1 - Social Psychology (13.01.2020)

Question 1

Attitude

Answer 1

• Attitude: a positive or negative evaluative reaction toward a stimulus, such as a person, action, object, or concept e.g. can include behaviour such as healthy eating
• Attitudes influence behaviour more strongly when situational factors that contradict our attitudes are weak

Question 2

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 2

• conflict/unease created by 2 opposing opinions

- e.g. about smoking

Question 3

How do people resolve dissonance?

Answer 3

• Change behaviour: In the case of smoking, this would involve quitting, which might be difficult and thus avoided
• Acquire new information: Such as seeking exceptions e.g. “My grandfather smoked all his life and lived to be 96”
• Reduce the importance of the cognitions (i.e. beliefs, attitudes). A person could convince themself that it is better to “live for the moment”

Question 4

What makes messages/messengers more effective/persuasive re changing attitudes?

Answer 4

Message more effective if:
• Reaches recipient
• Is attention-grabbing
• Easily understood
• Relevant and important 
• Easily remembered

More persuasive messengers are:
• Credible e.g. doctors
• Trustworthy e.g. objective
• Appealing e.g. well presented

Question 5

Framing of healthcare messages - effectiveness

Answer 5

• Refers to whether a message emphasises the benefits or losses of that behaviour
• Research shows that:
- When we want people to take up behaviours aimed at detecting health problems or illness (e.g. HIV testing) loss-framed messages may be more effective
- When we want people to take up behaviours aimed at promoting prevention behaviours (e.g. condom use) gain-framed messages may be more effective

Question 6

Stereotype

Answer 6

Generalisations made about a group of people or members of that group, such as race, ethnicity, or gender. Or more specific such as different medical specialisations (e.g. surgeons)

Question 7

Prejudice

Answer 7

Prejudice – To judge, often negatively, without having relevant facts, usually about a group or its individual members

Stereoutype -> prejudice -> discrimination

Question 8

Discrimination

Answer 8

Discrimination – Behaviours that follow from negative evaluations or attitudes towards members of particular groups

Stereoutype -> prejudice -> discrimination

Question 9

Social loafing

Answer 9

Definition - the tendency for people to expend less individual effort when working in a group than when working alone

-> like experiment by Max Ringleman looking at force on rope pulling with increasing number of participants (pullers)

More likely to occur when:
• The person believes that individual performance is not being monitored
• The task (goal) or the group has less value or meaning to the person
• The person generally displays low motivation to strive for success
• The person expects that other group members will display high effort

Depends on gender and culture
• Occurs more strongly in all-male groups
• Occurs more often in individualistic cultures

Social loafing may disappear when: 
• Individual performance is monitored
• Members highly value their group or the task goal 
• Groups are smaller
• Members are of similar competence

Question 10

What factors affect Conformity?

Answer 10

• Asch 1956: line length experiment
• not saying what you think because other people say something else

Group size:
• Conformity increases as group size increases
• No increases over five group members

Presence of a dissenter:
• One person disagreeing with the others greatly reduces group
conformity

Culture:
• Greater in collectivistic cultures

Question 11

Bystander apathy

Answer 11

• presence of others can influence

Question 12

Apathy

Answer 12

lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Question 13

5 step bystander decision process

Answer 13

1) Notice the event
2) Decide if the event is really an emergency
Social comparison: look to see how others are responding
3) Assuming responsibility to intervene
Diffusion of Responsibility: believing that someone else will help
4) Self-efficacy in dealing with the situation
5) Decision to help (based on cost-benefit analysis e.g. danger)

Question 14

Increasing helping baheviour

Answer 14

Reducing restraints on helping
• Reduce ambiguity and increase responsibility
• Enhance concern for self image

Socialise altruism
• Teaching moral inclusion
• Modelling helping behaviour
• Attributing helpful behaviour to altruistic motives • Education about barriers to helping

Question 15

The Milgram experiment (1974)

Answer 15

• One “learner”, one “teacher” – told that experiment studied the effect of punishment on learning and memory.
• Shock generator used to apply punishment
• Shocks grew increasingly intense with each mistake
• the participant was told that the person being shocked was also a participant
• majority of people were giving shocks despite the actor giving loud signs of pains and screaming
• examiner in white coat stayed passive and encouraged the participant to continue shocking them
• caring about responsibility - examiner responsible

Question 16

Obedience

Answer 16

Factors That Influence Obedience:
• Remoteness of the victim
• Closeness and legitimacy of the authority figure
• Diffusion of responsibility: obedience increases when someone else administers the shocks
• Not personal characteristics

NB A more recent study replicated the experiment and found similar
results

Question 17

Group Polarisation

Answer 17

the tendency of people to make decisions that are more extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently

Question 18

Groupthink

Answer 18

the tendency of group members to suspend

critical thinking because they they are striving to seek agreement

Question 19

Group decision making

Answer 19

• groupthink

- group polarisation

Question 20

When is groupthink most likely to occur?

Answer 20

When a group...
• Is under high stress to reach a decision 
• Is insulated from outside input
• Has a directive leader
• Has high cohesiveness

Question 21

Leadership styles - Kurt Levin

Answer 21

Autocratic or authoritarian style
• Under the autocratic leadership style, all decision-making powers are centralized in the leader, as with dictator leaders.
• They do not entertain any suggestions or initiatives from subordinates.

Participative or democratic style
• The democratic leadership style favours decision-making by the group as shown, such as leader gives instruction after consulting the group. They can win the co-operation of their group and can motivate them effectively and positively.

Laissez-faire or “free rein” style
• A free-rein leader does not lead, but leaves the group entirely to itself as shown; such a leader allows maximum freedom to subordinates, i.e., they are given a free hand in deciding their own policies and methods.

Question 22

Advantages and Disadvantages of Autocratic or authoritarian leadership style

Answer 22

A:
- Enables quick decision making
- Clear hierarchy of responsibility
D:
Can be demotivating Can lead to errors

Question 23

Advantages and Disadvantages of democratic/participative leadership style

Answer 23

A:

• Can win cooperation and motivate team
• Can improve quality of decision making

D:

• Time consuming
• Can lead to disagreements

Question 24

Advantages and Disadvantages of Laissez Faire leadership style

Answer 24

A:

• Allows autonomous working
• Allows expertise to be utilised

D:

• Can lead to lack of direction
• Lack of ultimate responsibility holder