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Social Psychology > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Attitude

A

Implicit, internalized, NONverbal response entailing the approach or avoidance of someone or something.
A gut-level response (often rooted in ones beliefs, and exhibited in ones feelings and intended behavior).

Come from environment (learned) and biology (temperament).

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2
Q

Source Effects

A

The origin/source of a message affects how the audience receives it. (Credibility/believability).

Study: Hovland & Weiss (1953)- Nuclear submarine persuasion with articles from Yale or Pravda.

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3
Q

Persuasion

A

The process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

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4
Q

Sleeper Effect

A

A delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message becomes effective, such as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it.

Overtime, people dissociate the message from its source. (“cognitive momentum effect”).

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5
Q

Central Route Persuasion

A

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

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6
Q

Peripheral Route Persuasion

A

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental/heuristic cues without much thinking, such as speakers attractiveness.

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7
Q

Two-step flow of communication

A

The process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders who in turn, influence others.

Opinion leaders: individuals perceived as experts (doctors, teachers, talk show hosts, etc.)

Example: father gets computer info from son, son gets info from internet. If internet persuades son, father is persuaded too. Kids who don’t watch TV still influenced by TV through other kids who do watch.

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8
Q

Message Effects

A

The strength of a message depends on both its content and the style with which it is delivered.

The strength of message increases with the extent to which (1) the message rebuts possible counterarguments, (2) presents arguments that bolster or support the message conclusion, and (3) contains emotion-evoking material appeals (i.e. fear and threat).

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9
Q

Why might some intense attempts at emotional appeal not persuade us?

A

Extreme fear or sadness (ASPCA, pro-life commercials) can cause viewers to not watch in attempt to get away from negative emotions.

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10
Q

Hovland & Weiss (1953)

A

Studied Source Effects & Sleeper Effects with college students and belief in use of Nuclear Atomic Submarines.
Group 1 read message arguing in favor “written by Yale professor”
Group 2 read message in favor “written in Pravda (Russian newspaper)”
Group 1 was more persuaded immediately after, but less persuaded overtime. Group 2 was less persuaded immediately after but more persuaded overtime. There is no known reason for this!

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11
Q

Audience Effects

A

The impact that a passive audience has on a subject performing a task.

Depends on age, thoughts, self esteem, gender and distractions of audience.
Hostile Audience Phenomenon: Idea that when you speak to an audience, they will be hostile towards your subject.

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12
Q

Opinion vs Attitude

A

Opinion is a VERBAL response to a question of feeling. Attitude is a NONverbal response.
Attitudes get expressed through opinions.

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13
Q

Foot-In-Door Effects

A

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.
Based on the “attitude follows behavior idea”. Remember the initial compliance is voluntary!

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14
Q

Cult indoctrination

A

Cults state persuasion and group influence principles that have been harvested by new religious movements. Uses hindsight analysis and states “why” someone believes.

To lure others in, cults use:

1) A charismatic leader/communicator
2) Vivid, emotional, & warm message to lonely/depressed people. (“It’s the one way”)
3) Audience at a “turning point” in life, looking for direction. (i.e. young men transitioning btwn adolescence and adulthood”

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15
Q

Channel of Communication

A

In persuading, easy-to-understand messages are most persuasive when videotaped. Difficult messages are most persuasive when written. Audio is least effective overall.

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16
Q

Attitude Inoculation

A

Exposing people to weak attacks of their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available.
Bringing up the opposing side to show it’s wrong.

Study: 7th graders and smoking. 7th graders were taught to respond to smoking ads and peer pressure were less likely to smoke in the future than un-inoculated students.

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17
Q

Balance Theory (Heider-1958)

A

Unbalanced relationships cause tension, create a motivation for us to reachieve balance.
Begin to change attitude to make more balanced.
Least effort relationship will win.

  • POX Model
  • P: Perceiver of the relationship
  • O: Other
  • X: Object we have about the attitude
  • Valence: -/+ relationship

-Multiply signs of valences to determine if the relationship is balanced (+) or unbalanced (-)

18
Q

Mere Exposure Effect

A

“Familiarity breeds liking”
Exposure to neutral stimuli will lead to liking of the stimuli. Unconscious action.

Example: Zajonc (1968)- “NANSOMA” study.

19
Q

Zajonc -1968 (Mere Exposure Effect)

A

Asked UM students to rate goodness of word “Nansoma”.. when unfamiliar with the word, students rated it as 2.9 (indifferent) on a 1-5 scale.
After a campus paper was published with “NANSOMA” in middle, students rated it as 4.4.

Conclusion: The more times the students had seen the novel words, the more they rated it as good.

20
Q

Interpersonal Consistency

A

People’s tendency to judge their own interpersonal behavior in a given situation in accordance with their general self-images, even if their actual behavior in the situation is partialled out.

21
Q

Socialization Agents

A 
Attitudes learned from environment.
BIG 5:
1) School
2) Parents*
3) Peers
4) Media
5) Church/Place of worship

Parents are most effective- 1st to help us develop schemas. Primacy. Child has no reason not to believe parents.
Kids tend to assimilate rather than accommodate.

22
Q

Janis & Feshbach- 1953 (Fear & Persuasion)

A

Study: 7 year old boys and brushing teeth given 3 levels of fear conditions. “If you don brush…”

1) Low: Toothaches & decay
2) Moderate: Toothaches, decay, fallout, drilling
3) High: All of above + gum infection, heart disease, paralysis, etc.

FOUND: Higher fear was LESS effective because audience stops listening (“backfire effect”). Low fear was most effective.

23
Q

Greenwald et al. -1993 (Black-masking)

A

Study: Subjects given tapes with subliminal messages advertised to help change behavior.

  • Tapes either labeled “Diet” or “Smoking”
  • Subjects claimed tape helped them diet/stop smoking
  • No actual improvement, the perceived improvement was based on what was on the label, rather than the actual content the tape.
24
Q

Newcomb (1943)

A

Wanted to find out the effects of peer groups on children’s attitudes. Went to Bennington College, all girls liberal arts school. Asked them for whom they plan to vote for in 1940.
•Studied Parents: FDR 23% & Landon 76%
•Studied Incoming Freshmen Daughters: FDR 24% & Landon 75%
•Senior Students: FDR 63% & Landon 35%
•Conclusion: What’s causing the change? The freshmen would hang out with the seniors and the faculty who more liberal and they don’t see their parents very often to reinforce old ideals.

25
Q

Role/Role Playing

A

Role: A set of norms that defines how people in a given social position ought to behave.
Role Playing: The act of playing a role can morph into what is real (Stanford Prison Experiment)

26
Q

Zimbardo- 1965 (“Market Research Study”)

A

Induced Compliance/Insufficient Justification
Researchers put 3 fried grasshoppers on plate in front of subject. 2 types of researchers:
1) Cold and Aloof: Comes across as unsympathetic
2) Warm and Friendly
Result: Subjects in 1) reported it was more enjoyable to eat the grasshopper. They “must have wanted” to eat it, not for the benefit of the researcher.

27
Q

Festinger & Carlsmith- 1957 (Boring Peg Task)

A

Insufficient Justification

  • Asked subject to move 500 pegs around (very boring!)
  • Subject were asked to fill out a survey, but first, tell next person how fun experiment was
  • Subjects were either in the control (no $), given $1, or given $20 to tell next person
  • Those who reported liking it most were those in the $1…“I must’ve enjoyed it if I said that it was fun” (no cognitive dissonance)
28
Q

Bem -1967 (Radical Behaviorist)

A

Self Perception Theory- we perceive our attitudes from our behavior.
Gives alternative explanation on Festinger’s Theory.
Says theres no such thing as Cognitive Dissonance. As a radical behaviorist, says we don’t care how we feel, just what goes in and out- there’s no cognition, emotion, liking, or disliking- its all behavior.

On Boring Peg Task, Bem says “you didn’t like until you said it”

29
Q

Self Perception Theory

A

The theory that when we are unsure of our attitudes, we explain the behavior by noting circumstances.

We perceive our attitudes from our behavior (Bem).
“I don’t play tennis because I like it, I like it because I play it”

  • Gives an explanation for Foot-In-Door effects
  • Example: Child apologized to friend; is it because their parent told them to? (apology attributed to parent) Or did they do it on their own? (apology attributed to child)
30
Q

Induced Compliance/Insufficient Justification

A

Induced Compliance: The smallest incentive that induces people to do something most effectively gets them to like it and keep on doing it. (Boring Peg Task example)

Insufficient Justification: Reduction of dissonance by internally justifying one’s behavior when external justification is “insufficient.”

31
Q

Oversufficient Justification/ Overjustification Effect

A

The result of bribing people to do what they already like doing. They may then see their actions as externally controlled rather than intrinsically appealing.

Occurs when someone offers an unnecessary reward beforehand in an obvious effort to control behavior (paid to play tennis example). Depending on situation, can either boost or decrease intrinsic behavior.

32
Q

Dissonance as Arousal

A

Dissonance: an aroused state of uncomfortable tension.
Dissonance as Arousal: When you say a statement aloud/act upon it, it becomes known to others and may cause harm and negative effects, uncomfortable dissonance will be aroused.

33
Q

Post Decision Regret

A

When choosing between two equally attractive alternatives, choosing 1 makes us wish we would’ve chose the other.

Produces cognitive dissonance, 2 solutions:

1) Switch decision (BAD!); will cause continuous cycle of cognitive dissonance and PDR.
2) Selective Exposure; focus on supportive info for decision to bolster original decision–> start to value decision more

34
Q

Effort Justification

A

The more effort we expend for a goal, the more we come to see that goal as worthwhile.

“We love what we suffer for”- the more we suffer, the more we value it.

Study: Aronson & Mills- “Sex Discussion Club”“We we value it.

35
Q

Aronson & Mills- 1959 (“Sex Discussion Club”)

A

Effort Justification
Put women through initiation to join a “Sex Discussion Club” in a time when talking about sex was uncommon.
3 initiation groups:
1) Mild: Read mildly pornographic study to join
2) Severe: Read heavily pornographic study to join
3) Control: No initiation
At the first meeting, they discussed male peacocks (not what was expected)

Result: 72% in sever group returned (suffered most)
12% in mild group returned
0% in control group returned

36
Q

Brehm- 1956 (Market Research Study)

A

Post Decision Regret
Asked young women to evaluate how much they’d like a given coffee pot, toaster, or print.
Pot-4
Toaster-4
Print-2
-Three Conditions:
1) Low dissonance- pick pot or print
2) High dissonance- pick toaster or pot
3) Control- no choice, given item
-Given brochures to read and ask to re-evaluate items
-Item they received was now rated higher.. Biggest difference in rating in HIGH dissonance group
-we expose ourselves to info that supports our decision

37
Q

Cognitive Dissonance

A

Tension that arises when one is simultaneously aware of two inconsistent cognitions. This inconsistency will cause people to try and bring cognition back into consistency, this relies on self justification (Keech/UFO example).

May arise when we have little justification, acted contrary to our attitudes, or made a decision favoring one alternative despite reasons favoring another.

38
Q

Attitude

A

A favorable or unfavorable (NONVERBAL) evaluative reaction toward someone or something- often rooted in one’s beliefs and shown through ones feelings and behavior.

39
Q

Intrapersonal Consistency

A

Inconsistency between attitude and behavior.

40
Q

Attitude Potency

A

Strength of attitude, how powerful.
Our attitudes become potent IF we think about them.
Self awareness can promote consistency between words and deeds.

41
Q

Predicting Behavior From Accessibility

A

Attitude is stable and accessible, more likely to predict behavior

42
Q

Psychological Reactance

A

When we perceive our freedoms as being restricted, we react in ways to restore that freedom

Social Psychology (5 decks)

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