Chapter 14 - Social Psychology Flashcards
What is attribution?
A conclusion about the cause of an observed behavior or event.
Define attribution theory.
We explain others’ behavior with two types of attribution: situational attribution and dispositional attribution.
What are the two types of attribution and define?
Situational attribution - a person’s behavior is because of the situation.
Dispositional attribution - a person’s behavior is how they are all the time.
What is the fundamental attribution error?
When we go too far in assuming that a person’s behavior is caused by their personality.
We think a behavior demonstrates a trait when the person could have been having a bad day, etc.
We tend to overemphasize dispositional attribution and underemphasize situational attribution.
Define attitude.
Feelings, ideas, and beliefs that affect how we react to other people.
Attitudes affect our actions.
Public attitudes affect public policies.
What are the three social cognitive mechanisms?
The foot in the door phenomenon.
Role playing affects attitudes.
Cognitive dissonance.
Describe the foot in the door phenomenon.
Small compliances lead to large compliances. Adjust your attitude to go along with your actions - you like the people you agreed to help and dislike the ones you agreed to harm.
Describe the role playing affects attitude mechanism.
When we play a role, even if we know it’s just pretend, we eventually tend to adopt the attitudes that go with the role and become the role.
Ex. those in arranged marriages come to love each other and actors “losing themselves” in roles.
Describe the cognitive dissonance mechanism.
When our actions and attitudes clash.
The cognitive dissonance theory says we resolve this dissonance by changing our attitudes to fit our actions.
How do social situations influence our behavior and attitudes?
Conformity - adjusting our behavior and thinking to go along with a group standard. (works for group harmony)
Some mimicry is automatic - yawning, arm folding, adopting regional accents, grammar, empathetic shifts in mood, adopting coping style of parents and peers.
Discuss behavior and social norms.
When we are with other people, our behavior may follow a social norm rather than following our own judgment. This is demonstrated by the Asch Conformity Studies in which about 1/3 of people will agree with obvious mistruths to go along with a group.
What makes someone more likely to conform?
You are not firmly committed to one set of beliefs or style of behavior.
The group is medium sized and unanimous.
You admire the group’s status.
The group tries to make you feel incompetent, insecure, closely watched.
Your culture encourages respect for norms.
What are the two types of social influence?
Normative social and informational social.
Define normative social.
Going along with others in pursuit of social approval and to avoid rejection.
Ex. clothing choices.
Define informational social.
Going along with others because their ideas and behaviors make sense and the evidence in our social environment changes our minds.
Ex. deciding what side of the road to drive on.
Describe Milgram’s obedience study.
How do people respond to direct commands?
What factors increase obedience?
When orders were given by: someone with authority, someone associated with a prestigious institution, someone standing close by.
When the victim is in another room and there are no role models for defiance.
Ex. In war, at the beginning, some people choose not to fight / kill, but obedience escalates, even killing innocent people. Obedience can also strengthen heroism; soldiers and others risk or even sacrifice themselves, more so under orders.
What are some lessons from the obedience studies?
When under pressure to obey, ordinarily principled people will say and do things they never thought they would do.
The real evil may be in the situation.
To look at a person committing harmful acts and assume that the person is cruel / evil would be to make a FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR.
