PYC3701: Social Psychology
LU- 2-11
3hrs | 70 marks
LU/Chap 2
This chapter consists of five parts:
- Schemas: mental frameworks for organizing and using social information.
- Heuristics: how we reduce our effort in social cognition.
- Automatic and controlled processing: two basic modes of thought.
- Potential sources of error in social cognition: why total rationality is
rarer than you think.
- Affect and cognition: how feelings shape thought and thought
shapes feelings.
Give your own everyday examples of how schemas can influence
attention, and encoding and retrieval of information.
Give your own example of how priming can influence thinking.
Define the term “perseverance effect'”.
Explain (a) the term “information overload” and (b) how it can influence
the use of heuristics. (6 marks)
Give an example to show how the “representativeness heuristic” works. (4
marks)
Someone asks the following question: “Is Omo a more popular washing
powder than Dynamo?” Why are they more likely to get the answer
“Omo'” rather than “Dynamo”? (4 marks)
Why do people have a tendency to believe that 4x4s are safer than
smaller cars?
(5 marks)
Describe the study in which German judges were asked to make a decision
about appropriate sentences for wrong doers. What did the study show?
What key heuristic did it powerfully (and worryingly) illustrate? What
reason can you give for why the recommendations were so powerful? (7
marks)
Define the term “automatic processing” and give three everyday
examples of automatic tasks. (6 marks)
Explain the difference between automatic processing and controlled
processing of information. (6 marks)
“We are more likely to pay attention to, and remember, positive
information than negative information.” Critically, discuss this statement.
(7 marks)
Write a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to help you avoid the planning fallacy in
your studies. Give a reason for each tip. (4 marks)
Explain and give your own examples to illustrate how “counterfactual
thought” may result in (a) positive emotions, and (b) negative emotions.
(10 marks)
Briefly define the term “thought suppression” and briefly discuss (1) the
process involved in “thought suppression”, and (2) the “rebound effect”.
(10 marks)
, Define and give your own example of (a) “mood-dependent memory”, and
(b) “mood congruence effect”. (8 marks) (9 marks) (3 marks) (3 marks)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being in a good mood. (10
marks)
Discuss one mechanism that we use to minimise negative feelings. (10
marks)
LU/Chap 3
This chapter consists of three parts:
- Nonverbal communication: the unspoken language of expressions, gazes,
and gestures.
- Attribution: understanding the causes of other people's behavior.
- Impression formation and impression management: combining information
about others.
Joshua, a friend of yours, has a job interview next week. You decide to help
him maximise his chances of being hired. Write a list of nonverbal
communication “do’s and dont’s” for Joshua. Give a reason for each tip.
(10 marks)
What nonverbal cues do we use to detect if someone is lying to us? (10
marks)
As far as the nonverbal aspects of speech (i.e., what people say and the
words they choose) are concerned, how can we detect that someone is
lying to us? (10 marks)
“Females are much better at social perception than males.'” Critically
discuss ths statement. (10 marks)
Define “attribution'” in your own words. (4) marks
“To understand the causes of other people's behaviour we simply need to
observe how they behave.” Critically discuss this statement, referring to
(a) Jones and Davis’s (1965) theory of correspondent inference and (b)
your own examples. (12 marks)
Your spouse, who has a nine-to-five job, suddenly starts coming home at 1
0 pm. Use Kelley’s theory of causal attribution and your own examples to
demonstrate under what conditions you would attribute his/her behaviour
to (a) external causes, and (b) internal causes. (12 marks)
Define what is meant by “correspondence bias” and explain (a) why it
occurs and (b) why it is more prevalent in some cultures than in others.
(12 marks)
Define and give your own example of the “actor-observer effect”. In your
answer, refer to South African research. (10 marks)
Define and give your own example of the “self-serving bias” and briefly
discuss the reasons why it occurs. (10 marks)
Briefly describe cultural differences and how these influence susceptibility
to the self-serving bias. (5 marks)
LU- 2-11
3hrs | 70 marks
LU/Chap 2
This chapter consists of five parts:
- Schemas: mental frameworks for organizing and using social information.
- Heuristics: how we reduce our effort in social cognition.
- Automatic and controlled processing: two basic modes of thought.
- Potential sources of error in social cognition: why total rationality is
rarer than you think.
- Affect and cognition: how feelings shape thought and thought
shapes feelings.
Give your own everyday examples of how schemas can influence
attention, and encoding and retrieval of information.
Give your own example of how priming can influence thinking.
Define the term “perseverance effect'”.
Explain (a) the term “information overload” and (b) how it can influence
the use of heuristics. (6 marks)
Give an example to show how the “representativeness heuristic” works. (4
marks)
Someone asks the following question: “Is Omo a more popular washing
powder than Dynamo?” Why are they more likely to get the answer
“Omo'” rather than “Dynamo”? (4 marks)
Why do people have a tendency to believe that 4x4s are safer than
smaller cars?
(5 marks)
Describe the study in which German judges were asked to make a decision
about appropriate sentences for wrong doers. What did the study show?
What key heuristic did it powerfully (and worryingly) illustrate? What
reason can you give for why the recommendations were so powerful? (7
marks)
Define the term “automatic processing” and give three everyday
examples of automatic tasks. (6 marks)
Explain the difference between automatic processing and controlled
processing of information. (6 marks)
“We are more likely to pay attention to, and remember, positive
information than negative information.” Critically, discuss this statement.
(7 marks)
Write a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to help you avoid the planning fallacy in
your studies. Give a reason for each tip. (4 marks)
Explain and give your own examples to illustrate how “counterfactual
thought” may result in (a) positive emotions, and (b) negative emotions.
(10 marks)
Briefly define the term “thought suppression” and briefly discuss (1) the
process involved in “thought suppression”, and (2) the “rebound effect”.
(10 marks)
, Define and give your own example of (a) “mood-dependent memory”, and
(b) “mood congruence effect”. (8 marks) (9 marks) (3 marks) (3 marks)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being in a good mood. (10
marks)
Discuss one mechanism that we use to minimise negative feelings. (10
marks)
LU/Chap 3
This chapter consists of three parts:
- Nonverbal communication: the unspoken language of expressions, gazes,
and gestures.
- Attribution: understanding the causes of other people's behavior.
- Impression formation and impression management: combining information
about others.
Joshua, a friend of yours, has a job interview next week. You decide to help
him maximise his chances of being hired. Write a list of nonverbal
communication “do’s and dont’s” for Joshua. Give a reason for each tip.
(10 marks)
What nonverbal cues do we use to detect if someone is lying to us? (10
marks)
As far as the nonverbal aspects of speech (i.e., what people say and the
words they choose) are concerned, how can we detect that someone is
lying to us? (10 marks)
“Females are much better at social perception than males.'” Critically
discuss ths statement. (10 marks)
Define “attribution'” in your own words. (4) marks
“To understand the causes of other people's behaviour we simply need to
observe how they behave.” Critically discuss this statement, referring to
(a) Jones and Davis’s (1965) theory of correspondent inference and (b)
your own examples. (12 marks)
Your spouse, who has a nine-to-five job, suddenly starts coming home at 1
0 pm. Use Kelley’s theory of causal attribution and your own examples to
demonstrate under what conditions you would attribute his/her behaviour
to (a) external causes, and (b) internal causes. (12 marks)
Define what is meant by “correspondence bias” and explain (a) why it
occurs and (b) why it is more prevalent in some cultures than in others.
(12 marks)
Define and give your own example of the “actor-observer effect”. In your
answer, refer to South African research. (10 marks)
Define and give your own example of the “self-serving bias” and briefly
discuss the reasons why it occurs. (10 marks)
Briefly describe cultural differences and how these influence susceptibility
to the self-serving bias. (5 marks)
