PSYCH 120 EXAM 4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is social cognition? - Answers - The study of how people make sense of other
people and themselves (thought, memory, and emotion)
Is physical appearance an important determinant of first impressions? Why or why not?
- Answers - Yes; we determine our trust based on how the person looks in the face in
less than a second
What is a schema? Specifically, what is a social schema? - Answers - Long-term
memory, that relates to social experiences or people
What is stereotyping vs. prejudice vs. discrimination? - Answers - Stereotyping:
Common beliefs about a group and its members (gender, race, and age)
Prejudice: Positive or negative evaluations of a group and its members
Discrimination: Behaviors that are directed against members of a group
Understand how the confirmation bias is an important cognitive source of prejudice.
Why does the confirmation bias make it hard to get rid of prejudice? - Answers -
Because confirmation bias is all you ever knew and it is making you look better at the
same time.
What is social identity theory? - Answers - We want to feel good about ourselves based
on groups we are in.
Comapring to lesser groups makes you feel better.
What is meant by institutional support as a social source of prejudice? - Answers -
Social institutions can reinforce biased beliefs; schools, government, and the media
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy? - Answers - When your expected actions of a person
cause that person to act in the expected way. Snyder telephone study ("hot girl" nice
person "ugly girl is nice")
Implicit vs. explicit prejudice. What are dual attitudes? - Answers - Explicit prejudice:
feelings that you are aware of
Implicit prejudice: feelings you're not aware of
Dual Attitudes:
Explicit attitudes are too positive
Implicit attitudes are too negative
Individually however they can account different aspects of behavior
What does the IAT stand for? - Answers - Implicit attitudes test; labels on screen
categorizes labels quicker for negative events
, What is an attribution? - Answers - the causes/explanations for behavior
External vs. internal (joe is smiling) - Answers - External: something good must have
happened to Joe
Internal: Joe's a very happy guy
3 things that help us make inferences from the covariation model of attribution. -
Answers - Consistency: Being on a regular basis
Distinctiveness: Distinguishes itself from others
Consensus: The agreement or disagreement between the group
Fundamental Attribution error? - Answers - We overestimate internal attributes in others
and underestimate external ones
What is the actor-observer effect? - Answers - Blame anything bad we done on
something else; blame anything bad someone else does on them
What is the self-serving bias? - Answers - We take credit for good things; we blame
others for bad things
What is an attitude? - Answers - Positive or negative evaluation which causes us to act
in certain ways
3 main components of an attitude? - Answers - Cognitive: Knowledge about the object
Affective: Emotional feelings
Behavioral: Predisposition to act
What is the elaboration likelihood model? - Answers - proposes two primary routes to
persuasion and attitude change: central and peripheral
What is the central route to persuasion? - Answers - When we are ready and listen
carefully to the arguments of the message, then judge those arguments according to
their merits.
What is the peripheral route to persuasion? - Answers - We listen, but are much easier
to change how we feel based on what someone else says.
What is cognitive dissonance? - Answers - The tension produced when people act in a
way that is inconsistent with their attitudes
When is strong cognitive dissonance most likely to occur? - Answers - When someone
is acting different than their attidues
Studying and being bought a car - Answers - Buying the car made them study more
often because they feel like they will get more rewards
What is social cognition? - Answers - The study of how people make sense of other
people and themselves (thought, memory, and emotion)
Is physical appearance an important determinant of first impressions? Why or why not?
- Answers - Yes; we determine our trust based on how the person looks in the face in
less than a second
What is a schema? Specifically, what is a social schema? - Answers - Long-term
memory, that relates to social experiences or people
What is stereotyping vs. prejudice vs. discrimination? - Answers - Stereotyping:
Common beliefs about a group and its members (gender, race, and age)
Prejudice: Positive or negative evaluations of a group and its members
Discrimination: Behaviors that are directed against members of a group
Understand how the confirmation bias is an important cognitive source of prejudice.
Why does the confirmation bias make it hard to get rid of prejudice? - Answers -
Because confirmation bias is all you ever knew and it is making you look better at the
same time.
What is social identity theory? - Answers - We want to feel good about ourselves based
on groups we are in.
Comapring to lesser groups makes you feel better.
What is meant by institutional support as a social source of prejudice? - Answers -
Social institutions can reinforce biased beliefs; schools, government, and the media
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy? - Answers - When your expected actions of a person
cause that person to act in the expected way. Snyder telephone study ("hot girl" nice
person "ugly girl is nice")
Implicit vs. explicit prejudice. What are dual attitudes? - Answers - Explicit prejudice:
feelings that you are aware of
Implicit prejudice: feelings you're not aware of
Dual Attitudes:
Explicit attitudes are too positive
Implicit attitudes are too negative
Individually however they can account different aspects of behavior
What does the IAT stand for? - Answers - Implicit attitudes test; labels on screen
categorizes labels quicker for negative events
, What is an attribution? - Answers - the causes/explanations for behavior
External vs. internal (joe is smiling) - Answers - External: something good must have
happened to Joe
Internal: Joe's a very happy guy
3 things that help us make inferences from the covariation model of attribution. -
Answers - Consistency: Being on a regular basis
Distinctiveness: Distinguishes itself from others
Consensus: The agreement or disagreement between the group
Fundamental Attribution error? - Answers - We overestimate internal attributes in others
and underestimate external ones
What is the actor-observer effect? - Answers - Blame anything bad we done on
something else; blame anything bad someone else does on them
What is the self-serving bias? - Answers - We take credit for good things; we blame
others for bad things
What is an attitude? - Answers - Positive or negative evaluation which causes us to act
in certain ways
3 main components of an attitude? - Answers - Cognitive: Knowledge about the object
Affective: Emotional feelings
Behavioral: Predisposition to act
What is the elaboration likelihood model? - Answers - proposes two primary routes to
persuasion and attitude change: central and peripheral
What is the central route to persuasion? - Answers - When we are ready and listen
carefully to the arguments of the message, then judge those arguments according to
their merits.
What is the peripheral route to persuasion? - Answers - We listen, but are much easier
to change how we feel based on what someone else says.
What is cognitive dissonance? - Answers - The tension produced when people act in a
way that is inconsistent with their attitudes
When is strong cognitive dissonance most likely to occur? - Answers - When someone
is acting different than their attidues
Studying and being bought a car - Answers - Buying the car made them study more
often because they feel like they will get more rewards
