C180 Final Exam Review QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS
Social Learning Theory - -A theory of learning process and social behavior which proposes
that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others; Bandura
-Assumptions of social learning theory: - -- Media have cultivating power
- Humans are self-reflective and are capable of reflecting upon the appropriateness of
behavior
- Observational learning through modeling
-Modeling - -Taking note of what others do
-Example of Modeling - -In the Pretty Women dinner scene, the character doesn't know
how to act at a fancy dinner and follows others' behavior
-The Observational Learning Process - -Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
-Direct motivation - -When you perceive you will be rewarded as a consequence of
modeling an observed behavior
-Vicarious Motivation - -Motivation by the success of others who are similar to you
-Self-Produced Motivation - -Often the strongest type of motivation; relies on personal
standards to decide whether to engage in behaviors
-Bobo doll experiment - -Nursery school students observed an adult play aggressively
(yelling & hitting) with an inflatable clown (Bobo); when children were later allowed to
play with the Bobo, those children who witnesses the Bobo doll performed the same
aggressive actions and improvised new ways of playing aggressively
-Selective Exposure - -The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not
conform to their own beliefs
- Also known as congeniality or confirmation bias
-Why does selective exposure occur? - -- Cognitively easier
- Moods/emotions
- Motivated reasoning + seeking validation
- A way to reduce cognitive dissonance
-Types of Selective Exposure - -- News/entertainment
- Messages about different issues
- Specific mediums
, -What moderates selective exposure? - -- Individual characteristics
- Certainty of attitudes
- Strength of attitudes
- Political Knowledge
-Environmental characteristics that affect selective exposure - -- Information utliity
- Number of available choices
- More likely to expose oneself to information presented all at once
- Social context
-Consequences of Selective Exposure - -- Echo Chambers/Filter Bubbles
- Polarization
- Different perceptions of reality
- Heightened partisan reactions
- Tuning out news altogether
- Encourage political participation
-Echo Chamber Phenomenon - -People seek out information that supports their
worldview and rejects information that doesn't
- Americans have diverse media outlets, but only expose themselves to political news when
something big happens
-Clark Doll Experiment - -African American lawyers decide to attack Plessey v. Ferguson,
to prove that separate is not equal, gathered children and showed them identical dolls (one
with white skin, one with black skin), black children would say that the white doll is the
best doll and the black doll was the bad doll, scientific proof that segregation was having a
negative effect on self-esteem
-Selective Attention - -Choosing to attend to certain materials that align with your beliefs
-Selective Interpretation - -How you interpret things that are ambiguous/unclear, likely to
interpret in a way that is consistent to current beliefs
-Selective Avoidance - -Motivated avoidance of messages that are inconsistent with your
beliefs
-Cognitive Dissonance Theory - -The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort
(dissonance) we feel when there is a conflicting relationship between beliefs and behavior
-Relationship between beliefs and behaviors - -Beliefs and behaviors that are irrelevant
and/or consistent are less likely to experience cognitive dissonance
-Dissonance Ratio - -The proportion of incongruent beliefs held in relation to the number
of consonant beliefs
-Rationalize - -The degree to which one can justify their inconsistent beliefs and behaviors
ANSWERS
Social Learning Theory - -A theory of learning process and social behavior which proposes
that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others; Bandura
-Assumptions of social learning theory: - -- Media have cultivating power
- Humans are self-reflective and are capable of reflecting upon the appropriateness of
behavior
- Observational learning through modeling
-Modeling - -Taking note of what others do
-Example of Modeling - -In the Pretty Women dinner scene, the character doesn't know
how to act at a fancy dinner and follows others' behavior
-The Observational Learning Process - -Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
-Direct motivation - -When you perceive you will be rewarded as a consequence of
modeling an observed behavior
-Vicarious Motivation - -Motivation by the success of others who are similar to you
-Self-Produced Motivation - -Often the strongest type of motivation; relies on personal
standards to decide whether to engage in behaviors
-Bobo doll experiment - -Nursery school students observed an adult play aggressively
(yelling & hitting) with an inflatable clown (Bobo); when children were later allowed to
play with the Bobo, those children who witnesses the Bobo doll performed the same
aggressive actions and improvised new ways of playing aggressively
-Selective Exposure - -The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not
conform to their own beliefs
- Also known as congeniality or confirmation bias
-Why does selective exposure occur? - -- Cognitively easier
- Moods/emotions
- Motivated reasoning + seeking validation
- A way to reduce cognitive dissonance
-Types of Selective Exposure - -- News/entertainment
- Messages about different issues
- Specific mediums
, -What moderates selective exposure? - -- Individual characteristics
- Certainty of attitudes
- Strength of attitudes
- Political Knowledge
-Environmental characteristics that affect selective exposure - -- Information utliity
- Number of available choices
- More likely to expose oneself to information presented all at once
- Social context
-Consequences of Selective Exposure - -- Echo Chambers/Filter Bubbles
- Polarization
- Different perceptions of reality
- Heightened partisan reactions
- Tuning out news altogether
- Encourage political participation
-Echo Chamber Phenomenon - -People seek out information that supports their
worldview and rejects information that doesn't
- Americans have diverse media outlets, but only expose themselves to political news when
something big happens
-Clark Doll Experiment - -African American lawyers decide to attack Plessey v. Ferguson,
to prove that separate is not equal, gathered children and showed them identical dolls (one
with white skin, one with black skin), black children would say that the white doll is the
best doll and the black doll was the bad doll, scientific proof that segregation was having a
negative effect on self-esteem
-Selective Attention - -Choosing to attend to certain materials that align with your beliefs
-Selective Interpretation - -How you interpret things that are ambiguous/unclear, likely to
interpret in a way that is consistent to current beliefs
-Selective Avoidance - -Motivated avoidance of messages that are inconsistent with your
beliefs
-Cognitive Dissonance Theory - -The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort
(dissonance) we feel when there is a conflicting relationship between beliefs and behavior
-Relationship between beliefs and behaviors - -Beliefs and behaviors that are irrelevant
and/or consistent are less likely to experience cognitive dissonance
-Dissonance Ratio - -The proportion of incongruent beliefs held in relation to the number
of consonant beliefs
-Rationalize - -The degree to which one can justify their inconsistent beliefs and behaviors
