Online Interactive Study Guide Prepared For and Based on:
Social Psychology
Theory and Research
by Jonathon D. Brown
University of Washington
Here are some unfinished drafts that may be used to create tests TestDraft.doc at
school.discovery.com
Any Questions and Comments Welcome:
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test
Chapter 2 Social Psychology's Theoretical Roots
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test
Chapter 3 Social Perception
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test
Chapter 4 Social Inference
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test
Chapter 5 The Self
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test
1st Midterm Review
1st Cumulative Crossword Puzzle
1st Cumulative Self-Test
Chapter 6 Attitudes and Behavior
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 7 Persuasion
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 8 Social Influence
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 9 Groups
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 10 Prejudice
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
2nd Midterm Review
2nd Cumulative Crossword Puzzle
2nd Cumulative Self-Test:
Question Sheet
Answer Sheet
Chapter 11 Interpersonal Relationship
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 12 Helping
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Chapter 13 Aggression
Crossword Puzzle
Self-Test Based on Chapter Summary
Self-Test Based on Lecture Slides:
Test Sheet (pdf format)
Answer Sheet (html format)
Final Review
Final Cumulative Crossword Puzzle
Final Cumulative Self-Test:
Question Sheet
Answer Sheet
Ch 1
Social Psychology The scientific study of how people perceive, affect, and relate to one another
Personality Enduring, consistent, and characteristic patterns of thinking , feeling and behaving that originate within an individual
Situation variable Any factor that provides the context for an event or experience
Rationalism A philosophical school of though that maintains that truth is acquired through logic and reasoning
Empiricism A philosophical school of thought that maintains that trough is acquired through sensory experience
Positivism A methodological doctrine that asserts an idea if true if it can be observed to be true b multiple, objective observers
Basic Research Research undertaken to understand a phenomenon
Applied Research Research undertaken to solve some problem or achieve some practical benefit
Hypothesis An educated guess about how two or more variables are related
Theories General principles that explain why two or more variables are related
Corelational Research Research undertaken to discover the association between tow or more naturally-occurring variables.
Positive correlation When increases in one variable are accompanied by increases in another variable
Negative correlation When increases in one variable are accompanied by decreases in another variable
Independent variable The variable the experimenter manipulates or varies
Random assignment Used in an experiment, random assignment to condition ensures that each subject has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the various experimental conditions.
Dependent variable The variable the experimenter measures.
Confound An uncontrolled variable that affects our dependent variable
Laboratory A research setting where the experimenter has control over the kind of events that occur and the sequence in which they occur.
Field setting Any naturally-occurring environment
Internal validity A standard for evaluating research. Research has high internal validity if it has clearly established that our independent variable (x) caused our dependent variable (y)
Demand Characteristics Cues in an experimental setting that lead subjects to believe a particular behavior is expected or demanded
Evaluation apprehension: Subjects� fear that they are being evaluated or judged during an experiment
Experimenter expectancy effects A process by which experimenters unwittingly lead subjects to confirm their hypothesis
External validity A standard for evaluation research. Research has high external validity if the findings can be generalized to subjects in other situations.
Random sampling A process used to select subjects. Random sampling occurs when each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected
Main effect When a single independent variable affects a dependent variable.
Interaction When the effect of one independent variable depends on the effects of another independent variable.
Ch 2
Pragnanz A German word which means �to perceive with maximum clarity�
Mechanism The doctrine that thoughts play no role in guiding behavior
Law of Effect Behavior is guided by its prior consequences. Behavior that has met with positive consequences endures and behavior that has met with negative consequences perishes
Ch 3
Social Perception The study of how we form impressions of other people and how these impressions affect they way we relate to them
Nonverbal Communication Communication that occurs through kinesthetic cues, paralinguistic cues, and proximal cues
Social Role Theory Gender differences in behavior depend on gender differences in social roles
Expressiveness The ability to effectively send nonverbal messages
Perceptiveness The ability to accurately read nonverbal messages
Nonverbal Leakage Deception is most clearly revealed through behaviors that are difficult to control.
Bottom-Up Processing Judgments that are based on data rather than inference
Top-Down Processing When prior knowledge guides our interpretation of perceptual data.
Stereotypes Schemas about the qualities that characterize members of a social group
Implicit Personality Theory Schemas about which trait go together in people
Halo Effect The Belief that positive traits go together in people
Priming Effect The process by which a recent experience activates a schema
Ch 4
Primacy effects in the impression formation process Information we first learn about a person affects our overall impression of the person more that information acquired at a later time
Central Traits Traits capable of completely altering the impression we form of another person
Causal attributions The explanations we make for the events we observe.
Dispositional cause An attribution to an enduring, inherent quality of a person
Situational cause An attribution to any factor that isn�t dispositional in nature.
Correspondent inference Attributing behavior to a corresponding disposition
Discounting The tendency to discount the role of a dispositional factor when an obvious situational cause is present
Augmenting The tendency to decide the behavior must be to a dispositional cause when a person behaves in a manner that is inconsistent with the requirements of the situation.
Fundamental Attribution Error (also called The Correspondence Bias) The tendency to underestimate the importance of situational causes and overestimate the importance of dispositional ones.
Actor-Observer Effect The tendency to make dispositional attribution is more evident when we explain other people�s behavior than when we explain our own behavior.
Self-Serving Attribution Bias When explaining their own behavior, people make dispositional attributions for success but situational attribution for failure.
Cognitive Heuristic Efficient problem-solving strategies that generally yield accurate solutions.
The Representatives Heuristic A tendency to believe that the probability of an occurrence depends on how well it matches our beliefs about what �should� occur.
Base-Rate Fallacy A tendency to make likelihood judgments based on representatives rather than sample prevalence
The Availability Heuristic The tendency to judge the likelihood of an event by how readily it come so mind
The Simulation Heuristic The tendency to base the judge the probability of future even on the ease with witch is can be imagined.
Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic When asked to solve a problem, people begin with an initial judgment (an anchor) and then adjust this judgments to reach a final decision
Regression to the Mean Extreme score tend to be followed by less extreme ones.
Illusory Correlation A tendency to overestimate the correlation between two (or more) variables
Illusion of Control A tendency to overestimate the co-variation between our actions and environmental outcomes.
Hindsight Bias The tendency to overestimate the probability that a know outcome would occur.
Ch 5
Self-Concept People ideas about who they are and what they are like.
Social Comparison Theory A social psychological theory that maintains that people learn about themselves by comparing themselves with others
Reflected Appraisals The process by which people learn about themselves by imagining how they appear in other
Introspection The process of gaining self-knowledge by actively consulting one�s thoughts and feelings
Self-Perception Theory A social psychological theory that maintains that people learn about themselves by passively observing their own behavior
Self-reference effect People are most apt to remember information they relate to themselves
Self-Presentation Any behavior intended to create, modify, or maintain an impression of ourselves in the minds of others
Ch 6
Attitudes Evaluative reactions to people, issues, or objects
The mere exposure effect The more often we are exposed to a neutral stimulus, the more we like it.
Cognitive dissonance An aversive state of arousal that arises when two or more cognitions are inconsistent with one another.
Ch 7
Hovland�s Message Learning Theory of Attitude Change (aka The Yale Attitude change Project): Attitudes are verbal habits, and are changed by offering incentives.
Central Route to Attitude Change When attitude change occurs as a result of the perceived merits of the message.
Peripheral Route to Attitude Change Attitude change that occurs as a result of factors unrelated to the perceived merits of the message.
Ch 8
Social Influence The process by which people influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of others.
Norms Unwritten rules of social conduct.
Informational Influence Conformity motivated by a desire to hold correct opinions and for the right thing
Normative Influence Conformity motivate by a desire to win the approval of others (or to avoid their disapproval).
Identity Influence Conformity motivated by a desire to think of ourselves as being a certain kind of person.
Group polarization effect A tendency for group decisions to be more extreme than the decisions of individuals.
Groupthink A group decision making style characterized by a tendency to value group harmony more than effective decision-making.
Idiosyncrasy credits Interpersonal credits a minority gains by going along with the majority.
Compliance A change in behavior in response to a direct request.
Psychological reactance An aversive psychological state that arises when people perceive their freedom of choice is restricted. People respond to this state by reasserting their freedom leading to an increased desire for the forbidden object
Obedience Compliance to the dictates of an authority figure.
Ch 9
Group An interdependent collection of individual who interact and posses a shared identity.
Social Facilitation Theory The presence of others creates arousal which enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks.
Mere presence hypothesis The mere presence of others creates arousal sufficient to enhance performance at easy tasks and impair performance at difficult tasks.
Evaluation apprehension hypothesis The presence of others creates arousal sufficient to enhance performance at easy tasks and impair performance at difficult tasks only if we believe they are evaluating us.
Social loafing People exert less effort when working with others than when working alone.
Leadership A transactional relationship in which an individual exerts social influence over cooperating individuals to promote the attainment of group goals.
Contingency Theory of Leadership Leadership effectiveness depends on the match between leadership style and situational control. Task-oriented leaders are effective when situational control is high or low and relationship-oriented leaders are effective when situational control is moderate.
Social dilemma A situation in which two or more interdependence individuals face a conflict between maximizing their own interests or sacrificing their interests for the group benefit.
Commons dilemma A social dilemma in which individuals decide how much of a shared commodity to use.
Public goods dilemma A social dilemma in which individual decide how much of their own resources they will donate to a public project.
Prisoner�s Dilemma A mixed-motives dilemma in which everyone is better off cooperating but cooperating with a competitive partner brings personal disaster.
GRIT A strategy for resolving a mixed-motive dilemma in which one party announces its intention to cooperate and then behaves cooperatively. If exploited, the party temporarily retaliates, then resumes cooperative behavior.
Negotiation The process by which two or more interdependent parties attempt to resolve conflicting preferences
Reactive devaluation effect A tendency for negotiators to believe that concessions offered by the opposition are in unfairly disadvantageous to one�s own side.
Ch 10
Prejudice A negative attitude directed toward a group and its members
Stereotype Beliefs about a social group and its members
Discrimination Behavior toward a social group and its members.
Prejudiced Feelings Negative feelings toward a social group and its members
Ingroup Favoritism A tendency to treat and evaluate ingroup members more favorably than outgroup members.
Modern Prejudice Prejudiced attitudes that are expressed in more socially-appropriate ways.
Explicit Attitudes Consciously accessible attitudes than can be misrepresented by self-report
Implicit Attitudes Unconscious attitudes that are not accessible to consciousness and that are measured indirectly rather than by self-report.
Realistic Group Conflict Theory Prejudices arise when groups compete for scarce resources.
Relative Deprivation The perception that one is relatively deprived in comparison with others people.
Scapegoating Blaming other people or one�s own negative outcomes.
Symbolic Prejudice Prejudice directed toward any group that is viewed as violating one�s value or worldview.
Social Identity Theory People strive to feel good about themselves and one way they satisfy this goal is by believing that their group is superior to other groups.
Minimal Group Paradigm A procedure for testing Social Identity Theory, in which group membership is arbitrary and subjects never have any contact with one another.
Outgroup Homogeneity Bias A tendency to underestimate the variability among outgroup members.
Outgroup Extremity Effect A tendency to make more extreme evaluation of outgroup members than ingroup members.
Projection The unconscious tendency to assume that other people possess the undesirable qualities we fear that we possess.
Hostile Sexism The belief that women are incompetent, overly emotional and manipulative.
Benevolent sexism The belief that women are pure creatures who should be pampered, protected, and placed on a pedestal
Stereotype threat The threat that arises when one fears being judged by a stereotype.