SOCIAL PSYCH UCT questions with
verified solutions 2025-2026 latest
update
Intergroup relations - correct answer ✔✔how people in one particular group act
towards people in another group (race related issues in SA)
Attitude - correct answer ✔✔affect, behavior, cognition.
KATZ- 4 functions of attitudes- - correct answer ✔✔•Knowledge function -- help
us explain/understand the general world around us.
•Utilitarian function-- avoid punishment, gain rewards. be politically correct and
have views that match up with social context.
•Value-expressive function- public statement want to express, individually.
•Ego-defensive function-- deeply rooted, difficult to change views (homophobia)
• HEREK- 2 kinds of attitudes. - correct answer ✔✔1.Evaluative: object is the end
in itself-- attitude functions allow the individual access to the object itself.
•Experiential and specific (based on and restricted to a single object)
•Experiential and schematic (based on expreience with particular objects, but
generalized to a class of objects)
-ANTICIPATORY - based on expected rather than direct experience
2.Expressive (or symbolic) : object is a means to an end. Provides social support,
increases self esteem, reduce anxiety.
•Social-expressive- based on the individuals need to be accepted by others
,•Value-expressive- based on indivduals need to define self by expressing
important values and aligning self with important reference groups
•Defensive- based on indivudals need to reduce anxiety associated with
intrapsychic conflicts
STRATEGIES TO CHANGE ATTITUDES MUST CONSIDER WEATHER ATTITUDES ARE
HELD FOR EVALUATIVE OR EXPRESSIVE/SYMBOLIC REASONS!
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Leon Festinger (1957) - correct answer
✔✔***ATTITUDES FOLLOW BEHAVIOR***
•Humans want consistency between their cognitions (i.e. beliefs, values, opinions
etc.)
•Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two cognitions (thoughts) that
are psychologically contradictory, which often results in feelings of anxiety
•Dissonance often occurs when a person has to choose bwteeen two
incompatible beliefs or behaviours
•When dissonance occurs, the person often has to change something in order to
reduce the anxiety associated with the dissonance
•Three ways in which a person can reduce dissonance:
1.Reduce the importance attached to one or both of the cognitions;
2.Find or add new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs;
3.Or, change one or both of the dissonant beliefs
• EXAMPLE: I want to lose weight for my wedding and I believe that eating
chocolate and cake is going to make me gain weight. But, I continue eating
chocolate and cake. If I want to reduce the anxiety that occurs due to the
dissonance between my beliefs and my actions, I could do one of the following:
,1.Reduce the importance attached to one or both of the cognitions:
•I could decide that losing weight isn't as important as I am making it out to be
and that the person I love isn't going to care what I look like on our big day. So, I
will try to lose weight, but if I can't lose weight that will be ok.
2.Find or add new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs:
• I google losing weight and find research that argues that chocolate and cake
makes no difference to weight loss and that what is important is that I balance
eating cake and chocolate with exercise. So, I convince myself that, since I am
running from lecture to lecture, the exercise I am doing means I can eat chocolate
and cake and not feel guilty.
3.Or, change one or both of the dissonant beliefs:
•To reduce the dissona
• Self-perception Theory: Daryl Bem (1967, 1972) - correct answer ✔✔it is
through behavior that we interpret and form attitudes!
same as cog dissonance but more simple
•The popular view is that it is our attitudes that influence how we behave. Self-
perception Theory, however, argues that this is not always the case and that,
sometimes, it is through our behaviour and how we interpret our behaviour that
we form our attitudes
•Example: I don't have any thoughts or feelings towards dogs. However, on
meeting a dog I feel anxious and irritated and avoid interacting with the dog.
Through my behaviour towards the dog, I come to the conclusion that this must
mean that I don't like dogs.
, • Theory of Reasoned Action: Fishbein and Ajzen - correct answer ✔✔where are
our behavior intentions at? attitude predicts behavior.
1. normative beleif
2. motivation to comply
look at these two before taking action
•This theory argues that our attitudes don't predict our behaviour, but rather
predicts our behavioural intentions
•Our behavioural intent is caused by two factors: Attitudes and norms (i.e. the
expectations/thoughts/opinions/beliefs of those in our social world)
•EXAMPLE: I fall pregnant and my own attitudes towards terminating the
pregnancy are pro-choice [i.e. attitude]. But, my friends believe that abortion is
immoral and wrong [i.e. norms].
•In terms of norms, it is our attitudes together with our subjective norms that play
an integral role in predicting our behavioural intentions
•Subjective norms involve two elements
1.Normative beliefs: What I think others will expect me to do. [From the above
example, I think that my friends would want me to not have an abortion]
2.Motivation to comply: How important it is for me to do what I think others will
expect from me [i.e. How important are my friends opinions to me?]
• ATTRIBUTIONS - correct answer ✔✔• refers to the ways in which people identify
causes for things happening the way that they did
verified solutions 2025-2026 latest
update
Intergroup relations - correct answer ✔✔how people in one particular group act
towards people in another group (race related issues in SA)
Attitude - correct answer ✔✔affect, behavior, cognition.
KATZ- 4 functions of attitudes- - correct answer ✔✔•Knowledge function -- help
us explain/understand the general world around us.
•Utilitarian function-- avoid punishment, gain rewards. be politically correct and
have views that match up with social context.
•Value-expressive function- public statement want to express, individually.
•Ego-defensive function-- deeply rooted, difficult to change views (homophobia)
• HEREK- 2 kinds of attitudes. - correct answer ✔✔1.Evaluative: object is the end
in itself-- attitude functions allow the individual access to the object itself.
•Experiential and specific (based on and restricted to a single object)
•Experiential and schematic (based on expreience with particular objects, but
generalized to a class of objects)
-ANTICIPATORY - based on expected rather than direct experience
2.Expressive (or symbolic) : object is a means to an end. Provides social support,
increases self esteem, reduce anxiety.
•Social-expressive- based on the individuals need to be accepted by others
,•Value-expressive- based on indivduals need to define self by expressing
important values and aligning self with important reference groups
•Defensive- based on indivudals need to reduce anxiety associated with
intrapsychic conflicts
STRATEGIES TO CHANGE ATTITUDES MUST CONSIDER WEATHER ATTITUDES ARE
HELD FOR EVALUATIVE OR EXPRESSIVE/SYMBOLIC REASONS!
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Leon Festinger (1957) - correct answer
✔✔***ATTITUDES FOLLOW BEHAVIOR***
•Humans want consistency between their cognitions (i.e. beliefs, values, opinions
etc.)
•Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two cognitions (thoughts) that
are psychologically contradictory, which often results in feelings of anxiety
•Dissonance often occurs when a person has to choose bwteeen two
incompatible beliefs or behaviours
•When dissonance occurs, the person often has to change something in order to
reduce the anxiety associated with the dissonance
•Three ways in which a person can reduce dissonance:
1.Reduce the importance attached to one or both of the cognitions;
2.Find or add new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs;
3.Or, change one or both of the dissonant beliefs
• EXAMPLE: I want to lose weight for my wedding and I believe that eating
chocolate and cake is going to make me gain weight. But, I continue eating
chocolate and cake. If I want to reduce the anxiety that occurs due to the
dissonance between my beliefs and my actions, I could do one of the following:
,1.Reduce the importance attached to one or both of the cognitions:
•I could decide that losing weight isn't as important as I am making it out to be
and that the person I love isn't going to care what I look like on our big day. So, I
will try to lose weight, but if I can't lose weight that will be ok.
2.Find or add new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs:
• I google losing weight and find research that argues that chocolate and cake
makes no difference to weight loss and that what is important is that I balance
eating cake and chocolate with exercise. So, I convince myself that, since I am
running from lecture to lecture, the exercise I am doing means I can eat chocolate
and cake and not feel guilty.
3.Or, change one or both of the dissonant beliefs:
•To reduce the dissona
• Self-perception Theory: Daryl Bem (1967, 1972) - correct answer ✔✔it is
through behavior that we interpret and form attitudes!
same as cog dissonance but more simple
•The popular view is that it is our attitudes that influence how we behave. Self-
perception Theory, however, argues that this is not always the case and that,
sometimes, it is through our behaviour and how we interpret our behaviour that
we form our attitudes
•Example: I don't have any thoughts or feelings towards dogs. However, on
meeting a dog I feel anxious and irritated and avoid interacting with the dog.
Through my behaviour towards the dog, I come to the conclusion that this must
mean that I don't like dogs.
, • Theory of Reasoned Action: Fishbein and Ajzen - correct answer ✔✔where are
our behavior intentions at? attitude predicts behavior.
1. normative beleif
2. motivation to comply
look at these two before taking action
•This theory argues that our attitudes don't predict our behaviour, but rather
predicts our behavioural intentions
•Our behavioural intent is caused by two factors: Attitudes and norms (i.e. the
expectations/thoughts/opinions/beliefs of those in our social world)
•EXAMPLE: I fall pregnant and my own attitudes towards terminating the
pregnancy are pro-choice [i.e. attitude]. But, my friends believe that abortion is
immoral and wrong [i.e. norms].
•In terms of norms, it is our attitudes together with our subjective norms that play
an integral role in predicting our behavioural intentions
•Subjective norms involve two elements
1.Normative beliefs: What I think others will expect me to do. [From the above
example, I think that my friends would want me to not have an abortion]
2.Motivation to comply: How important it is for me to do what I think others will
expect from me [i.e. How important are my friends opinions to me?]
• ATTRIBUTIONS - correct answer ✔✔• refers to the ways in which people identify
causes for things happening the way that they did
