Download 12._Social_Psychology_Objectives

Social Psychology
Learning Objectives
This list of objectives is a good starting point when studying for the unit test.
You should, at a minimum, be able to provide thorough answers for the
following objectives without looking at any resources. Any additional material covered in
your assigned reading and notes should also be reviewed.
Study BEYOND RECOGNITION!
1. Define social psychology.
2. Define social perception. Describe the influences, including schemas, on impression formation.
Explain why impressions are difficult to change.
3. Define self-fulfilling prophecies. Discuss the relationship between self-fulfilling prophecies and
impressions.
4. Define attribution. Describe the three criteria Kelley listed in his co-variation model that are
used to make attributions.
5. Define and provide an example of the fundamental attribution error.
6. Define and provide an example of the actor-observer bias.
7. Define and provide an example of the self-serving bias.
8. Define and provide an example of the defensive bias.
9. Describe the influences of proximity/propinquity, the nature of the situation, similar attitudes
and physical attractiveness on attraction. Discuss the matching hypothesis.
10. Describe Sternberg’s triangular theory of love. Discuss the differences among passionate love,
companionate love and consummate love.
11. Define attitudes. Describe and provide and example of each component of attitudes: cognitive,
affective/emotional, and behavioral.
12. Define and provide an example of the cognitive dissonance. Identify the individual who coined
the term, and describe the process of reducing it.
13. Define mere exposure effect, and describe its role in attitude formation.
14. Describe the characteristics of the communicator, message and audience that create an effective,
persuasive argument.
15. Define stereotype, prejudice and discrimination. Define authoritarian personally and explain its
role in forming prejudices.
16. Define and provide an example of ingroup and outgroup.
17. Compare and contrast the motivational, learning and cognitive theories of stereotypes and
prejudice.
18. Describe deindividuation and describe the precipitating factors.
19. Define and provide an example of social facilitation.
20. Define conformity and outline Asch’s original study.
21. Identify the factors that lead to conformity.
22. Explain the strategies for inducing compliance, including foot-in-the-door, door-in-the-face, lowball and switch and bait techniques.
23. Define obedience. Describe Milgram’s study and his findings on obedience.
24. Explain the ethical considerations in carrying out an experiment like Milgram’s.
25. Define aggression.
26. Describe the instinct theories of aggression, including Freudian and sociobiological theories.
27. Describe the biological theories of aggression. Discuss the roles of genetics, areas of the brain
and hormones in aggressive behavior.
28. Define pro-social behavior and altruism.
29. Define diffusion of responsibility and describe the characteristics of situations in which people
would or would not be likely to display helping behavior.
30. Define social trap/social dilemma.
31. Describe cooperation and competition. Describe the research findings from experiments with the
prisoner’s dilemma games.
32. Describe the factors affecting cooperation and competition. Define the reformed sinner strategy
and the tit-for-tat strategy.
33. Define the interpersonal conflict and list its major causes. Explain why managing conflict is
better than eliminating it.
34. Define groupthink. What can be done to minimize it or prevent it from happening?
35. Define and provide an example of group polarization.