SOCIAL PSYCH final question bank

Attractiveness in social perception

The quality of being pleasing or appealing.

Physical-attractiveness stereotype

The bias of attributing positive qualities to attractive individuals.

Daryl Bem's research

Research on cognitive dissonance.

p-value in statistical analysis

The probability of the result occurring under the null hypothesis.

Statistical power

The probability that a statistical test will correctly reject a false null hypothesis.

Goal of replication in research

To demonstrate the reliability of original findings.

Effect size in statistical analysis

A measure indicating the size of an experimental effect.

Priming in cognitive psychology

The process of preparing the mind for later information processing.

Automatic thinking

The mental activity that occurs without conscious thought.

Controlled thinking

The deliberate and conscious thought process.

System 1

The intuitive, automatic, unconscious way of thinking.

System 2

The logical, analytical, and rational mode of thinking.

Dual attitude system

The concept of holding two conflicting attitudes.

Self-serving attributions

The tendency to credit oneself for successes and blame external factors for failures.

Theory in scientific research

An integrated set of principles that explains some aspect of the world.

Independent self

Construing one's identity as autonomous and self-reliant.

Experimental research in psychology

Studies that seek clues to cause-and-effect relationships.

Hypothesis in scientific research

A testable proposition that describes a potential relationship between variables.

Self-schema

The cognitive representation of oneself.

Schema

A mental structure that guides the process.

Self-concept

The overall perception and understanding of oneself.

Correlational research

The study of the naturally occurring relationships among variables.

Deception

The use of misleading information in research.

Framing

The context in which choices are presented.

Meta-analysis

A 'study of studies' that statistically analyzes multiple studies.

Mundane realism

The degree to which an experiment reflects real-world scenarios.

Random sampling

The technique of choosing a subset of individuals from a population.

Sample size

The number of observations or data points in a study.

Self-monitoring

The process of observing and regulating one's own behavior.

Social comparison

The act of comparing oneself with others.

Social neuroscience

The interaction between social environments and biological processes.

False uniqueness effect

The tendency to underestimate how common one's traits or abilities are.

Longitudinal study

A study that examines a subject over a long period of time.

Collectivism

The principle of prioritizing the group over individual goals.

Debriefing

The process where researchers analyze and explain the study to participants after it concludes.

Defensive pessimism

The strategy of expecting the worst in order to prepare for it.

Experimental realism

The degree to which an experiment mimics real-life situations.

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe that one knew the outcome of an event after it has occurred.

Individualism

The philosophy that emphasizes personal independence and self-reliance.

Informed consent

The consent given by participants after being fully informed about the study.

Narcissism

The personality trait characterized by an inflated sense of self.

Random assignment

Assigning participants to groups based on chance.

Self-efficacy

The belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the actions required to manage prospective situations.

Self-esteem

The overall evaluation or judgment one makes about oneself.

Self-handicapping

The strategy of creating obstacles to one's own success.

Social psychology

The scientific study of how people think, feel, and behave in social contexts.

Self-presentation theory

A theory that explains self-esteem based on the perception of others.

Dependent variable

The variable that is influenced by the independent variable in an experiment.

False consensus effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Illusion of transparency

The belief that people can see through our concealed emotions.

Impact bias

The tendency to overestimate the duration of emotional reactions to future events.

Planning fallacy

The cognitive bias of underestimating the time needed to complete future tasks.

Independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated to observe its effect.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute negative outcomes to external factors while attributing positive outcomes to oneself.

Spotlight effect

The phenomenon where attention is focused on oneself, leading to the belief that others are noticing more than they actually are.

Terror management theory

A theory proposing that people exhibit self-protective emotional and cognitive responses when confronted with reminders of their mortality.

Heuristics

Simplified thinking strategies for problem-solving, often involving mental shortcuts or rules of thumb.

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences on others' behavior.

Attribution theory

The study of how people explain their own and others' behaviors, including the concept of assigning causes to actions.

Belief perseverance

The tendency to hold onto beliefs even when confronted with contrary evidence.

Cognitive dissonance

The discomfort caused by holding conflicting cognitions, leading to mental stress experienced when one's beliefs and actions are inconsistent.

Counterfactual thinking

Imagining alternative scenarios and outcomes that did not happen.

Embodied cognition

The belief that our thoughts and emotions are influenced by our bodily sensations and physical states.

Insufficient justification

The lack of external reasoning to support one's actions, leading to internal justification to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Misattribution

Incorrectly identifying the true source of a thought or behavior.

Situational attribution

Attributing behavior to external factors, such as the environment or context.

Self-perception theory

The theory that suggests individuals determine their attitudes by observing their own behavior and the context in which it occurs.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A belief or expectation that influences a person's behavior in a way that causes the belief to come true.

Attitude

A settled way of thinking or feeling about something, often influenced by beliefs.

Illusory correlation

The false perception of a relationship between two variables when none exists.

Behavioral confirmation

The process where a person's expectations about another person lead to the fulfillment of those expectations.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to interpret new information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

Dispositional attribution

Attributing behavior to internal characteristics or traits of a person.

Fritz Strack

Known for his investigation into the facial feedback effect and contributions to the field of psychology.

Self-affirmation theory

The concept that individuals have an inherent motivation to maintain self-integrity and self-worth.

Spontaneous trait inference

The automatic assumption of traits based on observed behavior.

Availability heuristic

The cognitive bias that leads people to overestimate the importance or frequency of events based on how easily examples come to mind.

Role

A set of norms that defines how people in a social context are expected to behave.

Regression toward the mean

The statistical principle that extreme observations tend to be followed by more moderate ones.

Facial feedback effect

The phenomenon where facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

A computer-driven assessment that uncovers implicit biases by measuring reaction times.

Overconfidence phenomenon

The tendency to be more certain in one's judgments than is warranted.

Overjustification effect

The decrease in intrinsic motivation when an external incentive is introduced.

Representativeness heuristic

A cognitive shortcut that relies on the similarity of an object or event to a prototype.

Norms

General guidelines for acceptable behavior within a group or society.

Androgynous

Possessing a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics.

Transgender

A term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Interaction

A relationship in which the effect of one variable depends on another variable.

Sex

The biological categories of male and female.

Gender Role

The social expectations about behavior that are considered appropriate for men and women.

Culture

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.

Gender

The socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities associated with being male or female.

Natural Selection

The process by which certain traits become more common in a population due to their contribution to reproductive success.

Personal Space

The psychological distance we maintain from others.

Social Dominance Orientation

The preference for hierarchical social structures.

Evolutionary Psychology

The study of how human psychology has been shaped by evolutionary processes.

Testosterone

A hormone more prevalent in males that influences behavior.

Cohesiveness

The characteristic of a group that binds its members together.

Compliance

The process by which individuals adjust their behavior to align with group norms.