Chapter 13 - part 1 Flashcards
social psychology examines?
- the influence of the
social and cultural environment on the actions of individuals and groups - the conditions under which people conform or dissent
- social and cultural reasons for prejudice and conflict between groups
what are the 2 parts of social cognition?
1) how others affect you
2) how you affect others
how others affect you
an area in social psychology concerned with social influences on thought, memory, perception and other cognitive processes
how you affect others
researchers are interested in how peoples perceptions of themselves and others affect their relationships, thoughts, beliefs and values
attribution theory
the theory that people are motivated to explain their own and other peoples behaviour by attributing causes of that behaviour to a situation or disposition
internal attribution
explanations based on an individuals perceived stable characteristics, such as attitudes, personality traits, or abilities
internal attributions are called?
dispositional
external attributions
explanations based on the current situation and events that would influence all people
external attributions are called?
situational
what are the 3 sources of information when we make an internal external attribution that Harnl Kelley proposed?
1) consensus information
2) consistency information
3) distinctiveness
consensus information
how one individuals behaviour compares with other peoples
consistency information
how the persons behaviour varies over time
distinctiveness
how the persons behaviour varies between situations
fundamental attribution error
tendency in explaining others behaviours to overestimate personality factors and underestimate situational influence
what are the 3 biased attributions?
1) self-serving bias
2) group-serving bias
3) just-world hypothesis
self-serving bias
tendency, in explaining own behaviour, to take credit for ones good actions and rationalize ones mistakes. this optimizes our perception of ourselves
self-handicapping
we intentionally put ourselves at a disadvantage to provide an excuse for an expected defeat or failure
group-serving bias
the tendency to explain favourably the behaviours of members of groups to which we belong
just-world hypothesis
the notion that many people need to believe that there world is fair and that justice is served
attitudes
a relatively stable opinion containing beliefs and emotional feelings about a topic
what are the 3 components of attitudes?
1) evaluative/emotional component
2) cognitive component
3) behavioural component
where do attitudes come from? (3)
1) emotionally based attitudes
2) cognitively based attitudes
3) behaviourally based attitudes
emotionally based attitudes
based on value, such as religious beliefs and you family moral beliefs
cognitively based attitudes
based on an analysis of the relevant facts
behaviourally based attitudes
attitudes that are based on observations of how we behave toward an attitude object
explicit attitudes
we are aware of them they shape conscious decisions
implicit attitudes
we are unaware of them they may influence our behaviour in ways we do not recognize
what are the 3 factors influencing attitude change?
1) change in social environment
2) change in behaviours
3) due to a need for consistency
cognitive dissonance
a state of tension that exist when an individual realizes that he or she holds contradictory attitudes on an issue, or has exhibited behaviour that is inconsistent with an expressed attitude
cognitive dissonance theory
an individuals behaviour can chance his or her attitudes
cognitive dissonance theory
an individuals behaviour can change his or her attitudes
festinger and carlsmith classic experiment
experiment on motor behaviour: take peg out of a board, rotate it a quarter turn, place back in board. do this for an hour the experimenter records stuff. after finishing the study, participants were “hired as an assistant” to tell the next group of subjects. participants were paid $1 or $20. all participants then completed a survey (rating the peg-task on a scale from -5 to 5)
2 broad categories of persuasive messages?
1) do what is asked of you to make something good happen
2) do what is asked of you and prevent something bad from happening
what is an example of “do what is asked of you to make something good happen”?
buy this pill to be happier. buy this car to look young and cooler
what is an example of “do what is asked of you and prevent something bad from happening?”
“stop smoking” campaigns
what are the 2 audience variables in persuasion?
1) person variables
2) situation variables
validity effect
the tendency of people to believe that a statement is true or valid imply because it has been repeated or shown many times
foot in the door technique
a modest request is followed by a larger ne
door in the face technique
an outrageous initial request is followed by a more reasonable one
bait and switch technique
a very favourable deal is followed by additional demands after a commitment has been made
thats not all technique
the offer is improved before any reply is given
true or false: persuasion can be used t convince people to abandon previous beliefs, sometimes with scary consequences
true: examples: jonestown, guyaa, waco texas, order of the solar temple
norms
rules that establish expected behaviour
conformity
the maintenance or alteration of ones behaviour to match the behaviour and expectations of others
groupthink
in close knit groups, the tendency is for all members to think alike for the sake of harmony and to suppress disagreement
what are the 4 symptoms of groupthink?
1) an illusion of invulnerability
2) self censorship
3) pressure on dissenters to conform
4) an illusion of unanimity
how can groupthink be counteracted?
if people create conditions that reward the expression of doubt and dissent, and make decision based on majority rule rather than unanimity
true or false: the auto kinetic effect is an optical illusion
true
