Study Guide Chapter 13

Define “social psychology.” What do social psychologists study?

What is an attribution? What is a personal/internal/dispositional (all mean the same) attribution? What is a situational/external attribution?

What is the fundamental attribution error? Can you provide an example?

Define “attitude.”

What are four circumstances under which our attitudes guide our behaviors?

How does role playing affect our attitudes? What did Zimbardo’s prison study show us about role playing?

Be able to define/explain “foot in the door.” How does that influence behavior?

What is “conformity”? What did Asch’s classic study of conformity (stating which line is the same as the standard line) demonstrate?

What is “obedience”? What did Milgram’s classic study of obedience (teachers who had to shock learners) demonstrate?

What are the definitions of prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination? (Remember, the definitions from class are different than those in your book.) Be able to provide an example of each concept.

Can you explain the following explanations for why people use/maintain stereotypes and prejudice:

1. Ingroup bias
2. Outgroup homogeneity bias
3. Scapegoating
4. Just-world thinking
5. Learning (includes social learning, operant conditioning, and classical conditioning)

What is “altruism”?

What is the bystander effect? What is the explanation for the bystander effect? What situational pressures make it less likely for a person to help another?

What influence do the following variables have on whether a person is likely to help:

1. Similarity to the needy person
2. Feeling guilty
3. Being in a good mood

Define these concepts related to group behavior: social loafing, deindividuation, and groupthink. Be able to provide/recognize an example of each.