Exam Study Guide

Exam Details

• 80 multiple-choice questions.
• 2 hours to complete.
• Some questions from previous exams (tweaked).
• New questions on attraction and relationships.
• Read questions carefully as some may be tweaked to examine different aspects.

Time Management

• The instructor will keep track of time.
• An adjustment to displayed time - clock is hour wide

Foundational Concepts of Social Psychology

• Definition of Social Psychology: The psychological study of the individual as a social being.
• Five Organizing Principles:
  • We affect and are affected by our environment.
  • Culture shapes behavior.
  • Neurological processes shape behavior, and the environment shapes neurological processes
• Review historical figures like Kurt Lewin and Gordon Allport.

The Self

• Definition of the Self: Self-reflective social meaning.
• William James's I/Me Distinction:
  • Understand the difference in how James defined the I versus the Me.
• Self-Concept: Overall snapshot of information describing you as an individual.
• Self-Schema: Specific structure in memory that contains information about the self.
• Kruger and Dunning's Research:
  • Know their findings and what they tell us about human behavior.

Social Perception

• Types of Attribution:
  • Internal vs. External (Dispositional vs. Situational).
  • Stable vs. Unstable.
  • Controllable vs. Uncontrollable.
  • Understand how they combine.
• Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to assume others act for internal reasons.
• Actor-Observer Effect: Tendency to attribute our actions to situational/external reasons.
• Know why these errors occur.

Sex and Gender

• Definitions:
  • Sex: Biological/categorical distinction.
  • Gender: Cultural/behavioral distinction.
• Aspects of Gender:
  • Gender Identity.
  • Gender Role.
  • Gendered Traits (Agency and Community).
• Explanations for Gender Differences:
  • Evolutionary.
  • Social Role.

Social Cognition

• Effortful vs. Effortless Cognition: Simultaneous/parallel engagement.
• Role of motivation and capacity:
  • Effortful cognition requires both motivation and cognitive capacity.
• Consolidation: the process when the information actually kind of gets, like, written to the hard drive as it were

Emotion

• Autonomic Arousal and Emotional Experience
• Avoid using AI for Summarization: Summarization does not lead to critical thinking.
• Affect as Information Theory: Affect serves as a signal to the state of our environment.
• Impact of Emotions on Cognition: Negative emotions cue effortful cognition (unless high arousal).

Attitudes

• Components of an Attitude:
  • Cognitive Information.
  • Affective Information.
  • Behavioral Information.
• Attitudes can be formed based on one, two, or all three components
• Implicit vs. Explicit Attitudes:
  • Formed through different sources of information.
  • Influence different behaviors.
• Persuasive Factors:
  • Source Factors (credibility, attractiveness).
  • Medium Factors.
  • Target Factors.

Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination

• Definitions and Relationships:
  • Stereotyping: Cognitive (beliefs about a group).
  • Prejudice: Affective (feelings/evaluations about a group).
  • Discrimination: Behavioral (actions towards a group).
  • Stereotyping is where it begins.
• In-group vs. Out-group:
  • In-group Bias: Treating in-group members better.
  • Out-group Derogation: Negativity towards an out-group.
• Warmth and Competence Appraisals: Influence emotions. Competition affects warmth, and social status affects competence.
• Shooter Bias: Speed with which we make correct decisions. Not shooting unarmed black targets and not shooting armed white targets is not shooter bias.

Conflict

• Types of Conflict:
  • Realistic Conflict: Conflict over material resources.
  • Symbolic Conflict: Conflict over social/cultural influence.
• Conflict arises from actual/perceived competition.

Social Influence

• Conformity, Compliance, Obedience:
  • Conformity: Copying.
  • Compliance: Being asked.
  • Obedience: Being told.
• Types of Conformity:
  • Normative.
  • Informational.
• Types of Compliance:
  • Internal.
  • External.
• Milgram Obedience Study: Know findings and critical factors, review on Brightspace.

Goals and Motivation

• Motivation and Self-Comparison:
  • Possible Selves.
  • Actual Self.
  • Ideal Self.
  • Ought Self.
• Self-Discrepancy: Different types evoke different emotions.
• Types of Motivation:
  • Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic.
  • Mastery vs. Performance Goals.
• Regulatory Focus:
  • Promotion: Working to do your best.
  • Prevention: Working to avoid failing.

Deindividuation

• Factors involved:
  • increased autonomic arousal
  • significantly decreased overall self-awareness
  • a sense of diffused responsibility
• Need one person to violate a social norm to cross the line.

Rejection

• Physiological reaction: looks like physical pain
• Psychological reactions :
  • Affects mood except when it doesn't.
  • Increases pain and social sensitivity except when it doesn't.
• Most common behavior: affiliation.

Aggression

• Role of Intent: Not aggression if not trying to hurt someone.
• Types:
  • Hostile.
  • Instrumental.

Attraction

• What is Beautiful is Good Effect:
• Factors:
  • Facial symmetry.
  • Body shape.
• Factors in physical attractiveness are based on reproductive fitness.

Intimacy

• Defined through gradual exchange of information (self-disclosure).
• Review Levinson and Gottman on factors encouraging relationship satisfaction.

Study Tips

• Use notes for comprehensive studying.
• Use flashcards/Quizlet for definitions and distinctions.
• Eat well and get rest, thinking expends energy.

Comprehensive Exam

• Two days of essay writing, no notes, based on all readings from the semester.
• The committee grades the answers and has comprehensive exam review to defend answers.

Additional Tips

• Study with others, as they may have different perspectives.
• Extra Credit: There will be five additional multiple choice questions at the end, clearly labeled extra credit.