Chapter 11 Study Guide
Social Psychology
Defining Social Psychology
1. Define social psychology.
2. Explain the bystander effect and the Kitty Genovese story.
Social Cognition
3. Define stereotype and how stereotypes affect people through the self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon.
4. Explain the “beautiful is good” stereotype.
5. Explain attribution theory and what an attribution is and explain the fundamental attribution error.
6. Explain how the self-serving bias shape our view of ourselves as compared to others.
7. Define social comparison and why it’s important.
8. Define attitudes. What two main questions do social psychologists study regarding attitudes?
9. Explain cognitive dissonance theory.
10. Explain persuasion. Explain the difference between the central route and peripheral route of persuasion.
Social Behavior – Skip
Close Relationships
11. Explain the mere exposure effect.
Social Influence and Group Processes
12. Define conformity and describe Asch’s famous experiment on conformity. Explain two factors contributing
to conformity.
13. Define obedience and describe Milgram’s famous experiments on obedience.
14. Describe Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment and its conclusions.
15. Explain the following terms related to group influence: deindividuation, social contagion, social
facilitation, social loafing, risky shift, group polarization, groupthink.
16. Define social identity, social identity theory and the significance of in-groups and out-groups.
17. Define ethnocentrism, prejudice, and discrimination.
18. Describe Sherif’s classic Robbers Cave study and ways to improve intergroup relations.