Ch 8 - Social processe, attitudes, and behavior

Question 1

michelangelo phenomenon

Answer 1

• concept of self i made of intrapersonal self, ideas of one’s abilities, traits, and beliefs. Also influenced by interpersonal self (manner in whcih other influence creation of ideal self)

Question 2

social action - actions and behaviors that individuals are conscious of and perform because others are around

Question 3

social facilitation

Answer 3

• social facilitation - tendency to perfom simple tasks better in the presence of others
• Yerkes-Dodson law of social facilitation - being in presence of others raises arousal and enhances performance of simple tasks (things they are already good at)
  
  • hinders complex tasks (less familiar tasks)
• performance is not solely dependent on skill

Question 4

Deindividuation

Answer 4

• individuals in a group setting lose individual identity
• increases anonymity
• antinormative behavior - behavior against the norm
• masks and uniforms increase antinormative behavior

Question 5

Bystander effect

Answer 5

• individuals do not intervene to help victims when others are present
• people in groups are less likely to notice danger or something out of the ordinary
• humans take cues from others in group - if others dont respond then you wont either
• well acquainted groups are more likely to help then groups of strangers
• how deserving of aid effects response
• more likely to intervene in high danger situations

Question 6

social loafing

Answer 6

• tendency of individuals to put in less effort when in a group setting

Question 7

Peer pressure

Answer 7

• social influence placed on an individual by a group of people or another individual
• peers - individuals who are equal within a social group
• identity shift effect - when an individual is threatened by social rejection, they conform to the group norm
  
  • internal conflict because this is new
  • identity shift to accept the shift
• cognitive dissonance - presence of 2 opposing thoughts that leads to internal discomfort
  
  • change, add, or minimize one thought
• experiment showed - may even give obviously wrong answer in order to match the group of confederates answer

Question 8

social interaction

Answer 8

• social interaction - explores how 2 or more individuals can shape each other’s behavior
• group polarization
• groupthink

Question 9

Group polarization

Answer 9

• tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas of members
• begin as reasonable ideas but become more extreme as discussion continues
• riskier and more cautious decisions
• choice shift
  
  • was risky shift before researchers realized it could shift to caution
• social media can contribute

Question 10

Groupthink

Answer 10

• desire for harmony results in people coming to an incorrect or poor decision
• fewer alternative ideas are assessed because they may cause conflict
• isolate and ignore external viewpoints
• can lead to riots and destructive group behaviors
• fad - behavior that is popular or desirable by a large community
• mass hysteria - shared, intense concern about threats to society
  
  • lead to shared delusion
    
    • Salem Witch Trials

Question 11

Groupthink factors - proposed by Irving Janis

Answer 11

• illusion of invulnertability - creation of optimism and encourage risk taking
• collective rationalization - ignore warnings
• illusion of morality - belief that decisions are moral
• excessive stereotyping - construction of stereotypes against outside opinions
• pressure for conformity - pressure on those that disagree
• self censorship - withholding opposing views
• illusion of unanimity - false sense of agreement
• mindguards - appoint members who protect against opposing views

Question 12

Culture affect on Group Process

Answer 12

• culture - beliefs, behaviors, actions, characteristics of a group or society
• learned by living within and observing then adopting behaviors

Question 13

Assimilation

Answer 13

• process where ones behavior begins to resemble another group’s
• different cultures may merge into one
• integrate new with old
• assess immigration assimilation based on 4 factors
  
  • SES
  • geographic distribution
  • language attainment
  • intermarriage
• ethnic enclaves - locations/neighborhoods with high concentrations of one ethnocity

Question 14

multiculturalism

Answer 14

• communities or societies containing multiple cultures
• encourages, respects, and celebrates cultural differences
• more acceptance then assimilation
• multiculturalism - cultural mosaic
• assimilation - melting pot

Question 15

subcultures

Answer 15

• groups that distinguish themselves from the primary culture
• counterculture - subculture is at odds with the majority cultre and deliberately opposes the prevailing social mores

Question 16

socialization

Answer 16

• developing, inheriting, and spreading norms, customs, and beliefs
• cultural transmission = cultural learning - manner in which a society socializes its members
• cultural diffusion - spread of norms, customs, beliefs
• primary socialization - during childhood, mostly via observation
  
  • foundation for personal opinions
• secondary - learning appropriate behavior wihtin smaller sections of society
  
  • school, church, sports
  • also when moved to a new area
  • adults and teens
• anticipatory socialization - person prepares for future change in occupation, relationship, living status
• resocialization - discard old behavior in favor of new. Positive or negative

Question 17

Norms

Answer 17

• norms - societal rules that define boundaries of acceptable
• mores - widely observed norms
• norms used for social control
  
  • sanctions - misconduct or reward fro appropriate behavior
    
    • formal (prison) or informal (social punishment)
• taboo - socially unacceptable
• folkways - norms that are polite in social interactions
  
  • shake hands after sports match

Question 18

Agents of socialization

Answer 18

• family
• peers
• religion
• government
• media
• work
• ethnic backgrounf
• clubs/social groups
• school

Question 19

deviance

Answer 19

• violation of norms, rules, expectations

Question 20

Stigma

Answer 20

• extreme disapproval or dislike based on perceived difference from the rest of society
• can extend to family members

Question 21

Labeling Theory

Answer 21

• linked to deviance, stigma, and reputation
• labels affect how others view someone
• labels affect that persons self-image
• some groups may embrace a label
• others may change

Question 22

differential association theory

Answer 22

• deviance can be learned through interactions with others
• degree to which someone is surrounded by ideals that adhere to social norms versus ideals that go against norms

Question 23

Strain theory

Answer 23

• explain deviance as a natural reaction to the disconnect between social goals and social structure
  
  • American dream to become wealthy via achievement and hard work
  • structure of society doesnt guarantee equal education and opportunity
  • deviant behavior like theft may be used to achieve the desired goal

Question 24

Conformity

Answer 24

• matching one’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to societal norms
• can be real or imaginery pressure
• aka majority influence
• normative conformity - desire to fit into a group because of fear of rejection
• Internalization - changing one’s behavior to fit with the group, privately also agree with the idea of the group
• identification - outward acceptance of others ideas without personally taking on the ideas
• collectivist societies tend toward conformity

Question 25

Compliance

Answer 25

• change in behavior based on direct request
  
  • often no authority or ground to stand on for requesting party
• foot in the door technique - small request made to gain compliance then larger request made
• door in the face technique - large request made at first, if refused then smaller second request
• lowball technique - initial commitment then raise required commitment
• thats not all technique - offer made and before decision is offered even more

Question 26

obedience

Answer 26

• changing behavior in response to order from authority figure
• more likely to comply then in compliance (no authority)
• Stanley Milgram experiment - subjects told to shock someone (confederate)
  
  • authority used demanding language to push subjects out of their comfort zone
  • people obey even if they wish to stop

Question 27

social cognition

Answer 27

• the way people think about others and how it impacts behavior

Question 28

Attitude

Answer 28

• expression of positive or negative feelings toward a person, place, thing, or scenario
• develop from experiences with others
• affective - the way a person feels toward something
  
  • emotional part of attitude
• behavioral - the way a person acts with respect to something
• cognitive - way an individual thinks about something
  
  • justification for affective and behavorial component

Question 29

functional attitudes theory

Answer 29

theory on attitudes

• 4 functions of attitudes
• knowledge - provides info to predict behavior. Consistency and stability, organize thought and experience
• ego expression - communicate and solidify self identity
• adaptive - one will be accepted if socially acceptable attitudes are expressed
• ego defensive - protect self esteem and justify actions that we know are wrong

Question 30

learning theory

Answer 30

• attitudes are developed through different forms of learning
• influenced by parents, adults, pleasure, peers, attitude of others
• formed via classical and operant conditioning, observational learning

Question 31

Elaboration Likelihood model

Answer 31

• attitude theory
• seperates individuals on a continuum based on processing of persuasive info
• central route processing - make decisions based on thinking about information and meaning
• peripheral route processing - focus on superficial details
• most people use both and fall in the middle

Question 32

social cognitive theory

Answer 32

• people learn how to behave and shape attitudes by observing others
• behavior is not learned by trial and error
• learn via direct observation and replication
• also influenced by personal factors and the environment
• Bandura’s triadic reciprocal causation - behavior, personal facotrs and environment