Chapter 7 - Factors influencing behaviour Flashcards
What is a group
two or more people that interact with, influence, and share a goal with each other.
What is an aggregation?
Collection of people in one location with no obvious social structure or goal/purpose. Lacks interdependence
What is a culture?
way of life of a particular society or community that sets it apart from other groups
What comes under the umbrella of “culture”?
Beliefs, values, customs, traditions, attitudes, norms
- ancestral background
- can refer to all types of social groups
- can refer to places where people interact
What is status?
An individuals position in a group or social system
What is power?
refers to the amount of influence an individual can exert over another
What are the 6 types of power?
Reward power
Coercive power
Legitimate power
Referent power
Expert power
Informational power
What is reward power?
Power through control over rewards and privileges
What is coercive power?
Power though control over punishments or threat of punishments and other force
What is legitimate power?
Power through rights to require and demand obedience
What is referent power?
power through respect or attraction
What is expert power?
Power through superior abilities and knowledge
What is informational power?
Power through access to and use of informational resources. Using this to ‘bargain’
What is an in-group?
a group that an individual identifies with or belongs to
What is an out-group?
Any group that an individual does not identify with or belong to.
What are social norms?
Spoken or unspoken rules or values that outline appropriate behaviour or experience within a group
What are individualistic cultures?
A culture that prioritises the needs and goals of individuals and values independence
What are collective cultures?
A culture that prioritises the needs and goals of the group as a whole
What are cultural norms?
Rules or expectations of
behaviour and thoughts
based on shared beliefs
within a specific
cultural group.
What is obedience?
adhering to the instruction of authority figures or the rules or laws of society
What is a confederate?
a person pretending to be a part on an experiment by fulfilling a role, while the real participant is unaware of this
What is a pilot study?
A small scale study carried out as a preliminary study, before the larger scale study is conducted
What does it mean by ‘legitimacy of authority figures’?
When the individual genuinely has power in a given situation, or according to the law
What is proximity?
closeness between two people, both mentally/emotionally and physically
What is group pressure?
direct or indirect social pressure exerted by a group on its individual members to influence their choices
What are some factors that influence obedience?
Proximity
- Legitimacy of an authority figure
- group pressure
What was the purpose of Milgram’s experiment
To investigate the factors that determined obedience to an authority figure
What is groupthink?
way of thinking by individual members of a group characterised by a strong tendency to seek agreement
What are the 8 symptoms of groupthink?
(midsomic)
- Illusion of invulnerability
- moral correctness
- collective rationalism
- outgroup stereotypes
- self-censorship
- direct pressure on dissenters
- illusion of unanimity
- mind guarding
What is ‘illusion of invulnerability’?
the overestimation of a groups ability to make decisions because of a distorted belief that things will work out because the group is “special”
What is ‘moral correctness’?
belief that the group will make the morally right decision as a matter of course so there is no need to consider relevant moral issues
What is ‘collective rationalism’?
group spends more time justifying its decisions than reflecting on possible oversights or alternatives
What is ‘self-censorship’?
withholding personal concerns so disagreements aren’t expressed
What is ‘outgroup stereotypes’?
dismissal of ideas from outside the group, believing they cannot form better decisions and looking down on their ideas
What is ‘direct pressure on dissenters’?
pressure on doubters to conform with others
What is ‘illusion of unanimity’?
the distorted belief that everyone is in agreement
What is ‘mind-guarding’?
members of the group withholding important information that may challenge its decision
What is conformity?
tendency to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours to align with what is accepted behaviour at the time
What is the ally effect?
presence of an ‘ally’ who shares one’s view or who doesn’t share the views of the majority
What are the 6 key factors influencing conformity (gunisc)
- group size
- unanimity
- normative influence
- informational influence
- social loafing
- culture
What does unanimity mean?
whether the group is in complete agreement in their views
What does ‘normative influence’ mean?
the influence and awareness of accepted social standards and behaviour
What does ‘informational influence’ mean?
whether the group is viewed as being a valuable source of information
What is social loafing?
identifying the behaviour that will be conformed to
What are some positive influences of television as a type of media?
can provide education and entertainment
What are some negative influences of television as a type of media?
can portray unrealistic standards of living and may negatively impact young children
What are some positive influences of video games as a type of media?
can develop certain cognitive and motor skills, as well as social connection and entertainment
What are some negative influences of video games as a type of media?
can cause social isolation, addiction and can replace in-person connection
What are some positive influences of social media as a type of media?
can provide education and informational services, as well as social connection
What are some negative influences of social media as a type of media?
can have negative mental health effects and may spread misinformation
What are some positive influences of advertising as a type of media?
helps to keep the public informed about health and safety, as well as other services
What are some negative influences of advertising as a type of media?
can encourage consumerism, promote misinformation and unhealthy products
What is anti-conformity?
deliberate refusal to comply with accepted standards in society
What is independence?
something that becomes evident when we experience freedom from the influence of control of other individuals or groups
What is psychological reactance (or reactance)?
a state that is experienced in response to a perceived threat to or loss of their freedom to this, feel or behave as they with
What is media?
describes the ways information is spread and communicated throughout society
What is print media?
media that is displayed in full on a physical surface
What is digital media
media that is designed to be projected onto an electronic device
What are social connections?
network of people available to someone for support and engagement
What is deindividuation?
when individuals lose their sense of identity and individuality within a group
Why are social connections important?
they are essential for support, as well as sharing meaningful experiences with others
What is a positive influence of media on individual behaviour?
provides increased access to support and helps to maintain connections
What is a positive influence of media on group behaviour?
provides increased abilities to form communities, and can help to organise larger-scale interactions
What is a negative influence of media on individual behaviour?
may result in increased pressure to stay connected, resulting in social fatigue
What is a negative influence of media on group behaviour?
creates an increased likelihood of deindividuation
What is a positive example of anti-conformity?
can lead to much needed change and has been influential in ending wars and pushing women’s rights movements
What is a positive example of conformity?
can ensure groups get along while enhancing the overall cohesion of the group
What is a difficulty in anti-conformity?
when there are many social pressures and fears of being disagreed with
What is social comparison?
when an individual measures their self-worth in relation to those around us, and this impact mental wellbeing
What does subjective mean (like subjective judgements)
making assumptions and interpretations based on personal information, formed without evidence
What are norms?
standards that usually come from the average behaviour and attitudes of a larger group
What are addictive behaviours?
repetitive gratification-seeking behaviours associated with distress causing interference to everyday life
What are 4 characteristics of addictive behaviours?
unable to stop a specific behaviour
- displaying a lack of control concerning the behaviour
- experiencing increased desires for a specific thing or behaviour
- denying that their addictive behaviour may be causing negative consequences
How does media influence addictive behaviours?
Media can lead to physical and psychological addiction as it releases dopamine, and the cycle of motivation, reward and reinforcement gets users seeking the positive feeling. This repetition leads to addiction
What is dopamine?
a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good
What is information access?
how easily information can be accessed by different people
What is social media?
describes websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking
How can algorithms have a negative influence?
algorithms can put people at risk of missing information, spread misinformation, ad create disparity between the content
What is independence?
being free from the influence of others
What is self-determination?
engaging in behaviours without the influence of other people as an external force
What is the self-determination theory?
the self-determination theory can be achieved when three psychological needs are met
What are the three psychological needs outlined in the self-determination theory?
autonomy
- competence
- relatedness
What is autonomy?
the need to be able to act authentically, based on individual choice
What is competence?
the need to feel as though you have the skills to meaningfully carry out behaviours that affect your environment
What is relatedness?
the need to feel a sense of attachment, connection to, and belonging to other people
What are factors influencing anti-conformity?
desire for change
reactance
individualism
ally affect
What are motivating factors for anti-conformity?
desire for change
reactance
What are factors that weaken conformity?
individualism
ally affect
What is reactance?
motivational state of distress and resistance caused by a desire to regain personal freedom after it had been removed or threatened by an external source
What is desire for change?
when people who think something is unfair, unethical or incorrect hope to bring about change
What is individuation?
when an individual’s identity and contributions to a group are noticeable
