Social Psychology Flashcards
6 cards from real APA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Social Psychology flashcards as text
The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to:
Answer: Underestimate situational factors and overestimate dispositional factors when explaining others' behavior
The fundamental attribution error is the bias of overweighting personal traits and underweighting situational influences when explaining other people's behavior.
In Milgram's obedience studies, the majority of participants delivered shocks up to what voltage level?
Answer: 450 volts
About 65% of Milgram's participants continued to the maximum 450-volt level when instructed by an authority figure, despite the learner's apparent distress.
Which concept describes the tendency for people to conform to the behavior of others in ambiguous situations?
Answer: Informational social influence
Informational social influence occurs when people look to others for guidance about correct behavior when they are uncertain about what to do.
Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory predicts that when attitudes and behaviors conflict, people will:
Answer: Experience tension and seek to reduce it by aligning attitudes or behaviors
Cognitive dissonance creates psychological discomfort when cognitions conflict, motivating people to reduce the inconsistency by changing attitudes, behaviors, or perceptions.
What is 'social loafing'?
Answer: Reduced individual effort when working in a group compared to working alone
Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort on collective tasks when their individual contributions cannot be identified.
The 'bystander effect' was famously studied after which real-world event?
Answer: The murder of Kitty Genovese
Darley and Latané developed the bystander effect concept partly in response to the 1964 Kitty Genovese murder, where multiple witnesses allegedly failed to intervene.