PSY403 Midterm Solved Papers

PSY403

ABSTRACT This comprehensive collection of notes is accurately crafted to empower students to excel academically, ensuring they achieve a minimum of 80% marks in their examinations. The content is organized with clarity and precision, focusing on key concepts, critical analyses, and practical applications tailored to the syllabus. These notes serve as a reliable resource for both thorough preparation and last-minute revision. Designed to inspire confidence and mastery, this guide is an essential tool for students striving for academic excellence.

Maha Malik

1. Social Psychology

Definition (from handout):

“Social psychology is the scientific study of how individuals think, feel and behave in a social context.”

2. Two Early Infant Attachment Responses

1. Eye Contact / Gaze preference – infant stares at caregiver face.
2. Rooting / grasping / sucking response – turns head toward voice/ touch.

3. Negative Thinking as Cause of Depression

Negative automatic thoughts distort reality → lead to hopelessness → increase depressive symptoms.

4. Aggression vs Assertiveness · Aggression · Assertiveness

Intent to harm, control, violate rights Clear expression of needs while respecting others Hostile, impulsive, coercive Confident, direct yet non-threatening

Q5. Can Stereotypes be Monitored through Recategorization?

Yes, stereotypes reduce when out-groups are re-defined into a shared inclusive group (e.g., “we students” instead of ethnic labels).

6. Obesity & Attractiveness Bias

Overweight individuals often face negative evaluation (lazy, uncontrolled) while attractive individuals receive halo effect (smart, capable).

7. Three Strategies to Reduce Social Loafing

1. Make individual contributions identifiable.
2. Increase task importance and accountability.
3. Strengthen group cohesion and shared goals.

8. Two Steps of Compliance Strategy

1. Use foot-in-the-door (small request → bigger one).
2. Use door-in-the-face (big request rejected → moderate one accepted).

9. Open-Ended vs Closed-Ended · Type · Example

Open-ended “How was your experience today?” Closed-ended “Did you like the session? Yes/No.”

10. Deindividuation

Loss of personal identity in groups → reduced self-awareness → impulsive behavior (e.g., crowd riots).

11. Actor-Observer Bias

Actors attribute actions to situations, observers attribute same actions to person traits. Example: “I was late because traffic; she was late because irresponsible.”

12. Critical Step in Research Process & Why

Literature Review – defines variables, avoids duplication, sets conceptual grounding.