psych test

Social Psychology- is the study of how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by our interactions with others.

Social Cognition- is a subfield of social psychology, that studies how we perceive, store, and retrieve information about these social interactions.

During infancy we- depend on others to take care of us. During this time we learn to like attention and interaction. This learned behavior sticks with us for the rest of our lives

Most people feel the need to have contact with people when they feel the following: -Afraid, Anxious, Unsure of ourselves. An experiment conducted by Dr. Zilstein verified this.

When people are uncertain about something they usually - ask others to compare results or information Ex: Comparing test results with other students

Research has shown that the more uncertain a person is - the more likely they will seek out other people

Physical Proximity- the distance from one another that people live, work, or go to school

Reward Values - stimulation, utility, ego support

Stimulation value - when a person is interesting or imaginative or can introduce you to new ideas or experiences (someone you have fun with)

Utility value- a friend that is cooperative and helpful (someone that is knowledgeable)

Ego support value- sympathy and encouragement when things go badly, appreciation and approval when things go well (liking someone because they like your opinions)

Physical Appearance- people feel better about themselves when they associate with people that others find desirable

We consider those who are more attractive to be - more interesting, responsive, intelligent, and kind (this works for both same sex and opposite relationships)

Studies have shown that obese adults are often - discriminated against when applying for jobs

Obese children are - punished more than thin children

Approval- most of us tend to like people who agree with and support us. This makes us feel better about ourselves.

Similarity-People typically choose friends whose backgrounds, attitudes, and interests are similar to their own

Husbands and wives usually have similar - economic, religious, and educational backgrounds

Most people feel uneasy when constantly around someone who - challenges their beliefs

Complementarity- the attraction between opposite types of personalities

First impressions are usually based on -physical appearances

Primacy effect- the tendency to form opinions on others based on first impressions

An experiment conducted showed that people will judge someone’s character-after they where given a description of the persons character.

Self fulfilling Prophecy-the way you act toward someone changes depending on your impression of him or her, and this in turn affects how that person interacts with you.

When we form impressions about people we -place them into categories

Schema- the knowledge or assumptions we have about people (we have one for every person we know)

Some people think of intelligent people as -boring or dull.

Others may think of intelligent people as- informed and motivated

Schemas can influence and distort our -thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors

Schemas allow us to -organize information for future use

Stereotypes are a type- of schema

Stereotypes are a -set of assumptions about an identifiable group of people

Males are- dominant and independent

females are -nurturing and emotional

Primacy effects combined with stereotypes can cause -bias that lead to self fulfilling prophecies. Primacy effect + stereotype = self fufilling prophecies

If you use a stereotype to form a first impression, and that first impression does not change after getting to know the person, then -you are guilty of prejudice.

Attribution theory- an analysis of how we interpret and understand other people’s behavior .Example: You’re at a stoplight and a car pulls up behind you frantically honking. You think the guy is being a punk, but when you allow him to pull ahead he tells you he’s in a hurry because his wife is in labor. He thanks you and drives away.

When we first hear the horn we attribute the mans pushiness -to personal characteristics, internal attributions (depositional)

When the man tells you that his wife is in labor, you immediately associate his behavior -because of his wife, external attributions (situational)

We can make errors when we decide -whether behavior is caused by internal or external factors

Fundamental attribution error- the tendency to attribute others’ behavior to dispositional causes Ex: Honking man was being a jerk

Actor-observer bias- tendency to attribute our behavior to external factors, and to attribute others behaviors to internal factors Ex: I am smiling because it is a nice day (actor), she is smiling because she is happy (observer)

Self serving bias- tendency to claim success is due to our efforts, while failure is due to circumstances beyond our control Ex: I got an A because I studied hard vs. I got a D because the test was biased.

Communication is essential in -all relationships, verbal and nonverbal

Nonverbal communication- the process through which messages are conveyed using space, body language, and facial expression Ex: standing tall and erect is a sign of self assurance Ex: crossed arms and legs while sitting is an example of protecting yourself.