4.3 Psychology of Social Situations Flashcards
Social Norms
Ex) How you greet people when you meet them.
Society’s understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior in individuals and social situations.
Social Influence Theory
Ex) Following fashion trends
People’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are significantly impacted by the presence and actions of others around them.
Normative Social Influence
Ex) Peer pressure to engage in dangerous behavior.
The desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
Informational Social Influence
Ex) Health trends, like Pilates
The willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.
Persuasion
Ex) Costco free samples
The process of attempting to exhibit influence on a person or group to change their perceptions, beliefs, or behaviors.
Peripheral Route Persuasion
Ex) Celebrity endorsements
Convincing others to make a decision or change based on cues of trustworthiness, emotions, and group identity rather than facts and logic rather than merit.
Central Route Persuasion
Ex) Anti-smoking ads
A method of convincing others to make a decision or change in accordance with the merit of the action or evidence of the negative outcome.
Halo Effect
Ex) Thinking an attractive person is super nice in comparison to an unattractive person.
A cognitive bias is where our overall impression of a person or thing is influenced by a single positive trait or characteristic.
Door-in-the-face technique
Ex) Asking for a more expensive thing to water down the price of a smaller thing.
A persuasive technique that prioritizes asking for impossible larger tasks to make the asking of a smaller task seem more manageable and agreeable.
Conformity
Ex) Wearing what’s trendy and not deemed unfashionable.
The tendency to align one’s own personal beliefs with that of the beliefs of others.
Compliance
Ex) Following the speed limit or dress code.
The act of conforming to the wishes or demands of others, often to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
Foot-in-the-door technique
Ex) Free subscriptions before paying for a membership.
A compliance strategy that prioritizes utilizing small, more simple requests to help pursue large requests later on.
Obedience
Ex) Soldiers following the orders of their superior officer.
A social influence is where one acts on the influence or order of a person of authority.
Individualism
Ex) A student choosing to study alone for a test rather than forming a study group to focus on their own learning style
When someone is prioritizing their goals over the group goals.
Collectivism
Ex) Someone hears their mom is sick and immediately cancels their plans and leaves to come help.
When someone is prioritizing the goals of the group over their own goals.
Multiculturalism
Ex) Even though Argentina’s main language is Spanish they have newspapers, radios, and TVs that show news in a variety of languages.
Accepting all different kinds of cultural behaviors and traditions in a society.
Group Polarization
Ex) A group of feminists makes more pro-feminist decisions when they are in a group with more feminist-believing people.
When individuals make more extreme decisions when in a group with similar beliefs.
Group Think
Ex) People in a friend group decide to skip class and you decide to join because others are doing it even though you know it is wrong.
When the group members make a decision that will keep peace in the group rather than think about the consequences or their own opinions
Diffusion of Responsibility
Ex) People stand and watch at an emergency because they think someone more qualified will go in and help the person.
When someone is less likely to act because other people are present that could also act.
Social Loafing
Ex) Group projects and putting less effort into the overall project because other people are there to work on the project.
When people put in less effort because they’re in a group.
Social facilitation
Ex) A musician performing in front of an audience.
When people put in more effort because they are in the presence of other people.
Deindividuation
Ex) Someone breaking into a store during a riot.
When people think they are not noticeable in a crowd they perform impulsive and possibly dangerous actions.
Prosocial behavior
Ex) Volunteering at a local food pantry, sharing your lunch money
When someone behaves to show kindness to another by helping them.
Altruism
Ex) Sharing your lunch money with someone and not wanting them to pay you back.
A kind of prosocial behavior is when someone has the unselfish goal to help others.
Social responsibility norm
Ex) The children and grandchildren of grandparents will help the grandparents with grocery shopping and other daily tasks.
An expectation that people will help those needing their help.
The bystander effect
Ex) Someone calling 911 for an injured individual.
the more people are present during an emergency, the less likely anyone one person is to step in and help.
