PSYCH 312: Social Psychology

What is the illusion of transparency?

The Answer The illusion that our concealed emotions leak out and can be easily read by others

What is the self-concept?

Describe schemas.

The Answer Schemas are mental templates by which we organize our worlds

Describe self-schemas.

The Answer Beliefs about self that organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information

Describe the self-reference effect.

The Answer Our sense of self helps organize our thoughts and actioins When we process information with reference to ourselves we remember it well

Describe possible selves.

The Answer Images of what we dream of or dread becoming in the future

Examples discussed in class and in your textbook?

Ex: 

• the rich self
• the thin self
• the passionately loved self
• the unemployed self,
• the unloved self

How does the self-concept develop?

• the roles we play
• the social identities we form
• the comparisons we make with others
• our success and failures
• how other people judge us
• the surrounding culture

 How does culture impact our self-concept?

What is the difference between the independent and interdependent construal of the self? [that is, individual versus Collectivism?]

• Individualism The concept of giving priority to one's own goals over group goals

• Collectivism Giving priority to the goals of one's groups (extended family or work) and defining one's identity accordingly ?]

Interdependent Self:

The Answer Construing one's identity in relations to others

 What is self-esteem?

The Answer A person's overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth

What is self-efficacy?

The Answer A sense that one is competent and effective

What is learned helplessness?

The Answer The sense of hopelessness and resignation learned when a human or animal percieves no control over repeated bad events

What did early researchers find when working with animals?

o Examples discussed in class and in your textbook?

* Dogs confined in a cage and taught that they cannot escape shocks will learn a sense of helplessness. Later, these dogs cower passively in other situatins when they could escape punishment. * Dogs that learned personal control adapt easily to a new situation.

What is locus of control?

The Answer The extent to which people percieve outcomes as internally controllable by their own efforts or as externally controlled by chance or outside forces

What does it mean to have an internal locus of control?

The Answer You believe you control your own destiny

What does it mean to have an external locus of control?

The Answer Chances or outside forces determine your fate.

With what positive outcomes is an internal locus of control associated?

o Examples discussed in class?

* Do well in school * Stop Smoking * Wear seatbelts * deal with marital problems directly * earn good incomes * delay instant gratification to acheive long-term goals.

What is the self-serving bias?

The Answer The tendency to perceive oneself favorably

Why are we motivated to protect the self-concept?

The Answer Our self-esteem are like a fuel gauge that alerts us to threatened social rejection, motivating us to act with greater sensitivity to others expectations. It protects us from depression but contributes to misjudgement and group conflict

Why is the self-serving bias adaptive?

The Answer Belief in our superiorty can also motivate us to achieve--creating a self-fulling prophecy and can sustain our hope through difficult times. It allows us to savor the good things in our lives and blame others when bad things happen

Examples discussed in class and in your textbook?

* we excuse our failures and except credit for our successes, we see ourselves as better than average

o What were the findings of the Arkin and Maruyama (1979) study discussed in class?

The Answer I really don't fucking know!!

What is unrealistic optimism?

The Answer Most humans are more optimistic than pessimistic

How do information deficits and information neglect explain why we are unrealistically optimistic?

The Answer Most humans are more optimistic than pessimistic We belief what we want to belief, we include or exclude information to protect our self esteem

Describe the McKenna and Myers (1997) study discussed in class.

*  Most drivers believe themselves to be safer and more skilled than the average driver.

What is the false consensus effect?

The Answer The tendency to overestimate the commonalityof one's opinions and one's undersirable or unsuccessful behaviors.

What is the false uniqueness effect?

Describe self-handicapping.