Social Psychology Principles Flashcards

While driving, you get cut off by another car. You immediately think, "That person is a reckless, terrible driver!" without considering that they might be in a hurry for a medical emergency. This tendency to overemphasize personality-based explanations for others' behavior while underemphasizing situational factors is a classic example of:

Answer: Fundamental attribution error

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to attribute another person's behavior to their dispositional qualities (personality, character) rather than to situational factors. In this scenario, the observer defaults to a personality-based explanation ('reckless driver') instead of a potential situational one (medical emergency).

A highly cohesive corporate board, under pressure to launch a new product, quickly agrees on a risky marketing plan suggested by their charismatic CEO. During the meeting, several members have private doubts but do not voice them to avoid disrupting the group's apparent consensus. This scenario best illustrates which of the following social psychology phenomena?

Answer: Groupthink

Groupthink occurs when the desire for harmony and conformity within a group leads to an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Key symptoms present in this scenario include self-censorship of dissenting opinions and an illusion of unanimity, which override the realistic appraisal of alternatives.

An advertisement for a luxury watch features a world-famous, attractive actor but provides no information about the watch's features, accuracy, or craftsmanship. According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion, this ad is attempting to persuade consumers primarily through the:

Answer: Peripheral route

The peripheral route to persuasion occurs when the listener decides to agree with the message based on superficial cues, such as the source's attractiveness or celebrity status, rather than the strength of the arguments. Since the ad relies on the actor's fame instead of product details, it is using the peripheral route.

In a classic series of experiments, Solomon Asch found that participants would often knowingly give an incorrect answer when judging the length of lines after hearing several other people (who were confederates) give the same incorrect answer. This behavior is primarily a demonstration of:

Answer: Normative social influence

Normative social influence is conforming to be liked, to fit in, or to avoid social rejection. In Asch's unambiguous line task, participants knew the correct answer but conformed to the group's wrong answer to avoid the discomfort of standing out, which is a clear example of normative influence.

Which of the following describes social loafing?

Answer: The exertion of less effort by individuals when they work in a group compared to when they work alone.

Social loafing is the phenomenon where individuals tend to put in less effort when working on a collective task where their individual contributions are not easily identifiable, compared to when they are individually accountable.

The primary psychological mechanism that explains the bystander effect, where the presence of multiple onlookers reduces the likelihood that any single individual will intervene in an emergency, is known as:

Answer: Diffusion of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility is the core concept behind the bystander effect, as demonstrated in studies by Latané and Darley. It posits that when others are present, the responsibility to intervene is shared among all onlookers, making each individual feel less personally responsible to act.