PSYCHOLOGY 1100 FINAL EXAM
STUDYGUIDE
Attribution
A judgment about the cause of a person's behavior.
Dispositional Attribution
A judgment assigning the cause of a person's behavior to
his or her personal qualities or characteristics (i.e.
someone is an anxious person).
Situational Attribution
A judgment assigning the cause of a person's behavior to
his or her environment (i.e. someone is going through a
breakup).
Correspondence Bias
The tendency to view behavior as the result of disposition
even when the behavior can be completely explained by
the situation in which it occurs.
Just-World Belief
The assumption that good things happen to good people
and bad things happen to bad people.
Prejudice
A prejudgment, usually negative, of another person on the
basis of his or her membership in a group.
Stereotype
A simplified set of traits associated with membership in a
group or category.
Discrimination
Unfair behavior based on stereotyping and prejudice.
,Attitude
Positive or negative evaluations that predispose behavior
toward an object, person, or situation.
Cognitive Dissonance
The uncomfortable state that occurs when behavior and
attitudes do not match and that can be resolved through
attitude change (i.e. getting accepted to many colleges but
can only choose one).
Persuasion
A change in attitudes in response to information provided
by another person.
Central Persuasion
Route of persuasion that stems from a certain knowledge
about a topic, and is a direct way to get information about
it.
Peripheral Persuasion
Route of persuasion that stems from either general
knowledge or some kind of interest, and is an indirect way
to get information about it (i.e. taking "shortcuts").
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
A model that predicts responses to persuasive messages
by distinguishing between the central and peripheral
routes to persuasion.
Social Norms
Usually unwritten or unspoken rules for behavior in social
settings.
Conformity
Matching behavior and appearance to perceived social
norms.
Compliance
, Agreement with a request from a person with no perceived
authority (i.e. agreeing to do something simply because
we're asked to do it).
Door-In-The-Face
A persuasive technique in which compliance with a target
request is preceded by a large, unreasonable request (i.e.
being asked to donate $10,000 to a cause, followed by a
request to "give what you can").
Foot-In-The-Door
A persuasive technique in which compliance with a small
request is followed by compliance with a larger request
that might otherwise have been rejected.
Obedience
Compliance with a request from an authority figure.
Social Facilitation
Occurs when the presence of other people changes
individual performance (i.e. cyclists riding in pairs ride
faster than when riding alone).
Social Loafing
Reduced motivation and effort by individuals working in a
group (i.e. people on a 10 person tug-o-war team will
individually put in less effort than on a 4 person team).
Deindividuation
Immersion of an individual within a group, leading to
anonymity (i.e. law abiding citizens joining a riot or
lynching).
Group Polarization
When a period of discussion pushes members of a group
to take more extreme positions in the direction they were
already leaning.
Groupthink
STUDYGUIDE
Attribution
A judgment about the cause of a person's behavior.
Dispositional Attribution
A judgment assigning the cause of a person's behavior to
his or her personal qualities or characteristics (i.e.
someone is an anxious person).
Situational Attribution
A judgment assigning the cause of a person's behavior to
his or her environment (i.e. someone is going through a
breakup).
Correspondence Bias
The tendency to view behavior as the result of disposition
even when the behavior can be completely explained by
the situation in which it occurs.
Just-World Belief
The assumption that good things happen to good people
and bad things happen to bad people.
Prejudice
A prejudgment, usually negative, of another person on the
basis of his or her membership in a group.
Stereotype
A simplified set of traits associated with membership in a
group or category.
Discrimination
Unfair behavior based on stereotyping and prejudice.
,Attitude
Positive or negative evaluations that predispose behavior
toward an object, person, or situation.
Cognitive Dissonance
The uncomfortable state that occurs when behavior and
attitudes do not match and that can be resolved through
attitude change (i.e. getting accepted to many colleges but
can only choose one).
Persuasion
A change in attitudes in response to information provided
by another person.
Central Persuasion
Route of persuasion that stems from a certain knowledge
about a topic, and is a direct way to get information about
it.
Peripheral Persuasion
Route of persuasion that stems from either general
knowledge or some kind of interest, and is an indirect way
to get information about it (i.e. taking "shortcuts").
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
A model that predicts responses to persuasive messages
by distinguishing between the central and peripheral
routes to persuasion.
Social Norms
Usually unwritten or unspoken rules for behavior in social
settings.
Conformity
Matching behavior and appearance to perceived social
norms.
Compliance
, Agreement with a request from a person with no perceived
authority (i.e. agreeing to do something simply because
we're asked to do it).
Door-In-The-Face
A persuasive technique in which compliance with a target
request is preceded by a large, unreasonable request (i.e.
being asked to donate $10,000 to a cause, followed by a
request to "give what you can").
Foot-In-The-Door
A persuasive technique in which compliance with a small
request is followed by compliance with a larger request
that might otherwise have been rejected.
Obedience
Compliance with a request from an authority figure.
Social Facilitation
Occurs when the presence of other people changes
individual performance (i.e. cyclists riding in pairs ride
faster than when riding alone).
Social Loafing
Reduced motivation and effort by individuals working in a
group (i.e. people on a 10 person tug-o-war team will
individually put in less effort than on a 4 person team).
Deindividuation
Immersion of an individual within a group, leading to
anonymity (i.e. law abiding citizens joining a riot or
lynching).
Group Polarization
When a period of discussion pushes members of a group
to take more extreme positions in the direction they were
already leaning.
Groupthink
