Attributions
What is 'attribution theory'/what does attribution try to explain
It looks at how we explain the causes of both our behaviour and others’ behaviour.
Who did the participants blame for their decision to administer high levels of shocks in the Milgram experiment?
The experimenter (the authority figure).
What is the definition of 'stereotype'
Positive or negative beliefs about a group of people that you apply to most people in that group
What is the definition of 'altruism'
The act of helping someone at the cost of oneself/helping others out of concern for them
What does the lens in the eye do
It focuses light to the retina
Define 'situational' and 'dispositional attributions.
Situational attributions explain outcomes by looking at situations outside a person’s control. Dispositional attributions explain outcomes by looking at the individual – their personality, their beliefs etc
Describe the method and results on the Asch study
Participants had to match line lengths. When confederates gave the wrong answer, the participant was more likely to conform and also choose the same wrong answer as the rest of the group.
Distinguish between prejudice and discrimination
Prejudice is when you hold a negative belief about someone/a group of people and discrimination is when you treat someone differently (prejudice is attitude, discrimination is action)
What were the results in the Good Samaritan study
Participants who were in a rush were less likely to help compared to those who were on time or early
The six stages of vision can be split into what two categories
Sensation and perception
When we overestimate the internal influences and underestimate external influences when we judge others.
Distinguish between conformity, compliance and obedience
Obedience = following directions from an authority figure. Compliance = complying with a request but no authority necessary. Conformity = change beliefs/behaviour etc due to social pressure
Give an example of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
Stereotype: all old people are annoying. Prejudice: not liking old people. Discrimination: not hiring someone because of their age
List three types of aggression with an example
Physical (hitting them), verbal (putting them down), relational (hurting their relationships e.g starting rumours), passive aggression (sarcasm)
Identify three factors that influence perceptual sets
Expectations, environment, emotions, experiences, context, motivation
You see a person get a parking ticket for parking in a disability spot. Provide a situational and dispositional attribution you might apply to that person
Situational - they are running late to a meeting and really needed to park close to the door. Dispositional - they are selfish taking a parking spot from a person with a disability
Describe and give an example of the Door-in-the-face and Foot-in-the-door techniques
Door-in-the-face - ask for something large knowing the person will refuse so you then ask for something smaller. Foot-in-the-door - get your foot in the door with a small request they say yes to and then ask for something more
What are four explanations/causes of prejudice
Conformity, in group bias, out group homogeneity, scapegoating
Identify four things that influence aggression
Provocation, alcohol, media, frustration
What roles do the iris and pupil play in perception
Give an example of the 'Fundamental Attribution Error' in action
Example - a student is always late to class because they aren't serious about their studies (internal) when actually they are coming from across campus (situational)
Identify and describe three ethical issues in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Did not protect participants, inability to withdraw, no informed consent, inadequate debriefing
Describe Steele and Aronson's (1995) study on stereotype threat, including the results
Told one group of African Americans it was an intelligence test and one group was told nothing. The group who was told it was an intelligence test did worse due to stereotype threat
Describe the methodology and results of Bandura's experiment and give one limitation and one strength of the study
Participants who watched someone play aggressively with a bobo doll were more likely to then imitate those aggressive behaviours. Limitation: low ecological validity. Strength: good control of variables.
Draw a flow chart of the six stages of vision. This question is actually worth 600 points!
Reception: Light enters the eye through cornea and pupil to the retina and photoreceptors. Transduction: rods/cones convert light energy to nerve impulses. Transmission: nerve impulses travel from optic nerve to primary visual cortex. Selection: images broken up by feature detection cells. Organisation: VC makes sense of information. Interpretation: temporal lobe compares stimulus to information in memory. Parietal lobe helps us judge where it is in space.