Chapter 14
Social Psychology

Learning Objectives for Chapter 14:
  1. Define social psychology in terms of “social cognition” and “naïve realism.”
  2. Define attitude, and list and explain the three major components of an attitude and the possible fourth component.
  3. Explain the three ways attitudes are acquired.
  4. Define cognitive dissonance and its accompanying processes, and explain how they relate to attitude change.
  5. Explain the basic tenet of self-perception theory.
  6. Summarize the source factors that affect persuasion.
  7. Discuss characteristics of the message that affect persuasion.
  8. Describe the two routes to processing persuasive information proposed by the Elaboration Likelihood Model.
  9. Explain two characteristics of a communicator that may affect persuasion, describing how the characteristics relate to the route used in processing the persuasive message.
  10. Define prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.
  11. List the two basic types of attributions and the three types of information used in making attributions.
  12. List four specific attributional biases, explaining how attributions become distorted or biased.
  13. Describe the four theoretical models of interpersonal attraction.
  14. Know the four determinants of interpersonal attraction and their effects.
  15. Discuss the methodology and findings of Asch's studies.
  16. Discuss Milgram's studies of obedience and the factors that influenced obedience in those studies.
  17. Explain how the presence of others affects helping behavior.
  18. Describe Latané and Darley's cognitive model of helping.
  19. Discuss the psychological processes that account for what is called the social inhibition of helping.
  20. Define and summarize the effects of audience inhibition, pluralistic ignorance, and diffusion of responsibility.
  21. Understand the relationship between empathy and altruism.
  22. Explain social loafing, social interference, and social facilitation; discuss some factors that affect the processes.
  23. Discuss the factors that influence group decision-making.
  24. Describe group polarization.
  25. Explain groupthink and identify its "symptoms".
  26. Discuss current research on the validity of groupthink.