge that helps organize and interpret information

• patterns of thinking and behavior

Automatic Processing

involuntary, gives rise to implicit attitudes and beliefs that cannot be readily controlled by the conscious mind.

Controlled Processing

voluntary, systematic, and deliberate, can override automatic processing

• processing is generally slow and one-at-a-time

Natural Selection

molding animals and plants so that traits can enhance chances of survival and reproduction

• could explain many human behaviors

Theory of Mind

understanding other people have beliefs and desires

• may be impaired in autistic children

Group Living

provides protection from predators and the cooperation is needed to obtain resources

Language

facilitates the ability to live in complex groups

Naturalistic Fallacy

claim that the way things are is the way they should be

Amygdala

emotions, fight or flight response

Nucleus Accumbens

scanning for reward

Prefrontal Cortex

reasoning, memory, morals, social behavior, thoughts

• the last to develop

Independent Cultures

people view themselves as distinct individuals, connect to others by voluntary relations

Interdependent Cultures

people define themselves as part of a group and prioritize collective ties over individual freedom or control

Tight Cultures

stricter rules and demands for conformity

• societies become tighter when under threat (9/11)