Psychology Revision

Social Cognition and Attitudes

100

What best describes social cognition?

Social cognition refers to how people process, store, and apply information about others and social situations.

200

Define the three components of the tri-component model of attitudes.

The three components are:

• Affective: Feelings or emotions toward an object (e.g., liking dogs).
• Behavioral: How attitudes influence behavior (e.g., volunteering at an animal shelter).
• Cognitive: Beliefs or thoughts about the object (e.g., believing dogs are loyal).

300

"All tall people are good basketball players" is an example of what cognitive bias?

This is an example of a stereotype, which is a generalized belief about a group.

400

Explain the difference between prejudice, stigma, and discrimination with examples.

• Prejudice: A negative attitude toward a group, e.g., disliking a person based on ethnicity.
• Stigma: A negative perception that labels a group, e.g., people with mental illness being seen as dangerous.
• Discrimination: Unequal treatment based on group membership, e.g., refusing to hire someone due to race.

500

Which two components of the tri-component model of attitudes are inconsistent in James's scenario if he believes cheating is wrong but still helps his friend cheat on a test?

The cognitive (believing cheating is wrong) and behavioral (helping a friend cheat) components of James's attitude are inconsistent in this scenario.

Perception and Cognition

100

What is the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing?

• Top-down processing: Using prior knowledge or expectations to interpret sensory information.
• Bottom-up processing: Building perception from sensory input without pre-existing knowledge.

200

Describe a visual illusion.

A visual illusion is a misinterpretation of visual stimuli, like seeing movement in a still image.

300

What is agnosia?

Agnosia is a disorder where a person cannot recognize objects, people, or sounds despite normal sensory function.

400

Explain the concept of perceptual set with an example.

Perceptual set is the tendency to perceive something based on expectations or prior experiences, like seeing shapes in clouds because we’re primed to look for familiar forms.

500

Describe one binocular and one monocular depth cue.

• Binocular cue: Retinal disparity, where each eye sees a slightly different image, helping us perceive depth.
• Monocular cue: Linear perspective, where parallel lines appear to converge in the distance.

Biases and Heuristics

100

What is a heuristic?

A heuristic is a mental shortcut or rule of thumb used to make quick decisions.

200

What is the availability heuristic? Provide an example.

The availability heuristic is judging the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind. For example, thinking plane crashes are common after hearing about one in the news.

300

What is the anchoring bias?

Anchoring bias is the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions.

400

Explain the false-consensus bias.
 

False-consensus bias is the tendency to overestimate how much others agree with our beliefs or behaviours.

500

What are the benefits of heuristics?

Heuristics allow for quick decision-making, save cognitive resources, and are usually efficient for everyday tasks.

Groups and Social Influence

100

Define 'conformity' and give an example.

Conformity is the tendency to adjust behavior or attitudes to align with group norms, like dressing similarly to peers.

200

What is a social group? Provide an example.

A social group is a collection of individuals who interact and share a sense of unity, e.g., a sports team.

300

What is the difference between a social group and a collective?

A social group has regular interactions and shared goals, whereas a collective is a large, loosely connected gathering, like an audience at a concert.

400

What is the difference between indirect and direct discrimination? Give an example of each.

• Direct discrimination: Treating someone unfairly based on personal characteristics, like not hiring someone due to their gender.
• Indirect discrimination: Policies that apply to everyone but disadvantage a group, like a job requirement that excludes certain age groups.

500

What are the different types of power (e.g., expert, informational, legitimate, referent) and examples of each?

• Expert power: Knowledge-based authority, like a scientist.
• Informational power: Control due to access to information, like a manager.
• Legitimate power: Position-based authority, like a police officer.
• Referent power: Influence from admiration, like a celebrity.

Research Methods and Ethics

100

What is a mixed design controlled experiment?

It’s an experimental design that includes both between-groups and within-groups comparisons.

200

What is random allocation?

Random allocation involves assigning participants to different groups by chance to avoid biases.

300

What is meant by 'robustness' in research?

Robustness refers to the reliability and validity of research findings under different conditions or samples.

400

What does informed consent entail in psychological research?

Informed consent: Participants must be fully informed about the study's purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits, and provide voluntary consent before participating.

500

What do researchers need to ensure findings are reliable and valid?

They need to control variables, use accurate measures, follow ethical guidelines, and conduct repeated trials to confirm results.