Chapter 1 - 4 Flashcards
What is psychology?
The scientific study of behavior; anything an animal or human does, feels, or thinks
What is social psychology?
Science that:- studies influences of our situations- with special attention to how we view and affect one another;Scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another.
What constitutes social thinking?
- How we perceive ourselves and others- What we believe- Judgments we make- Our attitudes
What constitutes social influence?
- Culture and biology- Pressure to conform- Persuasion- Groups of people
What constitutes social relations?
- Helping- Aggression- Attention & intimacy- Prejudice
What are some examples of social thinking?
- Self-fulfilling prophecy- Diagnostic labels- Self-handicapping- Hindsight bias
What are some examples of social influence?
- Groupthink- Obedience- Conformity
What are some examples of social relations?
- Bystander apathy- Mob mentality- Cults
What are six major themes in social psychology? How do they relate to the three subfields of social psychology?
Social Thinking:1. We construct our social reality.2. Our social intuitions are powerful, sometimes perilous.Social Influences:3. Social influences shape behaviour.4. Dispositions shape behaviour.Social Relations:5. Social behaviour is also biological behaviour.6. Relating to others is a basic need.
What are two problems with correlational research?
- Directionality problem2. Confounding variables
How did Kurt Lewin summarize the fundamental principles of social psychology?
“Behaviour is a function of the person and the situation.”
What is the naturalistic fallacy?
Error of defining what is “good” in terms of what is observable. i.e. Typical = normal = good.
What are the obvious ways in which the values of social psychologists penetrate their work?
- Choice of research topics- Types of people who are attracted to various fields of study
What are the subtle ways in which the values of social psychologists penetrate their work?
- Hidden assumptions when forming concepts- Choosing labels- Giving advice- Naturalistic fallacy
What does a good theory accomplish?
- Effective summarization of many observations- Clear predictions that can be used to confirm or modify the theory, generate new exploration, and suggest practical applications.
What are demand characteristics?
Cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behaviour is expected.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of correlational and experimental research?
Correlational research:+ Often uses real-world settings- Causation often ambiguousExperimental research:+ Can explore cause and effect by controlling variables by random assignment- Some important variables cannot be studied with experiments
What is the fundamental attribution error?
The tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences on others’ behaviour.AKA The correspondence bias
Why do we make the fundamental attribution error?
When people explain their own behavior they typically are giving reasons (not causes) that justify how they chose to behave. Reasons are justifications perceived by the actor.Causes are objective factors (features of the environment, the actor, etc.) as discerned by objective or external observers.Also, the situation is visible to us because we’re focusing on what we’re reacting to while when we watch someone act, that person is the focus of our attention.
How is negative behaviour interpreted through dispositional attribution vs. situational attribution?
Dispositional attribution:- Person is naturally a negative person- Leads to unfavourable reactionSituational attribution:- Person has received some bad news- Leads to symptomatic reaction
What is priming?
- Activating particular associations in memory(e.g., watching a scary movie and interpreting household noises as an intruder)- Can influence our thoughts & actions
What is unconscious transference?
Refers to an eyewitness’s misidentification of an innocent bystander for a criminal perpetrator because of the witness’s exposure to the bystander in another context.
What do Elizabeth Loftus’ studies show about eyewitness accounts?
Elizabeth Loftus found that those who had “seen” were, indeed, believed, even when their testimony was shown to be useless. Compared to criminal cases lacking eyewitness testimony, those that have eyewitness testimony are more likely to produce convictions even if that eyewitness testimony was discredited.
What is the misinfomation effect?
Incorporating “misinformation” into one’s memory of an event, after witnessing the event and receiving misleading information about it.Potential for the creation of false memoriese.g., Supposed child sexual abuse