Social Psychology Final Exam Study Guide

A compilation of key concepts and definitions from the social psychology lecture for exam preparation.

What are individualistic cultures characterized by?

They emphasize personal achievement, independence, and individual rights.

What do collectivist cultures value?

They emphasize group goals, community, harmony, and interdependence.

What distinguishes social beings from cultural beings?

Social beings need relationships, while cultural beings learn norms and values passed through generations.

What factors contribute to humans being described as cultural animals?

Division of labor, shared knowledge, and the ability to resolve disagreements without aggression.

How do cultures influence emotion expression?

Cultures shape how emotions are expressed, experienced, and understood.

What does self-perception theory suggest?

We infer our attitudes by observing our behavior.

What is the spotlight effect?

Overestimating how much others notice and evaluate our appearance and actions.

What is the self-esteem paradox?

High self-esteem isn't always beneficial; it can lead to defensiveness and poor decision-making.

Define heuristics in social cognition.

Mental shortcuts for quick judgments and decisions.

What is the representativeness heuristic?

Judging the likelihood of an event based on how much it resembles the typical case.

What does the availability heuristic involve?

Judging the likelihood of an event by how easily relevant instances come to mind.

What is the simulation heuristic?

Judging likelihood based on how easily you can imagine an event occurring.

What is anchoring and adjustment?

Judging likelihood by using an initial anchor and then adjusting up or down.

What does it mean to be a cognitive miser?

Humans prefer to use minimal cognitive effort unless necessary.

How does the dual-track mind function?

It includes automatic processing (fast and unconscious) and controlled processing (slow and deliberate).

What is the central route to persuasion according to social influence?

Persuasion through logic, evidence, and strong arguments.

What is the peripheral route in persuasion?

Persuasion via simple cues, often involving the automatic mind.

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

Agreeing to a small request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger one.

What describes the door-in-the-face technique?

Starting with a large request increases the chances of agreeing to a smaller one.

What is the low-ball technique in persuasion?

Gaining agreement to a request and then adding hidden costs.

What does labeling in social influence refer to?

Assigning a label to someone to encourage behavior consistent with that label.

What was demonstrated in Asch's conformity study?

People conform to group pressure even against clear evidence.

What did Milgram's obedience study reveal?

People will obey authority figures even to the extent of harming others.

What were the key findings from Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment?

Social roles can lead individuals to act in extreme and harmful ways under certain conditions.

Define actor-observer bias.

Attributing our own actions to situations and others' actions to their character.

What is the self-serving bias?

Taking credit for successes while blaming failures on external factors.

What is belief perseverance?

Holding onto beliefs even when evidence contradicts them.

Define just-world belief.

The belief that people get what they deserve.

What is cognitive dissonance?

Discomfort caused by inconsistent thoughts, attitudes, or behaviors.

What is social facilitation?

Improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others.

What is social loafing?

Exerting less effort in a group than when working alone.

What is the bad apple effect?

One uncooperative person can cause others in a group to slack off.

What is group polarization?

Group discussions strengthen the dominant position held by individuals.

What is the bystander effect?

Less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

What is deindividuation?

Loss of self-awareness in groups, leading to impulsive behavior.

What is the mere exposure effect?

Repeated exposure increases liking for someone or something.

What does the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggest?

Empathy motivates people to reduce the distress of others by helping.

What differentiates automatic attitudes from deliberate attitudes?

Automatic attitudes are fast and gut-level; deliberate attitudes are reflective and carefully considered.