Chapter 1- Introducing Social Psychology Flashcards
social psychology
- scientific study of the way in which people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people
- influence by the entire social situation
- how situations and context influence what people do
- study of psychological processes people have in common that make them susceptible to social influence
sociology
- study of groups, organizations, and societies
- as opposed to the study of individuals
personality psychology
-study of the characteristics that make individuals unique and different from one another
goal of social psychology
- to identify universal properties of human nature that make everyone susceptible to social influence
- regardless of social class or culture
empirical questions
- answers can be derived from experimentation or measurement, rather than by personal opinion
- characteristic of social psychology
scientific methods
- test assumptions, guesses, and ideas about human social behavior
- empirical or systematic
- don’t rely of folk wisdom, common sense, or opinions
individual differences
-aspects of people’s personalities that make them different from others
level of analysis for social psychologist
-INDIVIDUAL in the context of a SOCIAL SITUATION
fundamental attribution error
- tendency to explain behavior entirely in terms of personality traits
- underestimate power of social influence
- don’t take possible situation into account
- oversimplifying problem
- gives feeling of false security
false security
- write off undesirable people as flawed human beings
- gives feeling that it could never happen to us
behaviorism
- human behaviors based on reinforcement
- behavior followed by reward is likely to continue
- behavior followed by punishment is likely to cease
- forgets to focus on interpretation of environment as key factor
gestalt psychology
- we should study subjective way in which an object appear in a person’s mind
- look at the whole picture
- DON’T just look at some of parts
naive realism
- perception of something is a direct copy of it
- if others see something differently, they are biased
- each side believes reasonable people see things the way they do
motives
- underlie thoughts and behavior
- 2 primary
1. ) need to feel good about ourselves
2. ) need to be accurate
self-esteem
-see oneself as good competent, and decent
self-esteem approach
- the need to feel good about oneself
- people distort interpretation of reality so that they feel better about themselves
- motives and behavior often surprising
construal
-interpretation of social environment
Social cognition approach
-self-justification
-focus on good parts and distort bad parts as inconsequential
-put positive spin on experience
Ex: hazing into fraternity
social cognition
-the ways in which human beings think about the world
self-fulfilling prophecy
-expect that you or anohter personal will behave in some way, so you act in ways to make your prediction come true
Ex: teacher told who will be smart students -> unconsciously lead them to greatest success
Human beings are often motivated to construe themselves and the social world accurately. The ________ approach is based on this assumption
social cognition
In their approach to understanding social behavior, social psychologists are most similar to
gestalt psychologists
Compared to social psychologists, personality psychologists are more likely to focus their attention on
individual differences
Which of the following is an example of social influence
You feel guilty because you lied to your trusting professor about your assignment
The fundamental attribution error can be described as
underestimate power of social influence
The whole is different from the sum of its parts. This statement reflects a tenet of_______ psychology
gestalt psychology
George just finished a poem, and is very proud of his work. He knows he should ask his instructor for some constructive feedback to improve it, but chooses not to because he is afraid of losing his sense of accomplishment. In this case, which basic motive did George give into
need to feel good about oneself
Social psychology is set apart from other ways of interpreting social behavior such as folk wisdom or literature because it is
experimental science
Like social psychologists, personality psychologists focus on
individuals rather than collectivist institutions
Both social psychologists and sociologists are interested in aggression. Compared to sociologists, which of the following questions is a social psychologist most likely to ask
when does anger lead to aggression
Why is a scientific approach preferable to reliance on folk wisdom and common sense
folk wisdom and common sense are filled with contradictions
The definition of social psychology includes all of the following EXCEPT
role of individual differences
Sheila shows up for a blind date with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. Her date, Patrick, thinks, “She must be a total slob!” Patrick’s thought about Sheila is an example of
fundamental attribution error
Social psychologists differ from sociologists in that social psychologists
are concerned with people’s contruals of their environment
Larry is a physician and is convinced that his patient, Mr. Mraz has cancer. However, after several diagnostic tests, and a biopsy come back negative, Larry re-thinks his original diagnosis. He admits that he was wrong and does more research to find the correct diagnosis. In this case, which basic motive did Larry give into
need for accuracy
Social psychologists use the term _______ to describe the way in which people perceive, comprehend, and interpret their social worlds
construal
Josh and his friends have just started up a new fraternity on campus, and want to recruit men who will be loyal and love it. Based on the self-esteem approach, which initiation strategy would you recommend to Josh
make them suffer a little
Professor Kingsley believes that children learn to be polite when they are rewarded for saying things like “Please” and “Thank you.” Professor Kingsley is most likely a _____ psychologist
behavioral
Social psychologists differ from philosophers in that philosophers
rely on arguments, social psychologists on research
Last weekend, Paula smiled politely while Lance talked to her for several hours. Wow, thinks Lance to himself, she was so nice, Paula must really like me, she was so friendly! Lance’s interpretation of Paula’s behavior is an example of
construals
