Exam 1 Flashcards
What is social psychology?
The way thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by “other” people or the situations more broadly
Actual
individual who is present and influence your behavior
ex: parents tell you to clean your room or friends inviting/not out
Imagined
Not an actual person. No one actually told you that
ex: your inner critic talking to you
What is sociology?
social class, social structure, and institutions
Similarities between social psychology and sociology?
focus on power of social situations
Difference between social psychology and sociology
sociology focuses more on society whereas social psychology focuses more on the individual
Similarities between social psychology and personality psych
both try to explain human, social behavior
Difference between personality psychology and social psychology
social psych aims to identify universal properties of human behavior whereas personality psychology focuses on individual differences
3 ways to test a hypothesis
correlational, experimental, and field/observational studies
Correlation
A number that represents the strength or common trend of a relationship between 2 variables (-1 to 1)
what is a laboratory experiment?
a procedure used to test whether one event (manipulated) causes another event (measured)
why is random assignment important in laboratory experiments?
-helps remove bias, confounding variables, and individual differences
-makes it more representative of the population
independent variable
-the variable that is being applied
-control condition
dependent variable
the variable that is influenced
Field study
aka observational study
-the study or experiment conducted in its natural setting
-ex: see people drink at northgate
Why is it important to recognize differences between correlations, field experiments, and experiments
To find the best fit for what you’re looking for
what is a group?
-2 or more people who interact and are interdependent in a sense that their needs and goals cause them to interact with each other
-a collection of people, usually people who are doing/being something together
why are groups important?
-safety
-sense of belonging/ identity
ingroup
a group you belong to
outgroup
-percieved as part of a different group
-group you’re not in
What are the 2 characteristiscs of groups?
social norms and social roles
what are social norms?
-norms about acceptable and sometimes expected behaviors
-universe vs. culturally defined
-ex: different greetings
what are social roles?
-specify how particular people in the groups should behave
-purpose is functionality
ex: if managers know their roles, everyone works better
what is social facilitation?
the tendency for people to do “better” on simple or well rehearsed tasks in the presence of others
what people/experiments are associated with social facilitation?
Triplett: bike race experiment and came up with social facilitation
Zajonc: studied WHEN social facilitation occurs
All behave faster in the presence of others (roach experiment of them racing and one has spectators)
The presence of others causes physiological arousal and makes people rigid (display dominant response)
What is social loafing?
-tendency for people to reduce effort when they are in the presence of others and their individual performance cannot be evaluated (no consequences)
-no evaluate concerns= no increase in arousal (won’t change behavior)
What is deindividuation?
-The loosening of normal constrains when people are in a crowd, leading to an increase in impulse and deviant acts
-increases obedience to group norms (sometimes we don’t think and just do it)
-ex: might do something on gameday that we normally would not
What might cause deindividuation?
-anonymity by blending in with large groups
-the more anonymous, the more likely you are to do horrible tasks
-diffusion of responsibility
-heightened arousal
What are consequences of deindividuation?
reduced sense of identity
Do more people facilitate optimal decisions?
No because there is groupthink. We all know something the others don’t
What is groupthink?
when maintaining group cohesiveness becomes more important than solving the problem
ex: challenger space shuttle. A red flag but only 1 person brought it up, so others dismissed it. Everyone in hindsight said the person was right
What is group polarization?
the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than initial beliefs of members
3 things that influence moral behavior
-social facilitation
-groupthink
-deindividuation
what is social influence?
influence others have on our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
what is conformity?
-changing our behaviors so we are more like the people around us.
-A change in a behavior or a belief as a result of real or imagined norms in a group
what are social norms?
rules of how to act in various situations
-implicit vs explicit
What are 2 types of social norms?
explicit: clearly defined. typically written out (class rules, work rules, hat @ MSC)
implicit: unspoken rules but still expected to be followed
Why do people conform?
-Informational social influence and normative social influence
-want to know what we’re thinking/doing is the right thing
what is informational social influence?
Conformity from a concern to act in a socially approved way determined by how others act (desire to be correct)
ex: you are driving when suddenly all the cars start to merge into one lane. You do the same without necessarily knowing why
What is the Autokinetic Effect study?
-conducted by Sherif, 1936
-to see we would conform to be correct
-people estimated how much the dot was moving. was not moving at all because it was tricking the brain
-when alone: answers did not change
-with others: overtime answers started to come together
INFORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE
What is normative social influence?
-conforming out of the desire to BELONG not be correct
-ex: dressing like people around you
Asch’s study
-thought conformity was overblown
-test if people thought something was ambiguous, they would not conform.
-people matching two lines together with an obviously correct answer.
99% of people chose correctly when alone
76% of people conform at least once in a group
Conclusion: presence of incidental may make us deny our own unambiguous correct judgements
NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE
What increases social influence?
-increase: increasing group size (up to approx. 4 ppl)
-decrease: presence of just 1 dissender
What is obedience?
following a direct order or command typically from someone in power
What experiment is associated with obedience?
-Stanley miligram experiment: blind obedience
-Teacher punishes with shock. 65% shocked to the end
-Conclusion: human nature cannot be counted on to insulate man from brutality at the hands of his fellow man when orders come from what is perceived as a legitimate authority
what is compliance?
acting in accord with a request
What is Cialdini’s 6 principles of compliance?
getting people to say yes- all abt perception
1. friendships
2. authority
3. social validation
4. consistency
5. reciprocity rule
6. scarcity principle
what is social validation in terms of Cialdini’s principles
normative social difference, if everyone does something, you want to do it too
what is consistency in relation to Cialdini’s principles
once committed to a position, more willing to comply w requests consistent with this position
-want our beliefs to align w each other so we are more likely to comply w those beliefs (cognitive dissonance)
what are 2 methods of using consistency in Cialdini’s principles
foot in the door: initial request then larger request
ex: experiment with political candidate marketing and signs
if YES to small request, YES to larger one
lowball procedure: offer a good deal then change to less desirable deal
what is persuassion?
-change in belief, attitude, or behavior as a result of receiving a message
-Well meaning: education manipulative: mind control
-More long-term than changing attitude (if you believe this is the right thing to do, don’t need outside sources to tell you)
Perception vs compliance
perception is changing beliefs
compliance other person has a more neutral perspective
what are source characterisitcs?
characteristics of person delivering message including attractiveness, credibility, and expertise
what are 2 ideas of source characteristics?
halo effect: one positive trait (attractiveness) suggests that the other traits are also “good” (trustworthiness, intelligence, etc)
attractiveness: why do attractive people persuade us? “if i do it it’s like we’re like them
what are the 2 components of source credibility?
expertise and trustworthiness
what is the sleeper effect?
overtime, people separate from messenger
what is message characteristics?
aspects of the message itself
-quality of the message
-stronger arguments are better (ex:comprehensive exam before graduating)
-vivid images: lead to attitude change because we think it’s true)
What is one sided vs 2 sided?
1: solely advocates for one
2: advocates but 1 but acknowledges other side
what is the elaboration likelihood model/ model of persusaion
-How our attitudes can change
-explain how people process stimuli differently and how these processes change attitudes and consequently behavior
what is deep/central route of attitude change?
-Uses direct, relevant, logical messages assuming audience is motivated and will think carefully about what is presented
-Deliberating on relevant info: strength of arguments and require thought and effort
what is needed to consider something deeply?
1) ability (time and mental load)
2) motivation
-personal relevance contribute
-people focus most intently on issues that involve them directly
what is FAP?
-Fixed action patterns
innate behavior that occur in a fixed manner every time elicited –even after stimulus is gone
-same across all species
what is the shallow route in the Elaboration Likelihood Model?(ELM)
-influenced by incidental cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking
-Not thinking carefully about what you’re saying
-Relies on psychological techniques like FAP
-cognitive missers (don’t like to think too deeply
-heuristics
ex: attractiveness
when do people over-rely on heuristics?
when ability to process is slow
presenting the message of education
info may be framed as objective info. (Ex: car salesperson saying they are a product consultant. Not there to sell you but show and educate you on what cars they have)
worth of mouth
we trust people we know more when making decisions
Maven
an expert (friend) that knows people and are most likely to get asked for their opinion.
Lowball procedure
offer a good deal then change to less desirable deal
Door-in-the-face
large request expecting rejection, follow with smaller request (their target all along)
And that’s not all
presenting an initial large request and then, before the person can respond, immediately making the request more attractive
Sunk cost trap
cognitive bias that causes people to stick with a plan, course, or approach that isn’t working because of how much has already been invested in it
Psychological reactance
-people resent being controlled
-emerges when people experience a threat to or loss of their free behaviors
what is the principle of Defending Against Unwelcome Persuassion? and what is type of it?
People who are subjected to weak versions of a persuasive message are less vulnerable to stronger versions later on
- Stinging: more aggressive; confronted participants with their gullibility
Social comparison
people value their worth by in comparison to others
-We prefer to compare to those who are even worse than we are
Downward social comparison
we seek out and compare ourselves to less fortunate
Collective self-esteem
if our self-esteem is shaken by a personal setback, we can focus on our group’s success and prestige
Sociometer model
self-esteem depends on perceived social value that fluctuates as one feels valued by those around him or her
Social integration
groups tend to form when people become dependent on one another for the satisfaction of their needs
Evaluation apprehension
the fear felt by an individual who is performing a task in front of others or being judged by others
Key ingredients to teamwork
shared mental representation of task and group unity
Group cohesion
the extent to which group is united in the pursuit of common goals and objectives
-Performance quality influences cohesion more than cohesion influences performance
Common knowledge effect
tendency for groups to spend more time discussing info that all members know and less time examining info that only a few members know
Social identity theory
people’s self-concepts and self-esteem are influence by groups they belong in
What is Tuckman’s theory?
groups usually pass through several stages of development as they change from a newly formed group into an effective team
what are the 5 stages to group development?
1.) Forming
2.) Storming (find themselves in conflict)
3.) Norming (roles develop)
4.) Performing (group can work to achieve goals)
5.) Adjourning phase (group disbands)
what are attitudes?
opinions, feelings, and beliefs about a person, concept, or group
Stereotyping
a way of using info shortcuts about a group to effectively navigate social situations or make decisions
-Inescapable ways to deal with huge amounts of social info
Prejudice
how a person feels about an individual based on their group membership
Discrimination
when a person is biased against an individual because of the individuals social category and they ACT on that stereotype
Stigmatized groups
groups that suffer from social disapproval based on some characteristics that sets them apart from the majority
“Culture of honor”
cultural background that emphasizes personal or family rep and social status
Research confederate
an actor working w the researcher
Social cognition
the way we think about the social world and how we perceive others
Social attribution
when we make guesses about the motives of others
fundamental attribution error
the way we attribute people’s actions to personality traits while overlooking situational influences
-Allows person to maintain their self-esteem while dismissing bad behavior to others (ex: sports team roughness)
Complex experimental designs
an experiment w 2 or more independent variables
what is a type of naturalistic observation
Electronically activated recorder (EAR)- methodology where participants wear a small audio recorder that intermittently records snippets of ambient sounds around them
“Basking in reflected glory”
tendency for ppl to associate themselves w successful people/groups
Survey research
method of research that involves administering questionnaire to respondent
Implicit Association Test? (IAT)
computer categorization task that measures strength of association between specific concepts over several tries
(non-conscious research method)
what is priming?
exposing people to tone stimulus makes certain thoughts, feelings, or behaviors more important
(non-conscious research method)
TMT (terror management theory)
proposes that humans manage anxiety that stems from inevitability of death by embracing frameworks of meaning like cultural values and belief
(non-conscious research method)
social/behavioral priming
priming to unwittingly influence behavior
(non-conscious research method)
Manipulation check
measure used to determine whether manipulation of the independent variable has had its intended effect on the participants
(non-conscious research method)
Archival research
examination of records (ex:archives, stats, speeches, letters, tweets)
Samples of convenience
participates have been recruited in a way that prioritizes convenience over representativeness and what is an example of it?
WEIRD culture
western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic countries
What are 5 ethical guidelines?
1.) Informed consent
2.) Privacy
3.) Risk and benefits
4.) Deception (demand characteristics)
5.) Debriefing
