Attraction and Aggression Flashcards
proximity effect
phenomenon that explains that people are more likely to mate with people who are geographically closer to them, simply because they are more likely to meet
mere exposure effect
the more a person is familiar with something the more likely they are to prefer that thing
can apply to mate preference, food choice, music taste, etc.
universal attractiveness
physical qualities that make a person appealing across cultures and throughout time
facial symmetry, unrelated physiological arousal, average features, and prominent sexual dimorphism characteristics play a role
sexual dimorphism
difference in physical characteristics between men and women besides the sex organs
people are often attracted to people based on their expression of these qualities, eg men with broad shoulders or women with a small wait
effect of similarity on attraction
way in which shared interests and physical qualities between oneself and another person tend to increase the likelihood of befriending the other person or finding them attractive
people tend to find mates that share social status, race, education level, etc.
attachment
social bond that connects two people
bond between a mother and a child is an example
Harlow monkey experiments
series of studies that aimed to test attachment that involved separating a monkey from its mother at a young age and tested its attachments to a figure that offered food and a cloth figure that offered comfort
these studies showed that the monkey spent a large amount of time clinging to the cloth mother, showing that the basis of attachment is likely comfort, rather than food provision
secure base
comfort found in a sensitive and attentive figure of attachment that allows an animal or child to explore away from this figure, knowing the figure will still be there when it returns
cloth mother in the Harlow Monkey Experiments was an example of this
Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
experimental setting that separated a mother from their child in an unfamiliar room with a stranger to test the child’s reactions
studying this led to the conclusion that there are 2 main attraction styles: insecure and secure
secure attachment
style of relationship between a child and its mother that presents in the Strange Situation as a child that is willing to explore the room while the mother is there, distressed behavior when the mother leaves, and a quick acceptance of the mother on her return
sensitive parenting styles seems to contribute to this style
secure attachment in adults
relationship style, correlated to a similar relationship style between a child and its mother, that is characterized by trusting their partner and seeing them as a source of comfort and security
insecure attachment
style of relationship between a child and its mother that presents in the Strange Situation as a child that clings to the mother, is not willing to explore the room, shows distressed behavior when the mother leaves, and does not quickly accept the mother on her return
insensitive or inconsistent parenting styles seemed to contribute to this relationship style
insecure attachment in adults
a relationship style, correlated to a similar relationship style between a child and its mother, that is characterized by mistrusting their partner or being anxious in relationships
aggression
behaviors that intend to harm another either physically or mentally
has a biological basis
amygdala
part of the brain that is largely responsible for the processing of emotions, especially anger
this part of the brain influences aggressive behaviors
frontal lobe
part of the brain responsible for attention, impulse control, and decision making
decreased activation of this area can contribute to aggressive behaviors
testosterone
male sex hormone that is responsible for development of secondary sex characteristics (eg facial hair, increased muscle mass, etc.)
present in both men and women, and high levels can lead to aggressive behaviors
frustration-aggression principle
idea that aggression is caused by the channeling of negative emotions towards the victim of the aggression (who is often unrelated to the source of the negative emotions)
reinforcement
favorable stimulus that follows a behavior that makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future
can contribute to aggression if aggressive behavior has led to a reward in the past
modeling
learning mechanism that involves observing the actions of others
can contribute to aggression if family members or peers exhibit aggression
deindividuation
effect of belonging to a group that results in the loss of self-awareness or identity
helps explain how seemingly normal, moral people can commit aggressive or violent acts in a group
social scripts
behaviors that are expected in a certain situation, especially as displayed by media or society
can contribute to aggression because these portrayed behaviors are often violent
altruism
behavior that is driven by selfless concern for others
people are more likely to display this type of behavior if it favors a family member, if they are more likely to interact with that person again, and if they can signal their abilities to bolster their reputation
reciprocal altruism
behavior that benefits another person with the expectation that the other person will act in a way that benefits the original actor in the future
cost signaling
act of engaging in an altruistic behavior for the purpose of demonstrating one’s abilities and access to resources, bolstering their own reputation in the process
empathy-altruism hypothesis
theory that explains the motivation behind actions that benefit others
based on the correlation between scoring high in tests of understanding others and engaging in work for the benefit of others
social support
various types of assistance provided by others
having more of this can contribute to living longer, healthier lives; having less of these can contribute to increased mortality with the same disease, anxiety, depression, or increased drug use
emotional support
assistance provided by others that deals with the individual’s feelings
can be through affection, empathizing and listening
often provided by the people that are closest to the individual
esteem support
assistance provided by others that serves to encourage or show belief in the individual’s capabilities
informational support
assistance provided by others that serves to provide knowledge
can come from someone close to the individual receiving it or from an anonymous source
tangible support
assistance provided by others that is in the form of a physical good or service
can come from someone close to the individual, from a bank, or from a charity
companionship support
assistance provided by others that gives a sense of social belonging or relatedness
status
position someone holds in a particular social setting
can differ for the same individual in different situations
ascribed status
social position that is assigned at birth and cannot be controlled
achieved status
social position that is earned through hard work and acquired through merit
role conflict
stress experienced when there are conflicting expectations of two different statuses that an individual holds
stress of completing all assignments as a student while keeping obligations as a friend is an example
primary group
relatively small collection of individuals with a shared identity
people within these groups have concern for each other and loyalty to the group that is based on a sense of belonging
secondary group
collection of individuals that are brought together temporarily for a certain purpose or goal
tend to have impersonal relationships
organizations
institutions that are designed to achieved a collective goal efficiently
utilitarian organizations
institutions that pay its voluntary members for their contributions
eg government, universities, or businesses
normative organizations
institutions made up of members who voluntarily come together for a common purpose despite the lack of reward or pay
eg Mothers Against Drunk Driving and religious groups
coercive organizations
institutions that are involuntarily joined and highly structured with a lot of rules
eg prisons and the military
bureaucracy
the way in which organizations are organized in order to maximize efficiency
bureaucratization
process by which organizations become increasingly controlled by procedures or policies
characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy
five commonalities between organizations that do not differ based on the goal of an organization
these include division of labor
division of labor
one of the 5 characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy that describes the assignment of different roles to different people in an organization in order to increase efficiency or to tailor to individual expertise
can in some cases cause alienation between workers and trained incapacity as workers between too specialized in their roles
hierarchy of organization
one of the 5 characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy that describes the assignment of higher positions in an institution in order to clarify the sense command
can in some causes cause an individual to shirk responsibilities because they are following orders, and hide mistakes because no one is overseeing everything
written rules and regulations of bureaucracy
one of the 5 characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy that describes stated laws of an organization that clarify expectations and creates continuity as workers come and go
can in some cases discourage creativity and initiative
impersonality of bureaucracy
one of the 5 characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy that describes equal treatment of subordinates within an organization through unbiased actions and a lack of favoritism
can in some cases cause alienation of employees and discourage loyalty
employment based on technical qualifications
one of the 5 characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy that describes merit based hiring methods that serves to decrease discrimination
can in some cases lead to the Peter Principle
Peter Principle
idea that people receive promotions within an organization until they reach a level of incompetence where they are not good at their job so they will not be promoted further
5 characteristics of the ideal bureaucracy
division of labor hierarchy of organization written rules and regulations impersonality employment based on technical qualifications
iron rule of oligarchy
idea that all organizations become less democratic over time and the power shifts towards a small group of people
McDonaldization
changes in organizations due to the increased emphasis on efficiency, calculability, predictability and control
