Chapter 11
Social Psychology
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Chapter 12
Social Psychology
Learning Objectives
Introduction: What Is Social Psychology?, p. 498
1.
Define social psychology, and describe the two areas of social cognition and social influence.
Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Other People, pp. 498–502
2.
Define person perception, describe the components of the interpersonal context in which person
perception occurs, and explain the basic principles that guide person perception.
3.
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using social categories and implicit personality theories,
and note the effects of physical attractiveness on person perception.
Attribution: Explaining Behavior, pp. 503–506
4.
Define attribution and the fundamental attribution error, and discuss how the fundamental attribution
error explains people’s tendency to “blame the victim” of misfortune.
5.
Define and provide examples of the attributional biases, including the actor-observer discrepancy, the
self-serving bias, and the self-effacing bias.
6.
Identify cultural differences in patterns of attributional biases.
The Social Psychology of Attitudes, pp. 506–509
7.
List the components of an attitude, and identify the conditions under which attitudes are most likely
to determine behavior.
8.
Define cognitive dissonance, identify how it occurs, and discuss how it is typically resolved.
Understanding Prejudice, pp. 509–515
9.
Define prejudice and stereotypes, discussing the role of social categories, in-groups, and out-groups
in stereotype formation.
10.
Explain how the out-group homogeneity effect, in-group bias, and perceptions that out-group
members threaten resources or values can lead to prejudicial attitudes.
11.
Discuss the implications of the “Robbers Cave” study and the jigsaw classroom technique for
combating prejudice, and describe how individuals can overcome prejudicial attitudes.
Conformity: Following the Crowd, pp. 515–518
12.
Define social influence and conformity, and discuss the findings of Solomon Asch’s research on
conformity.
13.
Identify the factors that influence conformity, and explain how culture affects conformity.
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Chapter 11
Social Psychology
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Obedience: Just Following Orders, pp. 518–525
14.
Define obedience and discuss the experimental design and results of Milgram’s obedience
experiments.
15.
List and explain the factors in Milgram’s original experiments that promoted destructive obedience.
16.
List and explain the conditions identified by Milgram in later experiments that tended to decrease the
level of destructive obedience.
17.
Discuss the ethical objections to Milgram’s use of deception in his obedience experiments, and
describe some of the applications of the social influence research to real-world events.
Helping Behavior: Coming to the Aid of Strangers, pp. 525–528
18.
Describe how the controversy surrounding the murder of Kitty Genovese triggered the study of
bystander helping behavior.
19.
Distinguish between altruism and prosocial behavior, and list the factors that increase the likelihood
of a bystander coming to the aid of a stranger.
20.
Define the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility, and explain how these and other factors
played a role in the death of Kitty Genovese.
The Influence of Groups on Individual Behavior, pp. 529–533
21.
Explain how the presence of other people can strongly influence individual behavior, resulting in
social loafing, social striving, social facilitation.
22.
Define deindividuation, describe its potential consequences, and identify the conditions under which
it tends to occur.
Application: The Persuasion Game, pp. 532-533
23.
Define persuasion, describe common persuasive tactics, and list suggestions for counteracting
persuasion tactics.
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