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PSYC 221 – Fall 2012Study Guide for Final ExamThe exam will be weighted towards newer material. So, probably between 50-60% of the questions will be on stuff since the last exam, with the remaining 40-50% on older material. I) Religion/Morality- Functions of religion (a) Terror management, death anxiety(i) Mortality salience anxiety and distress1. When primed to think about our own death, our anxiety increases2. Constantly aware of own mortality and have a desire for self-preservation3. When reminded of our mortality, our anxiety and terror give potential to alter behavior(ii) Humans have an increased belief in supernatural agents, afterlife, mind/body distinctions(b) Social identity, communication, bonding, cooperation, altruism, handles free rider problems(i) Religious identity is stronger than other social identities (i.e. ethnic, geographic, etc.)(ii) Knowing ones identity allows you to 1. Advertise for yourself 2. Share beliefs to connect with others3. Gives a better ease to generate values and influence judgments and decisions(c) Formation & facilitation of large groups and common goals/causes(i) Groups with strong moral norms had a competitive advantage over those that didn’t (ii) Morality binds large communities(iii) Social contract- common norms, rules1. Trust facilitates cooperation in large groups(iv) Norms, morals, and values promotes:1. In-group cooperation/altruism2. Eliminates free rider problems3. Keeps authority/ structure in tact4. Assists in mobilizing around common causes(d) Compliance with rules/laws/social norms and in-group loyalty(i) “Mean Gods make good people”(e) Coping with stress, pain, suffering(i) Everyone suffers, even innocent people(ii) Use our community as a social support- Effects of religious beliefs and/or belief in God(a) Reduced cheating, dishonesty (i) Christians and Jews both believe adultery as morally wrong (Christians believe lust is just as bad b/c thoughts lead to actions)(b) Coping and/or social support from others in religious group or God(i) Seek proximity to god in times of trouble/stress(c) Moralizing normative behavior1. Association between social norms and suicide ratesa. Lower rates of suicide in societies with more social norms (tighter societies)2. Common norms lead to moralizing normative behaviora. Sex, masturbation, eating, work, daily activities(d) Competition/conflict between groups & in-group favoritism- Similarities between religious people and secular/atheists i) Less adultery, more happiness in religious peopleii) Atheists and secular people have religious experiences(a) Feeling unity with humanity(b) Transcendence of time, space (psychedelic drugs)(c) Emotions: such as elevation and awe(d) Cognition: karma, tempting fate(e) Behavior: rituals, superstition- Discrimination against atheists i) Most distrusted, least liked group by farii) Discrimination in job hiring - Moral dumbfounding, “intuitiveness”i) Don’t actually know and cant explain why something is right or wrongii) Acting some way because it is instinctive, logic and reason are afterthoughts- Morality at 2 levels (individual & group-level morality)i) Moral Foundations Theory(a) Individual vs. Group-level morality(i) Individual- level morality1. Care (vs. harm)2. Fairness and justice3. Liberty (vs. oppression)(ii) Group- level morality1. Loyalty- In-group (patriotism)2. Authority/respect (parents, police, institutions)3. Purity/sanctity (sex, food)- 6 moral “foundations” – differences for liberals/conservatives (described in Haidt’s TED talk on moral roots of liberals/conservatives, and the article “New Synthesis on Moral Psychology”)(a) Care/harm (people feel compassion when we see others suffer)(b) Fairness/cheating (humans readily form alliances, which leads to reciprocal altruismdevelop virtues related to fairness and justice)(c) Loyalty/betrayal (develop emotions related to recognizing, trusting and cooperating with people in your group and are weary of people in other groups; underlies patriotism, and self-sacrifice for a group)(d) Liberty/oppression- feel resentment toward those who dominate our liberty/restrict your freedom(e) Authority/Subversion (Respect and obedience for people in leadership/prestigious positions; underlies leadership and follwership)(f) Purity/sanctity (believe people are not pure and have disgust for those who act upon sexual desires/ other immoral activities)ii) Conservatives treat all these five factors as moderately importantiii) Liberals focus almost exclusivelyBon the harm/caring or fairness/reciprocity principles- “Free will” (a) Why it’s a flawed concept, yet beneficial(i) It doesn’t take into account emotions and other mental states(ii) Free will is useful for organizing society(iii) Priming free will increases motivation, effort, altruism, job performance and decreases aggressive behavior and cheatingII) Political psychology- Change (or lack thereof) across the lifespan in ideology/attitudesi) Modeling/learning through rewards and punishmentsii) Genetic correlations with political attitudes and similarities- Psychological differences between liberals & conservatives(a) Conservatives are more psychologically restricted(i) E.g., “Restricted” vs. “open” cognition1. Increased need for closure, certainty, stability,2. Decreased openness to experience3. Decreased tolerance for ambiguity (b) Liberals are quicker to integrate new stimuli/information- The “moral foundations” and their association with political ideology. i) Conservatives- rhetoric prioritizes traditional American valuesii) Liberals- rhetoric prioritizes worldliness and human rights- What variables make people more conservative?(a) Situational variables & priming(i) Priming danger and death increases conservative ideology- Perceptions of income inequality and economic behaviori) Income inequality is steadily rising in association with mortality (a) People with more money live longerii) People underestimate income inequality and don’t realize that it is steadily risingiii) Overall state of economy trumps individual economic status (sociotropic hypothesis)- Motivated reasoning and skepticism for incongruent political arguments/evidence i) once it’s been established…motivated skepticism:(a) Biased political information processors; arguments are evaluated as stronger/weaker depending on prior attitude; generate counter-arguments; time spent seeking other information; attitude polarization - “Hot”


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UMD PSYC 355 - Study Guide for Final Exam

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