Chapter 11 Flashcards
Two fundamental axioms of social psychology
1) People create their own reality
2) Other people and situations influence behaviors
Cognitive Dissonance
Thinking differs from behavior
Reducing Dissonance?
1) Change behavior to align with thinking
2) Justify behavior by changing or adding a new cognition
3) Self affirmation
Attributions
1) Explanations for own and others behavior
Situational influences on behavior
External (would affect anyone that way)
Dispositional influences on behavior
Internal(personality, attitudes)
Fundamental Attribution Error
Overemphasized dispositional influences, underemphasized situational
Ultimate Attribution Error
Applies to groups of people
Self-Serving Attributions
Take personal credit for good outcomes and blame outside forces for bad outcomes
The Just World Hypothesis
Bad things happen to bad people, vice versa
Conformity
A change in beliefs or behavior to be consistent with group standards due to the influence of others
Informational social influence
Conforming when it is important to be right
Normative social influence
Conforming to fit it
Individualistic Cultures
Emphasize freedom and independence; conforming means loss of control
Collectivist Cultures
Emphasize ties to the social group; conforming means maturity and inner strength
Obedience
Changing behavior because of a direct command to do so from someone that appears to be authority
Factors influencing obedience
1) Relieved of responsibility
2) Clear who is in charge
3) Gradual escalation of commands
4) Situational demands
Pro-Social Behavior
Any act to help someone else, regardless of motives
Altruism
Pro-Social behavior with no self-interest (no benefit but maybe cost)
Norm of reciprocity
Because we’ve been helped in the past we expect to helped in the future
Norm of social justice
Equal distribution of resources based on deservedness
Norm of social responsibility
Should help those who depend on us
What is an attitude?
Evaluation of an object or person or idea with some degree of favor or disfavor
Abcs of attitudes
Affective(Feelings)- based on emotions or values, not logic
Behavioral- self-perception,when weak or ambiguous
Cognitive (thoughts)- Based on the objective properties of the object
Prejudice
A hostile, unwarranted, and negative evaluation of a group of people, based on their membership in that group
