A.P. Psychology Social Psychology Unit Test Essay Options Study Guide
Modules 43,44,45
1. A. Define the following psychological concepts

Cognitive dissonance = negative feeling when you believe
one thing but are saying or doing another

Conformity = adapting ones behavior or thinking to that of a
group

Incentive motivation = environmental stimulus (positive or
negative) that encourages behavior

Negative reinforcement = taking away an aversive
(undesirable) stimulus results in behavior is more likely in the
future

Physiological addiction = when body becomes dependent on
a substance causing tolerance and withdrawal. These occur when
substance causes change in neurochemistry
B. Use one specific example for each of the concepts in part A to explain
how the concept might relate to either the development of or the
continuation of a smoking habit. It is not necessary to use the same
example for each concept.
cognitive dissonance can contribute to the continuation of a smoking habit when
smoker at first experiences dissonance because they know smoking is bad for
them but continues to smoke. Rather than quitting smoking they modify their
belief to believing that smoking is not so bad for you thereby reducing
dissonance.
You develop a smoking habit to conform to your friends who smoke (peer
pressure).
Cigarette company offers free lighter to costumers who try their brand.
Cigarette habit is continued by negative reinforcement when smoker experiences
stress reduction or weight loss (removing an aversive that increases smoking).
Smoker needs to increase they amount they smoke to enjoy the level of stress
reduction they used to get with fewer cigarettes.
2. A. Explain how conformity and obedience differ from each other. In your
answer address the variables of:
Conformity
a. hierarchy
Obedience
no, peers
b. imitation
yes, authority
yes, doing what
no, following orders
others do
Conformity
c. explicitness/implicitness
d. voluntarism
Obedience
implicit
voluntary
explicit
voluntary
B. Explain how the variables below would increase or decrease conformity
and obedience.
Conformity
Obedience
a. models
increase, imitate behavior increase. following
of model
directions (model) of
authority
b. surveillance
increase when you are
increase when you are
watched
watched
decreases,
decreases,
the greater the buffer
the greater the buffer from
c. buffers
the authority; increases
the greater the buffer from
the victim
d. ideology
increase, if people have
increase, if people have
similar beliefs
similar beliefs
3. In a study, researchers use a photograph taken in a public park to examine
how people perceive, learn, and remember information. In the photograph, a
woman is standing near a man who is seated on a park bench. The woman
appears to be shouting at the man.
Participants in the study are exposed to the photograph for ten seconds and then
are shown, each for ten seconds, several other photographs of people
interacting. When all the photographs have been shown, the participants are
asked about what they saw in the “public park” photograph. A significant number
of participants describe the man as being the aggressor in an apparent
disagreement with the woman.
Describe how each of the following concepts helps explain the perception of
these participants. Be sure to begin by defining each concept in psychological
terms.
Schema
generalization of a concept, a typical schema is that men
are more aggressive than women causing subjects to
reverse the roles in their memory.
Retroactive interference
recent information interferes with our ability to
remember old information, the later viewed
pictures of more gender typical role behavior
influences interpretation of the park picture that
was viewed first.
Representativeness heuristic
rule or thumb that behavior is typical of a
category , gender stereotyping first comes to
mind when trying to recall photo therefore
subjects reverse the behavior to conform to
their stereotypes.
Confirmation bias
Framing
we look for information that confirms our prior belief,
subjects change their recall of the picture to confirm their
belief that men are more aggressive than women.
presenting information in a way that influences our interpretation,
subsequent pictures influence (frame) the interpretation of the park
picture.
4. Research indicates that we often form more positive impressions of beautiful
people than of those who are physically unattractive. Explain how
advertisements, movies, and children’s fairy tales might encourage this tendency.
Use you knowledge of the factors that facilitate interpersonal attraction to
suggest how people could be influenced to feel more positively about those who
are physically unattractive.
Children’s stories encourage stereotypes of good people as beautiful and bad
people as ugly.
Advertisements and movies tend to have attractive actors, this distorts our view
of beauty. Actors in negative roles maybe made to look dramatically unattractive.
Familiarity
if you have good relationships with physically unattractive people
you will be more likely to view them in a positive way.
Similarity
if unattractive people have similar attitudes to you, you are more
likely to view them positively.
Proximity
you are more likely to form friendships with people that live near to
you, that you see often, regardless of their apperance.
mere exposure effect we’re more likely to accept things that we have been
exposed to in the past. If we have seen unattractive
people in the past we are more likely to view them
favorably in the future