PSY 120 EXAM 4 Questions And Answers

social cognition correct answer: how impressions of others are formed, how causes are attributed to behavior, and the mechanisms that underlie the formation of attitudes about people and things schema correct answer: general knowledge structures social schema correct answer: schemas about social experiences or people stereotyping correct answer: a generalized belief (knowledge structure) about traits/characteristics of members of a group prejudice correct answer: a generalized attitude toward members of a group or evaluation of a group discrimination correct answer: behaviors directed toward people on the basis of their group membership social identity theory correct answer: we want to feel good about ourselves, comparing our group with other groups that are less well-off can raise our self-esteem self-fulfilling prophecy correct answer: acting in a specific way as a result of a stereotype/prejudice, your behavior causes the stereotype/prejudice to come true explicit prejudice correct answer: feelings (of prejudice) that you're aware of implicit prejudice correct answer: feelings (of prejudice) that you're not aware of dual attitudes correct answer: implicit measures of prejudice assess automatic/uncontrollable biases IAT correct answer: Implicit Attitudes Test, measures association between racial categories explicit attitude correct answer: conscious, self-report, self-directed behavior implicit attitude correct answer: unconscious, measured by IAT, uncontrollable behavior attribution correct answer: the cause/explanation for behavior covariation model of attribution correct answer: -consistency: whether the changes occur regularly when the causal event is present -distinctiveness: whether the change occurs uniquely in the presence of the event -consensus: whether other people show similar reactions when they're exposed to the same causal event external attribution correct answer: one that appeals to external causes, when the behavior is high in consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus internal attribution correct answer: attributed to some internal personality trait or disposition, when consistency is high but distinctiveness and consensus are low fundamental attribution error correct answer: we overestimate internal attributes in others and underestimate external ones actor-observer effect correct answer: we tend to attribute our own behavior to external sources but attribute the behavior of others to internal sources self-serving bias correct answer: we attribute our failures to external causes and our successes to internal causes attitude correct answer: a favorable or unfavorable evaluative reaction toward something or someone 3 main components of an attitude correct answer: -cognitive: what people know or believe about the object -affective: feelings that the object produces -behavioral: a predisposition to act toward the object in a particular way elaboration likelihood model correct answer: two primary routes to persuasion: central and peripheral cognitive dissonance correct answer: an unpleasant state that occurs whenever an individual simultaneously holds two or more cognitions that are psychologically inconsistent 3 ways you can eliminate dissonance correct answer: -change one of the cognitions by changing a belief, opinion, attitude, or behavior -acquire new info or add cognitions to reduce the dissonance -make one of the dissonant cognitions less important than the others self-perception theory correct answer: it's hard to know our own attitudes, we gain insight into our own attitudes by observing our own behavior social facilitation correct answer: the enhancement in performance that is sometimes found when we perform in the presence of others social interference correct answer: performing in a crowd impairs performance altruism correct answer: acting in a way that shows unselfish concern for the welfare of others social loafing correct answer: put out less effort in a group than when we are alone deindividuation correct answer: we feel less accountable for our behavior when we are in a group setting conformity correct answer: tendency to change one's beliefs or behaviors in ways that are consistent with the norms compliance correct answer: a change in behavior due to the intentional influence of others obedience correct answer: a change in behaviors that is in response to someone who is in authority or someone who has power over you societal norms correct answer: rules that a group has for dictating the acceptable values, beliefs, and behaviors of its members cialdini's principles of compliance correct answer: social validation/consensus authority scarcity consistency/commitment reciprocity liking group polarization correct answer: group's dominant view becomes stronger with time groupthink correct answer: group members become interested in finding consensus, and start to suppress any dissenting viewpoint attraction correct answer: anything that draws two or more people together, making them want to be together and possibly form a lasting relationship 5 big predictors of attraction correct answer: -proximity -physical attractiveness -similarity vs. complementarity -liking those who do things for us or make us feel good -liking those who like us mere exposure effect correct answer: what is familiar is good, occurs without our awareness and influences our perceptions reward theory of attraction correct answer: we like those who reward us or who we are associated with rewarding events reciprocity correct answer: knowing someone likes us causes us to like them more passion correct answer: physiological arousal, longing, sexual attraction; decreases over time intimacy correct answer: close bond, sharing, support; increases over time commitment correct answer: willing to define as love, long term; increases over time passionate love correct answer: passion and intimacy without commitment companionate love correct answer: intimacy and commitment without passion 3 components that keep people together correct answer: satisfaction, quality of available alternatives, investment 4 criteria for defining abnormal behavior correct answer: -statistical deviance -cultural deviance -cause emotional distress -cause dysfunction in living insanity correct answer: -a person's ability to tell wright from wrong -a person's ability to understand the legal proceedings -whether the person is a direct danger to self or others medical model correct answer: abnormal behavior is caused by an underlying disease that could be cured with appropriate therapy criticisms of medical model correct answer: -over-diagnosis -labeling -serious problems vs. "normal" problems -subjective nature of determining a disorder diagnostic labeling effects correct answer: labels for psychological problems can become self-fulfilling prophecies DSM correct answer: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders anxiety disorder correct answer: excessive levels of negative emotions, such as nervousness, tension, worry, fright, and anxiety generalized anxiety disorder correct answer: a vague, uneasy sense of general tension and apprehension that lasts for years panic disorder correct answer: a pattern of anxiety in which long periods of calm are broken by intensely uncomfortable attacks of anxiety (panic attack/anxiety attack) specific phobia correct answer: fear of one specific thing social anxiety disorder correct answer: a fear of social interactions, particularly those with strangers or those in which the person might be viewed negatively agoraphobia correct answer: a fear of leaving one's home rooted in fear that further panic attacks will occur - associated with panic disorder post-traumatic stress disorder correct answer: experiencing anxiety, irritability, upsetting memories, dreams, and realistic flashbacks of a traumatic event obsessive-compulsive disorder correct answer: involves obsessions and/or compulsions obsessions correct answer: intrusive anxiety provoking thoughts compulsions correct answer: irresistible urges to engage in specific irrational behaviors somatic symptom disorder correct answer: psychological problems that focus on the physical b ody conversion disorder correct answer: produces real physical or neurological impairment, real problems but no physical cause can be discovered dissociative disorder correct answer: (rare) conditions involving sudden cognitive changes, such as a change in memory, perception, or identity; separation of conscious awareness from previous thoughts or memories dissociative amnesia correct answer: lose sense of identity and don't know who they are dissociative fugue correct answer: amnesia accompanied by escape or flight dissociative identity disorder correct answer: where an individual appears to shift abruptly and repeatedly from one "personality" to another depressive/bipolar disorder correct answer: psychological disorders involving prolonged/disabling disruption to emotional state major depressive episode correct answer: characterized by episodes of deep unhappiness, loss of interest in life, and other symptoms; usually lasts weeks/months recurrent correct answer: has occurred more than once, separated by period of more than 2 months dysthymic disorder correct answer: a relatively continuous depressed mood lasting for at least two years, but symptoms are milder stress correct answer: the physical and psychological reaction people have to demanding situations, called stressors alarm reaction correct answer: body becomes energized, through activation of the sympathetic division resistance phase correct answer: body adjusts its physiological reaction to reduce, or cope with, the still-present threat exhaustion phase correct answer: happens if a person is unable to find a way to neutralize the threat; body can't continue to maintain a high state of readiness for extended periods of time and starts to give up cognitive appraisal correct answer: the idea that to feel stress, you need to perceive a threat and come to the conclusion that you may not have adequate resources to deal with the threat social support correct answer: resources we receive from other people or groups, often in the form of comfort, caring, or help reappraisal (of stress) correct answer: interpret the hassle in a more logical and positive manner schizophrenia correct answer: disorder involving sever cognitive disturbance and disorganization of thought positive symptoms of schizophrenia correct answer: delusions (of grandeur and persecution), hallucinations, disorganized speech, catanoia negative symptom of schizophrenia correct answer: flat affect cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia correct answer: defects in ability to absorb information, unable to cope successfully at work/school personality disorders correct answer: chronic or enduring patterns of behavior that lead to significant impairments in social functioning antisocial personality disorder correct answer: lack empathy, are self-centered, show little respect for social customs or norms, act as if they have no conscience narcissistic personality disorder correct answer: exaggerated sense of entitlement which leads to excessive attempts to attract and be the focus of attention borderline personality disorder correct answer: poor self-image, inability to regulate emotions, and can be associated with aggression, self-injury, and substance abuse psychotherapy correct answer: treatment to deal with mental, emotional, and behavioral problems biomedical therapy correct answer: uses physiological interventions to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of psychological disorders drug therapy correct answer: using drugs to treat psychological disorders antidepressants correct answer: modulate availability or effectiveness of several neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine and serotonin antianxiety drugs correct answer: treat psychological problems associated with anxiety antipsychotic drugs correct answer: medications that treat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia ECT correct answer: electroconvulsive therapy, electric shock administered to the brain; used for depression/other problems considered to be a last resort psychosurgery correct answer: surgery that destroys or alters tissue in the brain in an effort to affect behavior sigmund freud correct answer: father of psychoanalysis free association correct answer: people asked to relax and freely express whatever thoughts and feelings happened to come into their minds, represented symbolic clues to the contents of the unconscious dream analysis correct answer: hidden meaning to dreams that reveals unconscious resistance correct answer: an unconsciously motivated attempt to subvert or hinder the therapy transference correct answer: occurs when thoughts or feelings are expressed toward the therapist that are actually representative of the way the client feels about other significant people in his or her life cognitive therapy correct answer: places a much greater emphasis on the conscious beliefs themselves rather than on what those beliefs may mean symbolically rational-emotive therapy correct answer: therapist acts as a crossexaminer, verbally questioning the client's irrational thought process humanistic therapy correct answer: therapist tries to help the client gain insight into his/her own fundamental self-worth and value as a human client-centered therapy correct answer: it is the client, not the therapist, who ultimately holds the key to psychological health and happiness unconditional positive regard correct answer: the therapist cannot place conditions of worth on the client family therapy correct answer: therapist treats the family as a whole, as a kind of social system behavioral therapy correct answer: designed to change unwanted or maladaptive behavior through the application of basic learning principles systematic desensitization correct answer: uses counterconditioning as a way of reducing the fear and anxiety that have become associated with a specific object or event graduated exposure correct answer: exposing mildly fearful stimuli and then gradually exposing more and more fearful stimuli flooding correct answer: confronting the client with high levels of fearful stimuli until the fear response is extinguished social skills training correct answer: a form of behavioral therapy that uses modeling and reinforcement to shape appropriate adjustment skills