EPPP Social Psychology Exam
Complete Solutions
Primacy Effect on Interactions - ANSWER--We are influenced most by information
received early in an interaction
Trait Negativity Bias - ANSWER--Tendency to weigh negative information more heavily
than positive information
Scehmata (schemas) - ANSWER--Organized, interconnected mental networks of
information that are based on our previous personal and social experiences and help us
process and organize information
-People typically pay more attention to evidence that confirms their schemas, interpret
new information in ways consistent with their schemata, and have better recall for
schema-consistent memories
Prototypes - ANSWER--Consist of knowledge about the most representative or ideal
example of a particular category of people, objects, or events
-More abstract than schemata
Scripts - ANSWER--AKA event schemas
-Provide knowledge about the appropriate sequence of behaviors in specific situations
Central Traits - ANSWER--Asch (1946): certain traits influence impressions more than
others; these are central traits that provide unique information, are associated with a
large number of other characteristics, and carry more weight than other attributes
-Recent research suggests two primary dimensions underlie impressions of others:
warmth and competence
Social Context on Impression Formation - ANSWER--Behaviors of others tend to be
perceived in an manner that is consistent with the social environment in which they
occur
-Rosenhan (1973): pseudopatients admitted self to hospital complaining of hearing
voices, but then stopped faking symptoms and acted normally; however, almost all were
diagnosed with schizophrenia by the hospital staff
Attribution - ANSWER--Refers to the process of determining or inferring why a behavior
has occurred
Dispositional vs Situational Attributions - ANSWER--Dispositional: internal attributes
such as mood, ability, and desire
, -Situational: external factors such as characteristics of a task, social situation, and
physical environment
Self-Schemas - ANSWER--Multiple elements that may be loosely connected and
sometimes contradictory
-Only some elements may be in conscious awareness
-Core schemas: relatively stable and salient across situations
-Peripheral schemas: embedded in core schemas but are more malleable and tied to
immediate social conditions
Barnum Effect (Forer Effect) - ANSWER--Tendency for people to accept vague or
general descriptions as accurate descriptions of themselves (e.g., horoscopes)
-Also attributed to gullibility, selective memory, and self-serving or confirmation biases
Self-Perception Theory (Bem) - ANSWER--Proposes that, when internal cues are
insufficient or difficult to interpret, people acquire information about themselves by
observing their external behaviors and/or the context in which those behaviors occur
Epinephrine Studies (Schachter & Singer) - ANSWER--Provides support for the self-
perception theory
-Participants injected with epinephine and either given true, false, or no information
about effects; participants in the false or no information groups acted like the
confederate waiting with them, while participants in the true info group did not
-Showed that in ambiguous situations, people look to external cues to identify their
internal states
Overjustification Hypothesis - ANSWER--Provides support for the self-perception theory
-When external reward is given to a person for performing an intrinsically rewarding
activity, the person's intrinsic interest in the activity decreases
-Begin to attribute the behavior to the external reward rather than internal interest
Social Comparison Theory (Festinger) - ANSWER--People have an innate drive to
evaluate their own opinions and behaviors
-In the absence of objective standards, they do so by comparing themselves to other
people
-Comparisons most often involve people who are similar in terms of attitudes,
performance, and other attributes
-Downward comparison: dissimilar comparisons; often made when evaluating
undesirable behavior (e.g., when we are angry, likely to compare ourselves to others we
judge to be more angry)
Self-Verification Theory - ANSWER--Predicts that, once a person's self-concept is
formed, the person seeks to maintain it by using cognitive and behavioral strategies
designed to obtain information that is consistent with that self-concept
Complete Solutions
Primacy Effect on Interactions - ANSWER--We are influenced most by information
received early in an interaction
Trait Negativity Bias - ANSWER--Tendency to weigh negative information more heavily
than positive information
Scehmata (schemas) - ANSWER--Organized, interconnected mental networks of
information that are based on our previous personal and social experiences and help us
process and organize information
-People typically pay more attention to evidence that confirms their schemas, interpret
new information in ways consistent with their schemata, and have better recall for
schema-consistent memories
Prototypes - ANSWER--Consist of knowledge about the most representative or ideal
example of a particular category of people, objects, or events
-More abstract than schemata
Scripts - ANSWER--AKA event schemas
-Provide knowledge about the appropriate sequence of behaviors in specific situations
Central Traits - ANSWER--Asch (1946): certain traits influence impressions more than
others; these are central traits that provide unique information, are associated with a
large number of other characteristics, and carry more weight than other attributes
-Recent research suggests two primary dimensions underlie impressions of others:
warmth and competence
Social Context on Impression Formation - ANSWER--Behaviors of others tend to be
perceived in an manner that is consistent with the social environment in which they
occur
-Rosenhan (1973): pseudopatients admitted self to hospital complaining of hearing
voices, but then stopped faking symptoms and acted normally; however, almost all were
diagnosed with schizophrenia by the hospital staff
Attribution - ANSWER--Refers to the process of determining or inferring why a behavior
has occurred
Dispositional vs Situational Attributions - ANSWER--Dispositional: internal attributes
such as mood, ability, and desire
, -Situational: external factors such as characteristics of a task, social situation, and
physical environment
Self-Schemas - ANSWER--Multiple elements that may be loosely connected and
sometimes contradictory
-Only some elements may be in conscious awareness
-Core schemas: relatively stable and salient across situations
-Peripheral schemas: embedded in core schemas but are more malleable and tied to
immediate social conditions
Barnum Effect (Forer Effect) - ANSWER--Tendency for people to accept vague or
general descriptions as accurate descriptions of themselves (e.g., horoscopes)
-Also attributed to gullibility, selective memory, and self-serving or confirmation biases
Self-Perception Theory (Bem) - ANSWER--Proposes that, when internal cues are
insufficient or difficult to interpret, people acquire information about themselves by
observing their external behaviors and/or the context in which those behaviors occur
Epinephrine Studies (Schachter & Singer) - ANSWER--Provides support for the self-
perception theory
-Participants injected with epinephine and either given true, false, or no information
about effects; participants in the false or no information groups acted like the
confederate waiting with them, while participants in the true info group did not
-Showed that in ambiguous situations, people look to external cues to identify their
internal states
Overjustification Hypothesis - ANSWER--Provides support for the self-perception theory
-When external reward is given to a person for performing an intrinsically rewarding
activity, the person's intrinsic interest in the activity decreases
-Begin to attribute the behavior to the external reward rather than internal interest
Social Comparison Theory (Festinger) - ANSWER--People have an innate drive to
evaluate their own opinions and behaviors
-In the absence of objective standards, they do so by comparing themselves to other
people
-Comparisons most often involve people who are similar in terms of attitudes,
performance, and other attributes
-Downward comparison: dissimilar comparisons; often made when evaluating
undesirable behavior (e.g., when we are angry, likely to compare ourselves to others we
judge to be more angry)
Self-Verification Theory - ANSWER--Predicts that, once a person's self-concept is
formed, the person seeks to maintain it by using cognitive and behavioral strategies
designed to obtain information that is consistent with that self-concept
