ch 13 txtbk Flashcards
perceived isolation (loneliness)
can initiate a cascade of negative interactions that further separate individuals from the social contact they need and want, interfere with the quality of sleep, increase feelings of negative mood and hostility, and lead to a heightened sensitivity to threat and attack
attributions
judgements about the causes of other people’s behaviour
dispositional attribution (internal)
judgement assigning the cause of a person’s behaviour to personal qualities or characteristics
situational attribution (external)
judgement assigning the cause of a person’s behaviour to the environ.
correspondence bias
the tendency to view behaviour as the result of disposition, even when the behaviour can be explained by the situation in which it occurs
actor-observer bias
occurs when we use situational variables to explain our own behaviour while continuing to use dispositional variables to explain behaviour of others
self-serving bias
attributing success to dispositional factors while attributing failure to situational factors
just-world belief
the assumption that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people
attitudes
positive or negative evaluation that predisposes behaviour twd an object, person or situation
3 basic elements of attitudes
affect (i.e., emotion), behaviour, and cognition (the ABCs)
The affective aspect of an attitude addresses emotional responses to the object
–this information about your future job prospects could make you feel quite helpless, frightened, or angry
Behaviour reflects the way that people respond to the object
–after hearing the news, you might schedule an appt with your academic adviser to discuss ways that you can pursue the subjects you love and still have a great career
The cognitive aspect of an attitude includes beliefs about the object
–in response to this news, you might believe that you have chosen the wrong major
prejudice
a prejudgment, usually negative, of another person on the basis of membership in a group
-can result from direct experience or they can be indirectly absorbed from the social world
stereotypes
simplified set of traits associated with membership in a group or category
discrimination
unfair behaviour based on stereotyping and prejudice
social norms
unwritten or unspoken rules for behaviour in social settings
conformity
matching behaviour and appearance to perceived social norms
-reduces the risk of rejection by a social group
compliance
occurs when we simply agree to do something bc another person asks us to do it, even if that person has no authority over us
-higher when factors that normally lead to the formation of relationships are present, such as perceived similarity and physical attraction
door-in-the-face scenario
persuasive technique in which compliance with a target request is preceded by a large, unreasonable request
For example, you might be asked to donate a large amount to an organization, followed by a request to “give what you can afford.” By lowering the initial demand, the salesperson has made a concession
–the rules of reciprocation now suggest that you have an obligation to that person and should respond to this concession with one of your own—sending a donation
foot-in-the-door scenario
persuasive technique in which compliance with a small request is followed by compliance with a larger request that might otherwise have been rejected
low-balling
making further requests of a person who has already committed to a course of action
Once you have made a commitment to buy a car, the salesperson leaves to “check” the deal with a supervisor and invariably returns with a few more charges to make the deal “work.”
obedience
defined as compliance with the request of an authority figure
Milgram
conducted experiments to demonstrate the power of authority over personal ethics
social facilitation
occurs when the presence of other people changes individual performance
e.g. Norman Triplett reported that cyclists riding in pairs rode faster than cyclists riding alone.
social loafing
reduced motivation and effort shown by individuals working in a group
deindividuation
refers to the immersion of the individual within a group, which makes the individual relatively anonymous
-can lead normally law-abiding people to commit uncharacteristic atrocities, including riots and lynching
group polarization
intensifying of an attitude following discussion
groupthink
a type of flawed decision making in which a group does not question its decisions critically
attraction
refers to our attitudes about other people and can vary along a continuum from strong liking to strong disliking
mere exposure effect
a situation in which repeated exposure increases liking
what is the prisoner’s dilemma
A classic model of competition and cooperation within groups
If you both remain silent, you will each be sentenced to one year. If you both confess, you will each receive ten years. However, if one confesses and the other remains silent, the prisoner who confesses will be set free, and the silent prisoner will receive a 20-year sentence
The dilemma arises because the best individual strategy is to confess or defect from your partner, but if both of you figure this out and subsequently confess, your outcome is worse than if you both had remained silent
In the prisoner’s dilemma, cooperation is moderately rewarded (a one-year sentence), while defection is punished (ten years). If only one of you confesses, however, the confessor is highly rewarded (freedom), while the other person is severely punished (20 years)
tit for tat strategy TFT
the most successful strategy in the prisoner’s dilemma situation is the tit-for-tat (TFT) strategy
Using the TFT strategy, you make cooperation your first move and then repeat your partner’s successive moves
The success of the TFT strategy has been attributed to three aspects: It is nice (you begin with cooperation), it is able to retaliate and punish uncooperative behaviour (defection by your partner is followed by your own defection), and it is forgiving (you return immediately to cooperation following cooperation on the part of your partner
bystander intervention
the study of situational variables related to helping a stranger, most notably the decreased likelihood of helping as the number of bystanders increases
