Chapter 2 Study Questions

Updated

What is the definition of “self concept?”

What is the definition of “self schema”? What are four ways in which our self schema affects our judgments or emotions?

What is the “spotlight effect”? What is some of the research evidence for the spotlight effect?

What are “possible selves”? How do they affect us?

The lecture notes describe 5 influences on the development of our self schema. Be able to describe and give examples for these 5.

What is an individualistic vs. collectivist culture? How does this difference in culture affect people’s self concepts and self esteem?

Be able to provide research examples of our inaccuracy of predicting our own behaviors and feelings. What is the planning fallacy?

What is “self esteem”? What are the two competing explanations for why people want to maintain high self esteem?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having high self esteem? In other words, what variables are associated with having low self esteem and with having high self esteem (including narcissism)?

What is the definition of “self-efficacy”? How does self-efficacy increase or decrease? What are the correlates of high self-efficacy?

What happens to us when we have too many choices?

What is the definition of the “self serving bias”? Be able to provide research examples of this phenomenon. This bias is related to other ways of seeing ourselves in an overly positive light: Be able to explain “unrealistic optimism” and “false consensus and false uniqueness.” Again, be able to provide research examples of these phenomena.

What are the reasons for self-serving biases? In what ways are these biases advantageous and disadvantageous for us?

Be able to define and give research examples of “self-handicapping,” “impression management,” and “self-monitoring.”