Psychology 100: Social Psychology

Flashcards covering core concepts of Social Psychology including social cognition, self-serving bias, cognitive dissonance, attribution theory, and the Actor-Observer bias.

What is the core of "social thinking" in the context of social psychology?

The core of "social thinking" is social comparison.

Why is the 'self' driven to use cognitive biases when making self-evaluations?

The 'self' uses cognitive biases to maintain a sense of self-worth (self-esteem) and defend against or avoid its own negative judgments.

What are 'positive illusions' and what are three characteristics of people who have them?

Positive illusions are false beliefs with beneficial consequences; they are characterized by uncritically positive views of self, illusions of control (attributing success to effort or skill), and unrealistic optimism about the future.

What is the 'self-serving bias'?

A tendency to make errors in judgment that favor ourselves, such as overestimating our contributions, viewing ourselves as 'above average', and attributing success to personal traits while blaming failures on external circumstances.

According to the driver safety survey mentioned in the lecture, what percentage of people rated themselves as 'Above Average'?

$$70\%$$

What is 'Cognitive Dissonance' as defined by Festinger (1957)?

Cognitive Dissonance occurs when we behave in ways that are contrary to who we believe we are or ought to be as a person.

What are the four ways people deal with cognitive dissonance?

1. Change behavior or cognition. 2. Justify behavior by changing the conflicting cognition. 3. Justify behavior by adding new cognitions. 4. Ignore or deny conflicting information.

In Attribution Theory, what are the two ways we explain other people's behavior?

Situational attributions (explanations based on factors outside the person) and Dispositional attributions (explanations based on the person's personality, traits, or abilities).

What are the characteristics of Daniel Kahneman's 'System 1' thinking?

System 1 is the default system; it is fast, effortless, automatic, and often used for quick decisions or judgments.

What are the characteristics of Daniel Kahneman's 'System 2' thinking?

System 2 is slow, effortful, and deliberate; it demands concentration and is physiologically arousing (e.g., increased heart rate and pupil dilation).

What is the 'Fundamental Attribution Error'?

The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to their internal dispositions while ignoring situational factors.

How does the 'Actor-Observer Bias' describe the difference in explanation for 'bad behavior'?

If we are the actor, we attribute our bad behavior to situational causes; if we are the observer, we tend to attribute others' bad behavior to dispositional causes.

According to the 'Actor-Observer Bias', how do we explain 'good behavior' when observing someone else?

As an observer, we tend to find a way to attribute others' good behavior to situational causes.