Chapter 13 - Behaviour In A Social Context Flashcards
What are attributions?
Attributions are the explanations for why people do things, generally. Not a scientific explanation, but a question of motive.
There are two types of attributions. What are they?
Personal attributions - Often called internal or dispositional attributions. This is when you explain behaviour in terms of who they are as people.
Situational attributions - Behaviour is explained in terms of situational context. Not a question of character but of motive.
What is consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus?
Consistency - “How often does person do X in situation Y?”
Distinctiveness - “To what extent does person ONLY do X in situation Y?”
Consensus - “To what extent does everyone else do X in situation Y?”
What does the Fundamental Attribution Error explain?
This bias describes how people are more likely to make personal attributions for others’ behaviour whether it is good or bad. We are more likely to make behavioural assumptions based on who they are as people (personal attributions).
What does the self-serving bias constitute?
The chances we assign either a personal or situational bias to someone. With ourselves we have a double standard. If I do something good, it’s because of who I am. If I do something bad, I personally attribute it to the environment. With ourselves friends and some family we lean to attribute bad outcomes with situation and vice versa. The opposite is true for our enemies.
Individualism vs Collectivism
Individualism is the idea to achieve your own unique identity. Collectivism is to find your belonging in society. The study of the Fundamental Attribution Error was seen more in individualistic-cultured countries such as the west. East and south asian cultures were more collectivistic.
What are the primacy and recency effects?
The primacy effect explains that your first few impressions with an individual are more likely to be remembered than the experiences following. The recency effect explains that the last statements in an order are more likely to be remembered than earlier statements.
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
A pre-existing belief/assumption (usually about a type of person) that will influence your behaviour. Commonly in stereotyping.
The steps are:
1. You hold a belief/expectation
2. The belief influences your behaviour
3. The behaviour causes the belief to become true
What is the three-step definition of cognitive dissonance and what does it explain?
- You notice a contradiction between attitudes and behaviour (or between two attitudes)
- This leads to an unpleasant feeling (dissonance)
- As a result, you become motivated to make them consistent (via changing behaviour, attitude, or rationalizing)
An example of hazing and cognitive dissonance is if you accomplish something, but the process gives you a negative feeling, you may try to justify it and make ourselves believe it was worth it.
What is self-perception theory?
The basis of making judgements on what we think. It is on the same stance of how we make judgements on other people. We watch our own behaviour, and infer our attitudes from that.
“If I let (person) do this to me, I must like (person).”
What is communicator credibility?
If you think a person persuading you is very knowledgable and eloquent in speech, you are more likely to agree with them.
What are the routes to persuasion?
The central route is to use facts, logic, and argument. To take an argument head-on and reason with your opponent.
The peripheral route is everything else that can be brought in persuasion. Humour, emotion, biases, or any other non-rational means.
What is the need for cognition?
Self explanatory. “How much do you like to think?” People who are higher in need for cognition are more likely to comply with the central persuasion route.
What is social facilitation and the dominant response?
Social facilitation has to do with the effect that being watched has on one’s behaviour, or how well you can accomplish tasks. When we are watched, that awareness heightens our energy.
If you are watched while you do something you are good at, the dominant response is to do even better.
If it is a difficult task, that energy may cause us to make more mistakes. The energy is then translated into nervous energy.
What was the Zimbardo Stanford Prison Study?
The experiment was run in a prisoner-guard scenario, where individuals were more likely to exact cruelty if they were permitted to. The interpretation was that social role had a big effect on how individuals behaved. The experiment turned into more of a study on obedience than role alignment.
What was Asch’s social influence study?
A study that consisted of a tester, a group of confederates, and one true subject. When given a test with a clear answer, the group of confederates selected incorrect answers. When the true tester was given a chance, 71% of participants conformed with the confederate group at least once.
What was the Milgram Obedience Study?
An experiment that measured how far people would go to follow orders even if it were to significantly harm another human being via electric shock. To see how compliant people would be with a higher position instructing them on what to do. 65% of participants kept complying even as the electrically shocked confederate went silent.
What are factors that influence obedience?
- Remoteness of the victim.
Distance between the participant and confederate. - Perceived legitimacy of the authority
How likely you are to believe in the authority’s power. - Cog-in-a-wheel
Being part of a group. - Personal characteristics
Gender, political orientation, personal beliefs, and religion.
What is the norm of reciprocity?
The idea rooted in us to feel guilty if an individual does something kind for us, and we do not reciprocate. It is a motivation to reciprocate kindness. “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.”
What are two techniques that the norm of reciprocity can be applied?
In a salesman example:
1. The foot-in-the-door technique.
To start with something very small, and slowly gain a buyer’s trust. That item can eventually grow in either value or size. A similar technique is lowballing.
2. The door-in-the-face technique is to start with something ridiculously high in value, then to counteract it with a smaller option that is much more affordable than the initial high value item.
What is deindividuation and social loafing?
When you are in a group, you are more likely to behave as part of a group rather than an individual who accounts for their own behaviour. Social loafing is the term describing how people may leave tasks unfinished under the mindset of “someone else will do it”.
What is group polarization?
A group reinforcement behaviour. To be in a group with the same mindset will enforce and push the mindset as it progresses. Often to become extreme in one direction.
What is groupthink?
Groupthink is to suspend critical thinking and to be more likely to make bad decisions. It is the illusion of unanimity. Groupthink can be enforced by group polarization. If others self-censor, you are more likely to as well.
