***Chapter 12: Social Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

social psychology

A

the study of how people influence others’ behavior, beliefs, + attitudes

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2
Q

need-to-belong theory

A

-humans have a biologically based need for interpersonal connections
-threat of social isolation can lead to self-destructive behavior + may impair our mental functioning
-the pain we experience in response to social rejection may be similar in some ways to physical pain
-long-term loneliness can exert negative, at times devastating, effects on our psychological adjustment (depression, early death, cognitive decline, risk for Alzheimer’s disease)

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3
Q

social comparison theory

A

we need to evaluate our abilities + beliefs by comparing them with those of others

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4
Q

upward social comparison

A

we compare ourselves with people who seem superior to us in some way

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5
Q

downward social comparison

A

we compare ourselves with people who seem inferior to us in some way

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6
Q

upward or downward social comparison

“If he can achieve that, I bet I can too”

A

upward

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7
Q

upward or downward social comparison

“It’s not that I am dumb, it’s that he’s incredibly smart”

A

upward

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8
Q

upward or downward social comparison

“I am a big fish in a small pond”

A

downward

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9
Q

upward or downward social comparison

“I won the third place, but she did not even make it to the final!”

A

downward

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10
Q

social contagion

A

we look to others when a situation is ambiguous + we’re not sure what to do

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11
Q

mass hysteria

A

a contagious outbreak of irrational behavior that spreads much like a flu epidemic

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12
Q

collective delusions

A

many people simultaneously convinced of bizarre things that are false

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13
Q

urban legends

A

false stories repeated so many times that people believe them to be true

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14
Q

mass hysteria, collective delusions, or urban legends

In 1954, thousands of Seattle residents became alarmed by tiny pits in their car windshields which they suspected as the result of secret nuclear tests performed by the federal government

A

collective delusions

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15
Q

mass hysteria, collective delusions, or urban legends

While still alive, Walt Disney arranged to have his body frozen after his death so that it could be unfrozen at a future date when advanced technology will permit him to live again

A

urban legends

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16
Q

mass hysteria, collective delusions, or urban legends

In 2013, a single fake tweet proclaimed that President Barack Obama had been seriously injured following an attack on the White House. The U.S. financial markets quickly plunged by $130 billion

A

mass hysteria

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17
Q

social factilitation

A

even the mere presence of others can enhance our performance in certain situations (on easy tasks)

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18
Q

example of social facilitation

A

bicycle racers obtained faster speeds when racing along with other bicyclists than when racing against only the clock

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19
Q

social disruption

A

a worsening of performance in the presence of others, occurs on tasks we find difficult

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20
Q

example of social disruption

A

we get “choked” in the company of others while telling a joke with a complicated punch line

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21
Q

attribution

A

assigning causes to behavior

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22
Q

dispositional/internal attribution

A

attributing behavior to enduring characteristics, such as personality traits, attitude, or intelligence

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23
Q

situational/external attribution

A

attributing behavior to what’s going on around them

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24
Q

dispositional/internal or situational/external attribution

I missed the bus because I got up late

A

dispositional/internal

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25
Q

dispositional/internal or situational/external attribution

he is such a careless driver. He never watches out for other cars

A

dispositional/internal

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26
Q

dispositional/internal or situational/external attribution

I missed the bus because the bus arrived earlier than scheduled

A

situational/external

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27
Q

dispositional/internal or situational/external attribution

he probably has something emergent that he is driving so fast

A

situational/external

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28
Q

fundamental attribution error (FAE)

A

the tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences + underestimate the impact of situational influences on others’ behavior

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29
Q

when do we tend to commit FAE

A

when explaining others’ behavior
-less so when explaining the causes of our own behavior

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30
Q

Japanese + Chinese are more/less prone to FAE than people in Western cultures

A

less prone

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31
Q

conformity

A

the tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure

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32
Q

Asch study

A

-participants told this as a study of perceptual judgements
-participants in group asked to compare + match line lengths
-confederates picked the wrong line
-75% of participants in the original Asch study conform to the incorrect norm on at least 1 of the 12 trials

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33
Q

what 3 things influence conformity

A

-uniformity of agreement
-difference in the wrong answer
-size

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34
Q

influences on conformity

uniformity of agreement

A

if all confederates gave the wrong answer, the participant was more likely to conform

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35
Q

influences on conformity

difference in the wrong answer

A

knowing that someone else in the group differed from the majority made the participant less likely to conform

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36
Q

influences on conformity

size

A

people were no more likely to conform in a group of 10 than in a group of 5

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37
Q

what does Asch’s study show us

A

that many of us can + do resist the power of the group

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38
Q

what do brain imagining studies suggest about conforming behavior

A

conforming behavior was associated with activities in the amygdala (anxiety), parietal + occipital lobes (visual perception)

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39
Q

low self-esteem is related to being more/less prone to conformity

A

more

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40
Q

Asians are more/less likely to comply to group norms

A

more

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41
Q

is there a significant gender difference in conformity

A

no

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42
Q

deindividuation

A

the tendency of people to engage in atypical behavior when stripped of their usual identities

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43
Q

example of deindividuation

A

posting something on Instagram different than how you converse with your friends; you may text different than you speak face to face

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44
Q

deindividuation is due to what

A

a feeling of anonymity + lack of personal responsibility

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45
Q

Stanford prison study

A

-subjects randomly assigned role of guard or prisoner
-guards began to treat prisoners cruelly, subject them to harsh punishments, + become increasingly sadistic
-many prisoners began to display signs of depression, hopelessness, + anger
-study stopped early

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46
Q

groupthink

A

an emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking
-viewpoint diversity (valueing a range of different perspectives) is crucial to groupthink
-encourage dissent within an organization (devil’s advocate) to avoid groupthink
-doesn’t always lead to bad decisions, just overconfident ones

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47
Q

3 examples of groupthink

A

-Holocaust in WW2
-collapse of Swissair
-mass resignation of the Major League Umpires Association

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48
Q

groupthink

collapse of Swissair

A

the airline was once to financially solvent it was called the “Flying Bank”. However, they began to believe they were invulnerable + as a result of failing to question poor decisions + gross mismanagement, the airline eventually went bankrupt

49
Q

groupthink

mass resignation of the Major League Umpires Association

A

the members resigned in 1999 in an attempt to gain a stronger negotiating position. They overestimated the resolve + unity of their members + the strength of their position within major league baseball. As a result, their efforts were not effective

50
Q

in extreme forms, what can groupthink lead to

A

cults
-groups that exibit intense + unquestioning devotion to a single individual/cause

51
Q

groupthink symptoms

A

-ilusion of group’s invulnerability
-illusion of group’s unanimity
-unquestioned belief in group’s moral correctness
-conformity pressure
-stereotyping of the out-group
-self-censorship
-mind guards

52
Q

groupthink symptoms

illusion of group’s invulnerability

A

“we can’t possibly fail”

53
Q

groupthink symptoms

illusion of group’s unanimity

A

“obviously, we all agree”

54
Q

groupthink symptoms

unquestioned belief in the group’s moral correctness

A

“we know we’re on the right side”

55
Q

groupthink symptoms

conformity pressure

A

“don’t rock the boat”

56
Q

groupthink symptoms

stereotyping of the out-group

A

“they’re all morons”

57
Q

groupthink symptoms

self-censorship

A

“I suspect the group leader’s idea is stupid, but I’d better not say anything”

58
Q

groupthink symptoms

mind guards

A

“oh, so you think you know better than the rest of us?”

59
Q

group polarization

A

occurs when group discussion strengthens the dominant position held by individual group members

60
Q

2 examples of group polarization

A

-a group of students who were slightly unprejudiced became less prejudiced after discussing racial issues, whereas a group that was slightly prejudiced became more prejudiced after discussing racial issues
-left-leaning students becoming more liberal, + right-leaning students becoming more conservative

61
Q

inoculation effect

A

approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective might be correct + then debunking these reasons

62
Q

obedience

A

adherence to instructions from those of higher authority

63
Q

Milgram experiment

A

-subjects (the teacher) told to give increasing levels of shock to another subject (the learner) every time an error was made
-62%; obeyed until the end, though they seemed reluctant to do so

-“I stopped, but he (the experimenter) made me go on”
-the greater the “psychological distance” between teacher (the actual participant) + the experimenter, the less the obedience
-the greater the psychological distance between teacher + learner, the more the obedience
-lower moral level, high authoritarianism, agreeableness, + conscientiousness associated with more obedience to the experimenters’ demands
-no consistent sex differences in obedience nor significant differences between Americans + non-Americans

64
Q

pluralistic ignorance

A

the error of assuming that no one in the group perceives things as we do which keeps us from interpreting a situation as an emergency

65
Q

diffusion of responsibility

A

discourages us from offering assistance in an emergency

66
Q

enlightenment effect

A

learning about psychological research can change real-world behavior for the better

67
Q

social loafing

A

a phenomenon in which people slack of when they’re working in groups

-variant of bystander nonintervention
-people in individualistic countries are more prone to social loafing than are people in collectivist countries

68
Q

altruism

A

helping others for unselfish reasons

-altruism out of egoistic (self-centered) reasons -> relieving our own distress, experiencing the joy of helping, future reciprocity of help
-altruism out of genuine emphathy + relieve the disstress of others

69
Q

people are more likely to help others when they…

A

-can’t easily escape the situation
-in a good mood
-has the time or skills
-extroverted
-exposed to role models
-less concerned about social approval
-seeing certain characteristics of the victim

70
Q

men are more prone to help than women…

A

-in situations involving physical or social risks
-especially if the women are physically attractive

71
Q

aggression

A

behavior intended to harm others, either verbally or physically

72
Q

situational influences on aggression

A

-interpersonal provocation
-frustration
-media influences
-aggressive cues
-arousal
-alcohol + other drugs
-temperature

73
Q

higher physical aggression in males or females

A

males
-in younger males (12-28) than older ones

74
Q

higher level of relational aggression in boys or girls

A

girls

75
Q

Asian people have more/less physical aggression than Western

A

less

76
Q

culture of honor

A

a social norm of defending one’s reputation in the face of perceived insults
-people from Northern China are more likely to be offended by Pacific insults + take aggression to defend their reputation

77
Q

recognition heuristic

A

we are more likely to believe something we’ve heard many times

78
Q

bandwagon fallacy

A

one must accept/reject an argument because everyone else accepts/rejects it

79
Q

are attitudes + personality related

A

yes

-political conservatives are more fearful, sensitive to threat, less tolerant of uncertainty than liberals
-high conscientiousness + agreeableness are related to being religious

80
Q

cognitive dissonance

A

unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from 2 conflicting thoughts or beliefs

81
Q

cognitive dissonance theory

A

we dislike the state of tension due to cognitive dissonance, so we are motivated to reduce/eliminate it

82
Q

example of cognitive dissonance theory

A

-attitude A: you shouldn’t be stealing those office supplies
-attitude B: what’s the big deal? You deserve to get a few privileges sometimes
-we can resolve this by changing our cognition A OR by changing cognition B, OR by introducing a new cognition C

83
Q

self-perception theory

A

we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors

behavior -> attitude

84
Q

example of self-perception theory

A

behavior: now that I think about it, I vote only for conservatives
attitude: I guess I don’t like liberal politicians

85
Q

impression management theory

A

we don’t really change our attitudes, but we don’t want to appear inconsistent

86
Q

dual process models of persuasion

A

there are 2 alternative pathways to persuading others

87
Q

central route

A

evaluate the merits of persuasive arguments carefully + thoughtfully; focus on the informational content of argument

88
Q

system 1 or 2 thinking in central route

A

system 2 thinking

89
Q

peripheral route

A

respond to persuasive arguments on the basis of snap judgements; focus on the surface aspect of argument

90
Q

system 1 or 2 thinking in peripheral route

A

system 1 thinking

91
Q

foot-in-the-door technique

A

start small before making a bigger request

92
Q

example of foot-in-the-door technique

A

asking your friend to start volunteering with you once a week + gradually increasing the amount of time you ask them to volunteer

93
Q

door-in-the-face technqiue

A

start with a large request before asking for a small one

94
Q

example of door-in-the-face technique

A

asking someone for a donation of $100; they decline so you ask them for $10 instead

95
Q

low-ball technique

A

start by quoting a price well below the actual sales price, then the add-ons that come along with the product

96
Q

“but you are free” technique

A

gives the sense that the customer is free to choose whether to perform the act (make the purchase or not)
-end in saying “but you are free to make the purchase or not”

97
Q

prejudice

A

negative attitudes toward others

98
Q

stereotype

A

a belief (positive or negative) about a group’s characteristics that apply to most members of that group

99
Q

key difference between prejudice + stereotype

A

prejudice is only about negative attitudes toward other people; stereotype can be positive, negative, or neutral

100
Q

adaptive conservatism

A

organisms benefit from forging close alliances with insiders + from mistrusting outsiders; “better safe than sorry”

101
Q

in-group bias

A

the tendency to favor individuals inside our group relative to members outside our group

102
Q

out-group homogeneity

A

the tendency to view all people outside our group as highly similar

103
Q

scapegoat hypothesis

A

prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes

104
Q

example of scapegoat hypothesis

A

I lost my job because all the newcomers that come to Florida

105
Q

just-world hypothesis

A

“blaming the victim”; believing that all things happen for a reason

106
Q

example of just-world hypothesis

A

there is a reason that person got put in jail, without considering other factors such as wrong convictions

107
Q

conformity

A

for social approval

108
Q

individual differences in prejudice

A

authoritarian personality traits + extrinsic religiosity are related to higher levels of prejudice

109
Q

extrinsic religiosity

A

view religion as a means to end such as obtaining friends or social support

110
Q

those with high extrinsic religiosity tend to have lower/higher levels of prejudice than non-religious people

A

higher

111
Q

intrinsic religiosity

A

viewing religion as a deeply integrated part of their belief system

112
Q

those with intrinsic religiosity tend to have lower/higher levels of prejudice than non-religious people

A

equal/lower

113
Q

explicit prejudices

A

biases of which we’re aware

114
Q

implicit prejudices

A

biases of which we’re unaware

115
Q

discrimination

A

the act of treating members of out-groups differently from members of in-groups (negative behaviors)

116
Q

difference between prejudice + discrimination

A

-prejudice refers to negative ATTITUDES toward others
-discrimination refers to negative BEHAVIORS toward others

117
Q

can we have prejudice without discriminating

A

yes
-but- prejudice + discrimination frequently go hand-in-hand

118
Q

systemic racism

A

practices, policies, + cultural/social perspectives that…

A) deliberately or often unintentionally, create barriers or disadvantages to members of social racial/ethnic groups
AND/OR
B) contribute to long-term disparities among groups