Chapter 13 & 14 Flashcards
social psychology
the study of the cause and consequences of sociality
-how individuals think, feel and act in social context
aggression
behaviour with the purpose of harming another
frustration-aggression hypothesis
a principle stating that animals aggress when their goals are blocked
person perception
the process of forming impressions of others
how and why do we make ‘snap’ judgements?
helps us to quickly identify potential dangers
based on biases ad stereotypes
attribution
inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others behaviour and their own behaviour, we tend to misinterpret other’s behaviours
ex) the judgement you make about someone who budges in front of you at Starbucks
fundamental attribution error
we tend to attribute people’s behaviour to personal traits and ignore situational factors that may have been the cause of that behaviour
the actor-observer effect
the tendency to judge one person’s actions different then when another person does the same thing
ex) you scream cause you have anger issues, I scream because no one listens to me in the house
defense attribution
tendency to blame the victim for their own misfortune
the “just world hypothesis”
you get what you deserve, bad things will happen to bad people, karma
central route to persuasion vs. peripheral route
central: appeals to logic and reason
peripheral: appeals to emotion & habit
obedience
behaviour produced by the command of authority
the mere exposure effect
repeated exposure to a stimulus (person) is enough for a favorable response
-the more you see that person, the more you like them
matching hypothesis
we tend to choose partners that are of equal attractiveness
social loafing
reduction in an individual’s effort when working with others
ex) group projects
group polarization and group think
polarization: more extreme decisions are made together then individually
think: most ‘voiced’ gets their way
bystander effect
people are less likely to provide help when in groups than when they are alone
- we assume that someone else will do it
ex) broken down car on highway vs. dirt road
factors that increase bystander intervention..
- good mood
- feeling guilty
- seeing others helping
- knowing how to help
- not in a rush
- personalized relationship
factors that decrease bystander intervention..
- pressure of others
- big city or really small towns
- ambiguous situations
- cost outweighs benefit
conformity
the tendency to do what others do simply because others are doing it
-no direct request, normative influence
Solomon Asch studied what? what experiment did he conduct?
studied formation of impressions of personality and conformity
-experiment: cards w lines on them, participant agreed with confederate even when they were obviously wrong
normative conformity
yielding to group pressures in order to fit in
-fear of social rejection
informational conformity
lack the knowledge so we look to others
small world technique
Milgram
>the six degrees of separation–> how linked are we as a society?
>bacon number
stress
a pattern of responsiveness to events that match or exceed an organism’s ability to cope
stressor
a stimulus that threatens an organism and elicits a coping response
2 categories of stress..
1) major life events
2) daily hassles
burnout
not dealing with stress
- physical and emotion exhaustion
- a sense of not accomplishing
what are 3 economic costs of stress?
- absenteeism (sick days)
- employee turnover
- vulnerability to health problems
clinical psychology
deals with psychopathology (the study of mental disorders)
post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
chronic physical arousal, unwanted thoughts/images, and avoidance of things associated with a traumatic event (exposure to extreme harm, or death)
acute stress
clear onset and offset patterns
ex) final exams coming up in December
chronic stress
continuous state of arousal
ex) family member diagnosed with cancer
telomeres
protective caps at the end of a DNA strand that protect chromosomes and stop them from sticking together
-causes aging when shortened
general adaption syndrome (GAS)
3 stages?
3 stage physiological stress response (the response never varies)
1) alarm (rapid mobilization)
2) resistance (cope & adapt)
3) exhaustion
immune cells
specialized white blood cells called lymphocytes
-chronic stress decreases the number of immune cells, those left over are less effective at protecting us
psychneuroimmunology (PNI)
the study of the response of the immune system to psychological variables
-chronic stress weakens our body
hostility
personal intensity, anger
type A behaviour pattern
easily aroused to hostility, impatient, competitive
-opposite type B: mellow
when does frustration occur? why?
change (readjustment)
conflict (should I?)
pressure (conformity and performance expectations)
-occurs when our pursuit of a specific goal is blocked
appraisal of stress
the way we perceive stress depends on our cognitive appraisal and available resources
cortisol
the hormone released in response to stress
-beneficial short term, detrimental long term (body on high alert 24/7)
neurotransmitter systems and endocrine systems do what?
interact to respond to threats
- use body resources
- increases protective responses
problem focused coping
attempting to directly change the stressor or change the way we interact with it
- you are in control
ex) confronting a hostile friend
emotion focused coping
attempting to relieve or regulate the emotional impact of a stressful situation
- out of your control
ex) avoiding your hostile friend
Ekman’s facial feedback theory
facial expressions can produce those effects on your body whether you feel that emotion or not
cooperation
beaviour by 2 or more individuals that lead to mutual benefit
group
a collection of people who have something in common that distinguish them from others
prejudice
a positive or negative evaluation of another person based on their group membership
common knowledge effect
the tendency for group discussions to focus on information that all members share
deindividuation
when in groups, individuals tend to become less aware of their individual values
diffusion of responsibility
the tendency for individuals to feel less responsible in a situation when others are acting in the same way
altruism
behaviour that benefits another without benefiting oneself
kin selection
the process by which evolution selects for individuals who cooperate with their relatives
reciprocal altruism
behaviour that benefits another with the expectation that those benefits will be returned in the future
passionate love
an experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy and intense sexual attraction
companionate love
an experience involving affection, trust and concern for a partner’s well being
social exchange
the hypothesis stating that people remain in relationships only as long as they perceive a favourable ratio of benefits and costs
comparison level
the cost-benefit ratio that people believe they deserve or could attain in another relationship
equity in a relationship
a state of affairs where the cost-benefit ratios of two partners are roughly equal
social influence
the ability to control another’s behaviour
norms
customary standards for behaviour that are widely shared by members of a culture
norm of reciprocity
the unwritten rule that one should benefit those who have benefited them
normative influence
when one person’s behaviour provides information about what is appropriate
door in the face technique
An influence strategy that involves getting someone to deny an initial request (ask for something big, get rejection, then ask for something small, accepted)
attitude
An enduring positive or negative evaluation of an object or event (eat an apple)
belief
An enduring piece of knowledge about an object or event (open the fridge)
informational influence
Occurs when another person’s behaviour provides information about what is true
Systematic persuasion
The process by which attitudes or beliefs are changed by appeals to reason
Heuristic persuasion
The process by which attitudes or beliefs are changed by appeals to habit or emotion
Foot in door technique
A technique that involves making a small request and following it with a larger request
Cognitive dissonance
An unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes the inconsistency of their actions, attitudes or beliefs
Social cognition
The process by which people come to understand others
Self fulfilling prophecy
The tendency for people to behave as they are expected to behave
Stereotype threat
The fear of confirming the negative beliefs that others may hold
Perceptual confirmation
The tendency for people to see what they expect to see
Subtyping
The tendency for people who receive disconfirming evidence to modify their stereotypes rather than abandon them
Attribution
An inference about the cause of a person’s behaviour
Correspondence bias
The tendency to make a dispositional attribution even when we should instead make a situational attribution
HPA axis
Stressor is recognized..
Hypothalamus- releasing factor
Pituitary gland- ACTH hormone released
Adrenal gland- cortisol and catecholamines released to initiate fight or flight
Telomerase
An enzyme that rebuilds telemeres
Lymphocytes
White blood cells that produce antibodies that fight infection
-including T and B cells
Repressive coping
Avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining a artificially positive viewpoint
Rational coping
Facing a stressor and working to overcome it
3 stages: acceptance, exposure and understanding
Reframing
Finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat
Stress inoculation training (SIT)
A reframing technique that helps people to cope with stressful situation by developing positive ways to think about the situation
Self regulation
The exercise of voluntary control over the self to bring the self into line with preferred standards
Biofeedback
The use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function
Social support
The aid gained through interacting with others
Sick role
A socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness
Psychosomatic illness
An interaction between mind and body that can produce illness
Illusion of unique invulnerability
A systematic bias toward believing that they are less likely to fall victim to the problem than are others
