Exam 5: Social Cognition

The so-called "Sports Illustrated jinx"-the tendency for athletes to experience a dip in performance directly after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated-can be best explained by ____.

The simulation heuristic tends to invoke ____ thinking.

Researchers have found that people tend to ____ as little as possible.

Within the field of social cognition, the term ________________ essentially refers to schemas that are about events.

In Bargh, Chen, and Burrows (1996), participants who were in the "rude" priming condition were more likely to ____.

Mr. X thinks that Barack Obama became president of the U.S. because-even though he is not that brilliant or talented-he made a real effort to campaign well in 2008. But Mr. Y thinks that Barack Obama only became president because he was "in the right place at the right time," and had good luck. Social psychologists would say that Mr. X is making ____ attributions for Obama's success, while Mr. Y is making ____ attributions.

As a child, the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was once challenged by his older brother to remain standing in a corner until he could stop thinking of a white bear. That is, he was challenged to engage in ____.

Although some social psychologists might argue that the cognitive errors discussed in this chapter stem from laziness and motivational biases, there is another perspective that puts a more positive spin on this. Articulate the two main parts of this other, more positive, perspective.

You and a friend are visiting a new city and would like to splurge and go out for a fine meal. You look at the restaurant listings in the newspaper and find one that is very expensive. Your friend says: "Let's go for it. With prices like that, we're bound to have a delicious meal!" In making this statement, your friend was most likely guided by the ____.

Within the field of social cognition, the term "priming" refers to ____.

Dr. Canne wants to encourage Kirk to lose weight. He tells Kirk, "If you don't start working out soon, you are going to die young and leave your children without a father!" Dr. Canne is using a(n) ____.

Counterregulation is best described as the ____ effect.

Research indicates that the topic people think about most is ____.

The day after the Supreme Court issued a decision on a particular divisive issue, the Senate and House pass a bill that is unpopular with the same segment of the population that was unhappy with the Supreme Court decision. The disgruntled segment of the population then claims that the decision was issued at this particular time to distract people from the bill's passage. This assumption reflects ____.

Jack read about the swine flu in the papers for the past two weeks. When he comes down with fever, chills, and a bad cough, he is absolutely certain that he has the swine flu because of all the media coverage it has received. Jack is illustrating the simulation heuristic.

Jason is buying a new iPhone this semester, as are most of his friends. According to Malle's work on attribution, what will Jason most likely think when he sees his friends buying an iPhone?

Theory perseverance is the idea that ____.

The state of having too much information to make a decision or remain informed about a topic is known as ____.

Research demonstrates that, in counterfactual thinking, people engage in far more ____ than ____.

What will people most likely do when they encounter information that is at odds with an existing schema?