Social Psychology Exam 2

Self-Concept

The overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes

Interdependent View of Self

defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to other people, recognizing that one’s behavior is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others

Introspection

The process whereby people look inward and examine their own thoughts, feelings, and motives

Self-Awareness Theory

The idea that when people focus their attention on themselves, they evaluate and compare their behavior to their internal standards and values

Causal Theories

Theories about the causes of one’s own feelings and behaviors; often we learn such theories from our culture

Self-Perception Theory

The theory that when our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our behavior and the situation in which it occurs

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

The idea that emotional experience is the result of a two-step process in which people first experience physiological arousal and then seek an appropriate explanation for it

Misattribution of Arousal

The process whereby people make mistake inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do

Intrinsic Motivation

the desire to engage in an activity because we enjoy it or find it interesting, not because of external rewards or pressures

Extrinsic Motivation

The desire to engage in an activity because of external rewards or pressures, not because we enjoy the task or find it interesting

Overjustification Effect

The tendency for people to view their behavior as caused by compelling extrinsic reasons, making them underestimate the extent to which it was caused by intrinsic reasons

Task-Contingent Rewards

Rewards given for performing a task, regardless of how well the task is done

Performance-Contingent Rewards

Rewards that are based on how well we perform a task

Fixed Mindset

The idea that we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change

Growth Mindset

The idea that achievement is the result of working hard, trying new strategies, and seeking input from others

Social Comparison Theory

The idea that we learn about our own abilities and attitudes by comparing ourselves to other people

Upward Social Comparison

Comparing ourselves to people who are better than we are with regard to a particular trait or ability

Downward Social Comparison

Comparing ourselves to people who are worse than we are with regard to a particular trait or ability

Self-Control

The ability to subdue immediate desires to achieve long-term goals

Implementation Intentions

People’s specific plans about where, when, and how they will fulfill a goal and avoid temptations

Impression Management

The attempt by people to get others to see them as they want to be seen

Ingratiation

The process whereby people flatter, praise, and generally try to make themselves likable to another person, often of higher status

Self-Handicapping

The strategy whereby people create obstacles and excuses for themselves so that if they do poorly on a task, they can avoid blaming themselves

Cognitive Dissonance

The discomfort that people feel when two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves

Postdecision Dissonance

Dissonance aroused after making a decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and devaluating the rejected alternatives

Justification of Effort

The tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain

External Justification

Explaining a counter attitudinal behavior as due to something about the situation or environment

Internal Justification

The reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself

Counter-attitudinal Behavior

Acting in a way that runs counter to one’s private beliefs

Insufficient Punishment

The dissonance aroused when individuals lack sufficient external justification for having resisted a desired activity or object, usually resulting in individuals devaluing the forbidden activity or object

Hypocrisy Induction

The arousal of dissonance by having individuals make statements that run counter to their behaviors and then reminding them of the inconsistency between what they advocated and their behavior

The Purpose of Hypocrisy Induction

To lead individuals to more responsible behavior

Self-Affirmation Theory

The idea that people can reduce threats to their self-esteem by affirming themselves in areas unrelated to the source of the threat

Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory

The idea that people experience dissonance when someone close to us outperforms us in an area that is central to our self esteem

How to reduce dissonance (Self-Evaluation Theory)

• becoming less close to the person

• changing our behavior to outperform them

• deciding the area of self-esteem is not that important to us after all

Narcissism

The combination of excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others

Terror Management Theory

The theory that self-esteem serves as a buffer, protecting people from terrifying thoughts about their own mortality