Chapter 13 - Social Psychology Flashcards
Social Psychology
study of how people influence others’ behaviour, beliefs, and attitudes
Research shows we believe that only _______ (not ourselves) are vulnerable to social influence.
others
____ is the approximate size of most social groups as suggested by Robin Dunbar
150
The need-to-belong theory says that…
humans have a biologically based needs for interpersonal connections
Social Comparison Theory says…
we evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others
Upward Social Comparison
we compare ourselves with people who seem superior to us
Downward Social Comparison
compare ourselves with others who seem inferior to us
Contagious yawning reflects _______ and theory of _______
empathy; mind
Mass Hysteria
outbreak of irrational behaviour that is spread by social contagion
Collective Delusions
event where many people become convinced of bizarre things that are false
Urban Legends
false stories that have been repeated so many times that people believe they are true
Attribution
process of assigning causes to behaviour
Internal Attribution Example
when we conclude Joe robbed a bank because he is impulsive
External Attribution Example
when we conclude Bill robbed a bank because his family is broke
Fundamental Attribution Error
tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences (ie. personality traits or attitudes) on other peoples behaviour
______ is the cure to the Fundamental Attribution Error
empathy
We tend to only commit the fundamental attribution error when explaining others behaviour. Why?
we usually are aware of all the situational factors affecting us
Why are the Japanese and Chinese cultures less likely to be prone to the fundamental attribution error?
they are more likely to view behaviours within a context
Social Contagion
the spread of behaviours, attitudes, and affects through crowds
Conformity
tendency of people to alter their behaviour as a result of group pressure
What was the setup of Asch’s study on conformity?
8 participants are invited to a “study of perceptual judgement” where they’re asked to compare a standard line with 3 comparison lines. You have to say which of the 3 lines matches the standard line, but the other participants are actually confederates.
What were the confederates in Asch’s study?
undercover agents of the researcher who knowingly called out the incorrect line to see if the participant would follow
___% of the participants is Asch’s study conformed to the incorrect norm on at least one of the 12 trials.
75%
What 3 variables influence conformity?
- Unanimity
- Difference in the wrong answer
- Size
Unanimity
-If ALL confederates gave the wrong answer, the participant was more likely to conform
-If ONE confederate gave the correct the response, the level of conformity decreased by 3/4
Difference in the wrong answer
knowing someone else differed from the majority made the participant less likely to conform
Size of the group
size made a difference up to 5 or 6 confederates, people were no more likely to conform in a group of 10 vs. 5
When Asch asked participants to write their answers, they were correct more than ___% of the time proving perceptions of the lines was not an issue.
99%
In Berns’ study using an fMRI scanner where he asked participants to mentally rotate objects to determine if they were the same alongside other “participants,” it was found that their conforming behaviour was associated with activity in which part of the brain?
amygdala, also parietal and occipital lobes
The amygdala triggers an anxiety response when faced with _______ cues
danger
People with low _________ are especially prone to conformity
self-esteem
______ are more likely to conform than North Americans due to their collectivist culture.
Asians
Deindividuation
tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behaviour when they are stripped of their usual identities
What 2 factors contribute to deindividuation?
- Feelings on anonymity
- Lack of individual responsibility
Flaming
sending insulting messages to others
What study did Zimbardo conduct?
A study into the question of whether ordinary people assuming the roles of prisoner and guard would also assume the identities assigned to them.
What happening in Zimbardo’s study?
-Day 1: the guards began to subject the prisoners to harsh punishments
-Day 2: the prisoners mounted a rebellion that was shut down by the guards violently
What signs of distress did the prisoners show?
depression, hopelessness, anger
Because Zimbardo’s study wasn’t carefully controlled, it was considered more of a __________ than an experiment
demonstration
Groupthink
emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking
Cults
group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause
4 Ways Cults Promotes Groupthink:
- having a persuasive leader who foster loyalty
- disconnecting members from the outside world
- discouraging questioning of the group’s assumptions
- establishing training to indoctrinate members
Studies show that most cult members are _________, while leaders usually suffer from ______________.
normal; mental illness
Misconceptions about cults:
- members are emotionally disturbed
- members are brainwashed
Inoculation Effect
approach to convincing people to change their mind about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective may be correct, then debunking those reasons
Obedience
adherence to instructions from those of higher authority
The Milgram Paradigm of Obedience
Study using a participant and a confederate where the confederate acts as the student and the participant the teacher, who is to deliver shocks to the student when they answer incorrectly at the discretion of ‘‘Mr. Williams”
Milgram’s results showed ___% of participants went all the way to 450 volts, displaying complete compliance and all participants administered at least some shocks
62%
In the Milgram study, __________ distance decreased obedience
psychological distance (ie. when orders were given via telephone)
In the Milgram study, the greater the psychological distance, the _________ the obedience of the teacher
greater
Kholberg found that level or morality negatively correlated with compliance meaning…
more morally advanced participants were willing to defy the experimenter
People with high levels of the ______________ trait are more likely to comply with the experimenter
authoritarianism
The bonobo is more of a model for _________ behaviour
prosocial
Prosocial Behaviour
behaviour intended to help others - helping, love, reconciliation
The chimpanzee is more of a model for _________ behaviour
antisocial
Antisocial Behaviour
agressive acts
Bystander Apathy
not responding to an incident because you don’t care
Bystander Effect
psychological paralysis leaving people frozen and helpless
Pluralistic Ignorance
error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things as we do
The more people present at an emergency, the ____ each personal feels responsible for the negative consequences of not helping
less
Diffusion of Responsibility
reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others
People are more likely to offer help when they are…
alone rather than in a group 90% of the time
Social Loafing
phenomenon whereby individuals become less productive in groups
Social loafing occurs in part to __________ of _______
diffusion of responsibility
Why is group brainstorming less effective than individual brainstorming?
- Members may be anxious about being evaluated by others
- Social loafing - sit back and let others do the work
Altruism
helping others for unselfish reasons
Egoistic
self-centered, makes altruism ungenuine because we are only helping others to help ourselves usually
________ increases the odds we will help others
empathy
People are more likely to help when…
-they can’t easily escape the situation
-someone collapses on the subway rather than the sidewalk
-personal characteristics influence (ie. person with cane vs. drunk person)
-they are not in a hurry
-they are extroverted vs. introverted
-less traditional
-they are trained for emergencies
Enlightenment Effect
learning about psychological research can change real-world behaviour for the better
People who are less traditional and care less about _______ approval are more likely to help
social
Aggression
behaviour intended to harm others, verbally or physically
Interpersonal Provocation
we’re more likely to show aggression to someone who has provoked us
Frustration _________ agressive behaviour
increases
Being exposed to media violence increases the probability…
humans will show agression
Aggressive Cues
like guns or knives make us more likely to act violently when provoked
Arousal by the ANS makes us more likely to act…
violently
Why do alcohol and drugs make us more likely to exhibit violence?
they can disinhibit our prefrontal cortex and lower our inhibitions to violent behaviour, but only when we are directly threatened
________ temperatures increase irritability and thus aggression
warm
How do personality traits influence violence?
people with high levels of negative emotions are more prone to violence
________ are more likely to exhibit violent behaviours
males (especially when it comes to revenge)
Does testosterone cause aggression?
Maybe: it could cause aggression or maybe aggression causes higher testosterone
Relational Aggression
form of indirect aggression, prevalent in girls, involving spreading rumours, gossiping, and nonverbal putdowns for the purpose of social manipulation
Boys have higher rates of ________ than girls
bullying
Aggression is less prevalent in _______ cultures
Asian
Culture of Honour
a social norm of defending ones reputation, common in Southern USA that may explain violence that arises from disputes
Belief
a conclusion regarding factual evidence
Attitude
belief that includes an emotional component
What is the correlation between attitudes and behaviours?
0.38
Attitudes tend to predict our behaviour because they are accessible meaning…
they come to mind easily
Recognition Heuristic
makes us more likely to believe something we’ve hear many times
Compared to liberals, conservatives tend to have a larger _______, a brain region liked to threat
amygdala
Religiosity
depth our religious convictions
Adolescents with high levels of ____________ are more likely to be deeply religious adults
conscientiousness
Cognitive Dissonance
unpleasant mental experience of tension from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs
The cognitive dissonance theory is a model of…
attitude change
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: If we have tension between two conflicting thoughts (A and B) we can reduce the anxiety by changing cognition A, changing cognition B, or introducing a ____ cognition C
new
Self-Perception Theory
theory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviours
Impression Management Theory
theory that we don’t really change our attitudes, but report that we have so that our behaviours appear consistent with our attitudes
The dual process models of persuasion involve two pathways 1) the _______ route and 2) the ________ route
central and peripheral
The Central Route
where we focus on the informational content about the arguments to evaluate
The attitudes we acquire via the central route are ___________ held and relatively enduring
strongly
The Peripheral Route
where we response to arguments on the basis of snap judgements by focusing on the surface aspects of the arguments
The attitudes we acquire via the peripheral route are ____________ and unstable
weaker
Foot-in-the-door persuasion technique
persuasive technique involving making a small request before making a bigger one
Door-in-the-face persuasion technique
persuasive technique involving making an unreasonable large request before making a small request we are hoping to have granted
Lowball Persuasion Technique
persuasive technique in which the seller of a product starts by quoting a low sales price, and then mentions all of the “add on” costs once the customer has agreed to purchase the product
But-you-are-free persuasion technique
persuasive technique in which we convince someone to perform a favour for us by telling them they are free not to do it
Implicit Egotism Effect
the finding the we are more positively disposed toward people, places, or things that resemble us
Creation of a “phantom” goal
pseudoscience technique where marketers capitalize on desires to accomplish unrealistic objectives
Vivid testimonials
pseudoscience technique where marketers get you to learn about someone else’s personal experience to influence you
Manufacturing source credibility
pseudoscience technique where we are more likely to believe sources that we judge to be trustworthy or legitimate
Prejudice
drawing negative conclusions about a person, group of people, or situation prior to evaluating the evidence
Stereotype
a belief, positive or negative, about the characteristics of members of a group that is applied generally to most members of the group
Ultimate Attribution Error
assumption that behaviours among individual members of a group are due to their initial dispositions
Adaptive Conservatism - “better safe than sorry”
evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different
In-Group Bias
tendency to favour individuals within our group over those outside our group
Out-Group Homegeneity
tendency to view all individuals outside of our group as highly similar
Discrimination
negative behaviour toward members of out-groups
Scapegoat Hypothesis
claim that prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes
Just-World Hypothesis
claim that our attributions and behaviours are shaped by a deep-seated assumption that the world is fair and all things happen for a reason
Explicit Prejudice
unfounded negative belief of which we’re aware regarding the characteristic of an out-group
Implicit Prejudice
unfounded negative belief of which we’re unaware regarding the characteristics of an out-group
Implicit Association Test
researchers ask participants to press a key with their left hand if they see a black person or a positive word and a key with their right hand if they see a white person or a negative word and then switch (black is negative and white is positive)
What did the IAT show?
White participants respond faster when black people are associated with negative words
The Robbers Cave Study showed we can reduce prejudice by…
encouraging groups to work together toward a shared higher purpose
Jigsaw Classrooms
educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project
The minimal intergroup paradigm is a lab method for…
creating groups based on arbitrary differences
