Chapter 12: Social Psychology Flashcards
gWhat is social psychology?
Scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and
behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied
presence of other people.
What is conformity?
Changing of one’s own behavior to match that of other people
What is Solomon Asch’s study?
Asking people to judge line lengths. but there is only one real participant and several “confederates” who purposefully give the wrong answers
What 3 things increase conformity?
People have strong interpersonal bonds with group members, people are of average social status, and people are members of collective cultures
What 3 things increase conformity?
People have strong interpersonal bonds with group members, people are of average social status, and people are members of collective cultures
What is group polarization?
Reinforcement received from group members strengths attitudes
Give an example of group polarization
Joining a small group
What is the risky shift phenomenon?
More extreme view or riskier decision is adopted than would otherwise be adopted
What is groupthink?
Pressure to maintain group cohesiveness overwhelms individual opinion and realistic assessment of facts
What is compliance?
Changing one’s own behavior as result of other people directing or asking for the change
What is the justification technique?
Reason to comply
What is the reciprocity technique?
Helping those who help you
Give an example of reciprocity?
Helping Luke after he sent me notes
What is the foot in the door technique?
Starting with a small request then following up with a large one, think “foot in the door”
Give an example of foot in the door technique
Asking a friend to borrow a small amount of money, then asking them to borrow a large amount of money
What is the door in the face technique?
Starting with a large request and then following up with a small one
Give an example of door in the face technique
Asking a friend to borrow a large amount of money and they say no, so you ask to borrow a smaller amount of money and they say yes
What is the that’s not all technique?
Making an offer and then improving it before the target has a chance to respond
Give an example of the that’s not all technique
Selling a product for $9.99 and throwing in a free product with it
What is the hard to get technique?
Convincing the target to that your product is rare or limited
Give an example of the hard to get technique
Flirting with other people than the intended mate
What is obedience?
Changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure
What is Milgram’s study?
Tests obedience of subjects by authority telling them to administer shocks to people
When is obedience reduced?
Teacher can see learner, teacher has to hold learner’s hand to the shock plate, and the experimenter leaves
What is social facilitation?
Enhanced performance due to the presence of others, familiar well-learned response
What is social interference?
Impaired performance due to the presence of others, difficult or poorly learned response
What is social loafing?
Individual effort decreases as the number of others who are involved decreases
Give an example of social loafing
One person in a group does majority of work
What are the ABC’s of attitude?
Affective component, Behavior component, Cognitive component
What are ABC’s of attitudes shaped by?
Direct contact, direct instruction, interaction with others, and observational learning.
What is central processing?
Messages that center directly on characteristics of a product or person
What is peripheral processing?
Messages that emphasize unrelated circumstances surrounding the targeted product or person
What is cognitive dissonance?
When our thoughts are inconsistent with our behaviors, we have a need to reduce their incompatibility
What are the 3 factors of cognitive dissonance?
1.) Change conflicting behavior to match cognition
2.) Change conflicting cognition to justify behavior
3.) Trivialization
What is attribution?
Explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others
What is internal attribution?
Assumption that behavior is caused by one’s character
What is external attribution?
Assumption that behavior is caused by one’s circumstance
What is fundamental attribution error?
We attribute behavior to internal traits because we underestimate situational variables
What is social desirability bias?
Tendency to give greater weight to socially undesirable behavior in judging people
What is common and uncommon effects?
The more uncommon a behavior is, the more likely we are to make an internal attribution to explain it
What is personalism?
We make internal attributions for actions that directly affect us and external attributions for actions that don’t affect us directly
What is actor-observer bias?
We attribute behavior of others to internal traits, but our own behavior to situational variables
Give an example of social desirability bias
You go on a first date and everything is going good, then he kisses you and his breath smells bad so you are uninterested
Give an example of personalism
Roommate gets a speeding ticket, you blow it off, you get a speeding ticket, you are upset
What is self-handicapping?
People sometimes sabotage their own performance so that, in case of failure, they can make an external attribution
Give an example of self-handicapping
You do not get enough sleep before an exam, so you blame doing bad on the exam on not getting enough sleep
What is prejudice?
Negative attitude held by a person about members of a specific social group
Give an example of prejudice
Negative attitude about a different race than you
What is discrimination?
Treating people differently because of prejudice
What is arousal?
Physical alertness and heightened awareness
What is familiarity?
Repeated exposure increases liking
What is physical attractiveness?
We attribute positive personality traits to physically attractive people
What is proximity?
Increases likelihood of acquaintance
What is similarity?
We are drawn to people who share our attitudes and temperament
What is intimacy?
Closeness of emotional bond
What is passion?
Romantic and physical attraction
What is commitment?
Decision and willingness to maintain a long-term relationship
What is aggression?
Behavior intended to hurt or destroy another person
What is deindividuation?
Assuming a social rule that leads to loss of individual identity
What is social learning?
Violence often rewarded in media
What is desensitization?
Increased exposure decreases impact
What is the bystander effect?
Chances of helping affected by number of bystanders
Give an example of diffusion of responsibility
No one calls 911 when they witness an emergency because they assume someone else did
What is diffusion of responsibility?
Feeling that other bystanders will take responsibility in an emergency
