Exam 1: What is Social Psychology

Describe the purpose of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)and explain how it has had a significant impact on the discipline of psychology and society as a whole.

Define the hindsight bias and provide an example.

The belief that humans help one another because helping behavior evolved to aid in our ancestor's survival is an sociocultural perspective.

A professor has decided to assign group projects to his class.In order to avoid the phenomenon of social loafing,the professor might do which of the following?

A manager who wants to avoid social loafing in her office should make each. employee's performance individually identifiable.

A social psychologist's main focus is on group behavior at the societal level.

Matthew interviews for an important job but the company ultimately decides to select someone else for the position.Matthew thinks to himself,"I knew the interview went poorly and I wasn't going to get the job!" Matthew's belief that he knew the outcome all along is an example of what phenomenon?

Ruth is taking a social psychology class with a professor who has a reputation of being mean and unhelpful.Ruth notices that the professor will not provide any extensions for late work or provide any extra credit opportunities for students struggling with the coursework.However,Ruth fails to consider that the professor offers review sessions prior to examinations and responds to all email questions within a 24 hour time period.By noticing information that confirms her belief that the professor is unhelpful and ignoring information that disconfirms her belief,Ruth is engaging in what social psychological phenomenon?

What is the confirmation bias? Provide an example.

Edwin Ross and William McDougall are important figures in the history of social psychology.What important contribution did they make to the development of social psychology?

The social cognitive perspective differs from the social learning perspective in what primary way?

Serena always plays her violin better in front of an audience than during her practice sessions.Identify and define this phenomenon.

A social psychologist argues that people today tend to live in groups and organized societies because it has aided in our ancestors' survival and as such has become commonplace.This illustrates what type of perspective?

Distinguish between social loafing and social facilitation.Name one factor that can diminish the likelihood that social loafing will occur.

Utilizing the scientific method is one way social psychologists can minimize bias in their research.

Which of the following is described by your textbook as one of the main facets of social psychology?

How can biases such as the hindsight bias or the confirmation bias negatively affect a social psychologist's work? What can social psychologists do to avoid these types of biases?

Define social psychology and describe how it differs from the discipline of sociology.

______________ is a perspective that focuses on the physical and biological predispositions that result in human survival.

Which of the following events had a major impact on the development and direction of social psychology?