MCAT PSYCH/SOC | Latest Update |
2024/2025 | 100% Correct
What is the definition of cognitive dissonance?
✔✔Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when holding two or more
conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values simultaneously.
What does "self-efficacy" refer to in psychology?
✔✔Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their own ability to successfully accomplish
tasks and achieve goals.
Define "sociocultural theory" in the context of developmental psychology.
✔✔Sociocultural theory, proposed by Vygotsky, emphasizes the role of social interaction and
cultural context in the development of cognitive abilities.
What is the meaning of "confirmation bias" in cognitive psychology?
1
,✔✔Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a
way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
Explain the term "role conflict" in sociology.
✔✔Role conflict occurs when an individual faces competing demands or expectations from
multiple social roles they occupy, leading to stress or difficulty in fulfilling those roles.
What does "operant conditioning" involve in behavioral psychology?
✔✔Operant conditioning involves learning through rewards and punishments, where behaviors
are modified based on their consequences.
Define "socialization" in the context of sociology.
✔✔Socialization is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, and
norms of their society or culture.
2
,What is meant by "groupthink" in social psychology?
✔✔Groupthink is a phenomenon where the desire for group consensus overrides individual
opinions, leading to poor decision-making and a lack of critical evaluation.
Explain the concept of "emotional intelligence."
✔✔Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively
use one's own emotions and the emotions of others.
What is "the bystander effect" in social psychology?
✔✔The bystander effect is the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a
victim when other people are present, due to the diffusion of responsibility.
Peer Pressure ✔✔SOCIAL INFLUENCES placed on an individual BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS
considered equal
3
, Group Polarization ✔✔Tendency for GROUPS to make decisions that are MORE EXTREME
THAN INDIVIDUAL inclinations of group members
Groupthink ✔✔Tendency for groups to make decisions based on IDEAS THAT ARISE
WITHIN a group without considering outside ideas
Socialization ✔✔Process of DEVELOPING AND SPREADING NORMS, customs, and beliefs
Foraging Behavior ✔✔SEARCHING for and exploiting FOOD resources
Impression Management ✔✔Behaviors intended to INFLUENCE THE PERCEPTIONS OF
OTHERS
Inclusive Fitness ✔✔A THEORY FOR EVOLUTION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; Depends on
# offspring, ability to support offspring, and ability of that offspring to support others
Top-down Processing ✔✔CONCEPT DRIVEN or BIG PICTURE; memories and expectations
allow brain to quickly ID objects w/o analyzing specific parts; BIG PICTURE TRICKLE
DOWN
4
2024/2025 | 100% Correct
What is the definition of cognitive dissonance?
✔✔Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when holding two or more
conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values simultaneously.
What does "self-efficacy" refer to in psychology?
✔✔Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their own ability to successfully accomplish
tasks and achieve goals.
Define "sociocultural theory" in the context of developmental psychology.
✔✔Sociocultural theory, proposed by Vygotsky, emphasizes the role of social interaction and
cultural context in the development of cognitive abilities.
What is the meaning of "confirmation bias" in cognitive psychology?
1
,✔✔Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a
way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
Explain the term "role conflict" in sociology.
✔✔Role conflict occurs when an individual faces competing demands or expectations from
multiple social roles they occupy, leading to stress or difficulty in fulfilling those roles.
What does "operant conditioning" involve in behavioral psychology?
✔✔Operant conditioning involves learning through rewards and punishments, where behaviors
are modified based on their consequences.
Define "socialization" in the context of sociology.
✔✔Socialization is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, and
norms of their society or culture.
2
,What is meant by "groupthink" in social psychology?
✔✔Groupthink is a phenomenon where the desire for group consensus overrides individual
opinions, leading to poor decision-making and a lack of critical evaluation.
Explain the concept of "emotional intelligence."
✔✔Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively
use one's own emotions and the emotions of others.
What is "the bystander effect" in social psychology?
✔✔The bystander effect is the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a
victim when other people are present, due to the diffusion of responsibility.
Peer Pressure ✔✔SOCIAL INFLUENCES placed on an individual BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS
considered equal
3
, Group Polarization ✔✔Tendency for GROUPS to make decisions that are MORE EXTREME
THAN INDIVIDUAL inclinations of group members
Groupthink ✔✔Tendency for groups to make decisions based on IDEAS THAT ARISE
WITHIN a group without considering outside ideas
Socialization ✔✔Process of DEVELOPING AND SPREADING NORMS, customs, and beliefs
Foraging Behavior ✔✔SEARCHING for and exploiting FOOD resources
Impression Management ✔✔Behaviors intended to INFLUENCE THE PERCEPTIONS OF
OTHERS
Inclusive Fitness ✔✔A THEORY FOR EVOLUTION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; Depends on
# offspring, ability to support offspring, and ability of that offspring to support others
Top-down Processing ✔✔CONCEPT DRIVEN or BIG PICTURE; memories and expectations
allow brain to quickly ID objects w/o analyzing specific parts; BIG PICTURE TRICKLE
DOWN
4
