7.2 Flashcards
attribution theory (D and S) IMPORTANT
C-D-C
how we view behavior of others and ourselves
dispositional attribution - internal
situational attribution - external
consistency - is anger consist with how he typically acts? if so, caused by internal disposition.
distinctiveness - is the anger directed just at you? if everyone, then dispositional, if just you, could be situational
consensus - is your friend the only angry one? if not, then it could be situational (the whole team lost, everybody is angry)
fundamental attribution error
tend to underestimate the impact of SITUATION and overestimate the internal (dispositional) character or personality
actor-observer bias v. self-serving bias
actor-observer: we blame our bad actions on situations, blame others bad actions on dispositions (personalities)
tendency to attribute success to ourselves and our failures to others
optimism bias
bad things happen to others, not to us
we WANT to believe life is fair
we are OPTIMISTIC about ourselves, PESSIMISTIC about others
attributional biases (DRAW TABLE - p. 248)
- fundamental attribution error
- actor-observer bias
- self-serving bias (student -> “SSS”)
- optimism bias - bad things happen to others, not us (“we’re so optimistic, we never get sick”)
see ALL p. 248
physical attractiveness stereotype
just world phenomenon
tendency to believe the world is fair and people get what they deserve. bad things happen to others = result of their actions/failures to act, not because “bad things happen to good people”
good things - we deserve it
halo effect
people are inherently good or bad, rather than individual characteristics
- one good assumption needs to another positive assumption (concrete leads to ambiguous)
false consensus, projection bias
- false belief that other agree with what we do
- assume others have the same beliefs we do
prejudice
thoughts, attitudes, or feeling about a group NOT BASED on actual experience
overt or subtle (black names)
stereotypes
over-simplified ideas about groups of people, based on a characteristic (race, gender, sexual orientation, etc)
can be positive or negative
three components of attitudes
affect (feeling), behaviors, cognition
prejudice is an attitude
illusory correlation
all black people are athletic because of a small group of athletic black people
a relationship is perceived between variables even when no such relationship exists
self-fulfilling prophecy
a belief leads to actions that encourage that (false) belief
stereotype threat
explains why there are fewer women in math and engineering
ethnocentrism
cultural relativism
judging another culture based on one’s own culture
judging a culture based on its standards
group
people who INTERACT with each other regularly
share similar norms, values, and expectations
the setting for social interaction and influence; groups help define social roles and status
Primary (emotional needs) and Secondary (pragmatic needs - instrumental function, short-lived)
opposite of group - aggregate
category - people who are studying for the MCAT; people who are similar but not yet united
bureaucracy (5 aspects)
administrative body, WEBER believe it is necessary
- covers a fixed area of activity
- hierarchically organized
- workers have expert training in an area of specialty
- organizational rank is impersonal, advancement depends on technical qualification (not favoritism)
- workers follow set procedures to increase predictability and efficiency
RATIONALIZATION - tasks are broken down into component parts (e.g. assembly line)
George Ritzer (sociologist)
uniform results in all McDonalds branches = rationalization
- efficiency
- calculability
- predictability
- control
downsides of bureaucracy
- bad at adapting to change
- overly attached to individual tasks
- bad at responding to new challenges on an interpersonal level
The Iron Law of Oligarchy -> increased centralization of tasks; everyone fights to defend their position and control over their task
mere presence effect
aka. social facilitation
people perform better when other people are present
stronger preference for color
walk faster in crowds
does not hold true for more complex tasks
arousal - depends on if something activate a dominant response (shooting hoops for a professional = good)
overwhelming fear -> reduces performance
HIGH arousal, LOW responsibility (name 3 factors)
LOSS of self-awareness, loss of restraint, mob mentality = INCREASE in DEINDIVIDUATION
mosh pits, atrocities in war
- group size: larger groups = more anonymity
- physical anonymity = facepaint, masks, costumes
- arousing activities = escalate
also, 4. alcohol
bystander effect
diffusion of responsibility
fewer people -> more likely response
social loafing -> clapping less in a large audience, the “free ride” idea -> companies evaluate individual performance
group polarization
groups tend to intensify preexisting views of its members - people take on a more extreme view than before discussion
- members of an environmental political party end up with stronger opinions than previous held by the average member
increases DIFFICULTY of group negotiation
2 reasons for group polarization
- informational influence - ideas that favor the dominant viewpoint - persuade others to take a stronger stance toward this viewpoint (NEED BETTER EXPLANATION)
- normative influence = social desirability, wanting to be accepted by others
Groupthink (4 symptoms)
don’t “rock the boat”
- overly optimistic about the group’s capabilities, unquestioned belief in its stances
- increasingly extreme in justifying its decision/demonizing its opponents
- MINDGUARDING - filtering out information/facts that go against the group
- pressure to conform - self-censoring of opinions in favor of consensus - the Illusion of unanimity
stigmas
demeaning labels for deviants (mentally ill, obese)
label examples = felon, fob
two experiments about influence on conformity/obedience
Solomon Asch -> peer pressure -> line experiments (choose to be wrong, rather than answering correctly) -> desire to CONFORM
Stanley Migram -> “milgram of shocks” -> obedience and power of authority
behavior influenced by social influences (3 ways)
- compliance - seek reward, avoid punishment -> easy to extinguish if rewards/punishments are removed
- identification -> behavior motivated by the desire to be like another person or group.
- internalization -> internalized behavior is motivated by values/beliefs integrated in one’s value system (The strongest motivation of the three) (WHY IS THIS AN EXAMPLE??)
normative social influence
motivation for compliance is the desire for approval of others and avoidance of rejection
“I want to be liked and accepted”
Ex. somebody who joins the Nazi party, but doesn’t believe in it
-> public compliance, not necessarily private acceptance of social norms
informational social influence
compliance because we want to do the right thing and because “others know something I don’t know”
- obvious authority figure, new situations, ambiguity
conformity is influenced by 6 factors
- group size (larger = more effect)
- unanimity: strong pressure not to dissent
- cohesion: strong group ties
- status: higher-status = more influence
- accountability: people tend to conform when they must be held responsible for their opinions
- No prior commitment: people tend to stick to their public commitments
