The Social Animal Winter 2026 Midterm Study Guide

What is social psychology?

Social psychology is the scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts.

How does social psychology differ from other subfields in psychology?

Social psychology differs in its focus on situational influences on behavior, while other areas may focus on individual differences, abnormal behaviors, or cognitive processes.

What is the person x situation matrix?

The person x situation matrix is a framework that illustrates the interaction between individual personality traits and situational contexts in determining behavior.

What are the three goals of science?

The three goals of science are to explain phenomena, predict outcomes, and control variables.

What is the third variable problem in correlational studies?

The third variable problem refers to the possibility that a relationship between two variables is actually influenced by a third, unmeasured variable.

What types of research designs do social psychologists use?

Social psychologists use observational research, archival research, experimental studies, and correlational studies.

How does random assignment work in experimental designs?

Random assignment involves randomly assigning participants to different conditions to ensure that each group is similar at the start of the experiment.

What is internal validity?

Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study can demonstrate a causal relationship between variables.

What are descriptive norms?

Descriptive norms are perceptions of how people typically behave in a given situation.

What is conformity?

Conformity is the act of changing one's behavior or beliefs in response to real or imagined group pressure.

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

The door-in-the-face technique is a persuasion strategy where a larger request is made first, which is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller request.

What is social facilitation?

Social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform differently on tasks when in the presence of others compared to when alone.

What is cognitive dissonance theory?

Cognitive dissonance theory posits that individuals experience discomfort when their beliefs and actions are inconsistent, leading them to change one or the other.

What is self-perception theory?

Self-perception theory suggests that people infer their own attitudes and beliefs by observing their behavior and the context in which it occurs.

What is thin slicing?

Thin slicing refers to making quick judgments based on limited information, usually focusing on a brief sample of behavior.

What is the sleeper effect?

The sleeper effect is a phenomenon whereby people eventually forget the source of a persuasive message but remember the message itself.

What is effort justification?

Effort justification is the tendency to attribute greater value to outcomes that required significant effort.