Exam 3 (Chapters 8-10)

Question 1

Define Conformity

Answer 1

a change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of
other people

Question 2

Examples or Conformity

Answer 2

-You’re in the hall, waiting to get into your classroom when you hear the fire
alarm ring. You look around at the other people in the hall. They all start hurrying to the exits, so you do the same.
-You plan to study for your upcoming quiz tonight, but your friends text you to
grab dinner and hang out. You don’t want them to be annoyed at you if decline them again, so you decide to join them.
-You’re taking a quiz when you’re stumped on one question. You could cheat
and peak at your notes, but then you think about how disappointed your parents would be if they knew you cheated, so choose not to.

Question 3

What are the two types of influence?

Answer 3

-Informational social influence
-Normative social influence

Question 4

Define Informational Social Influence

Answer 4

-relying on other people as a source of information to guide our behavior

(We conform because we believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous
situation is more correct than our own and can help us choose an appropriate course of action)

Question 5

Example of Informational Social Influence

Answer 5

If there is a potential hurricane, we talk to family/friends/others to see
what they plan to do, who is evacuating or not, how they were preparing, etc.
and follow their lead. We also pay attention to the news, meteorologists, and
other experts because we assume they know what they are talking about.

Question 6

What occurred during Sherif’s experiment?

Answer 6

-Had participants estimate how far a dot of light had moved
-Participants were then placed in a group together and had to state outloud their estimates
-Results:
-Over several trials of voicing their estimates, their estimates converged to a
common estimate

Question 7

What was the conclusion on Sherif’s experiment?

Answer 7

People used each other as a source of information bc they thought others would know more than them

Question 8

Define Private acceptance

Answer 8

conforming to other people’s behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right

Question 9

When will people conform?

Answer 9

1. When the situation is ambiguous
2. When the situation is a crisis
3. When there are experts present

Question 10

What happens when the situation is ambiguous?

Answer 10

When you don’t know what’s going on, it’s natural to look to others for some
guidance

Question 11

example of when a situation is ambiguous

Answer 11

Take the hurricane example again. We don’t know how dangerous it
will be, where exactly it will make landfall, whether or not we’ll lose
power, etc. Because of all these uncertainties, we tend to seek
information from others to help us decide how to act.

Question 12

What bout when their is an expert present?

Answer 12

The more expertise or knowledge a person has, the more valuable we
see them as a source of information

Question 13

Example of when their is an expert present?

Answer 13

When there is a risk of a hurricane, many of us watch/read the news
and listen to meteorologists and emergency response teams. Because
we see them as experts, we assume they know what they are talking
about, and we’re more likely to follow their guidance.

Question 14

Define social norms

Answer 14

the implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors,
values, and beliefs of its members

Question 15

Define Normative social Influence

Answer 15

-going along with what other people so in order to be liked and
accepted by them

Question 16

What is an example of Normative social influence?

Answer 16

You don’t want to go to a party, but you do it anyway because you don’t want your friends to be mad at you.
( We publicly conform with the group’s beliefs and behaviors but do not always privately accept them)

Question 17

Normative social influence results in ______

Answer 17

Public Compliance

Question 18

Define Public Complance

Answer 18

-conforming to other people’s behavior publicly without necessarily
believing in what they are doing or saying (You don’t necessarily agree with the behavior but you do it anyway)

Question 19

What occurred in Asch’s line-judgement?

Answer 19

-Put the participant into a
group of 8 (1 participant; 7
confederates)
-Presented the group with a
line and asked them to match
that line to one of three
choices
-There was clearly a correct
answer
- All confederates gave the wrong answer and then the participant would
have to give his choice last

Question 20

What were the results on Asch’s line-judgement?

Answer 20

◦Many people conformed
even though the group’s answer was clearly wrong
◦76% of the participants
conformed on at least one trial
◦On average, people
conformed on about 1/3 of the time

Question 21

Why did poeple conform during Asch’s line study?

Answer 21

people conformed because of normative social influence
◦The fear of being the lone dissenter was so strong that people conformed, at
least some of the time ◦People knew they were giving the wrong answer but did it anyway to not go
against the group

Question 22

What happened in Asch’s line variation study?

Answer 22

-In this study, confederates gave the wrong answer, same as in the
original study
-However, in this variation, Asch had the participant write his answer on
the piece of paper instead of saying it out loud
◦The participant did not have to worry about what the other group members thought of him because they would never find out what his answers were
Results:
◦Conformity dropped considerably
◦Ps conformed only 1.5 times of the 12 trials

Question 23

Social Impact Theory

Answer 23

conforming to social influence depends on the group’s:
◦Importance
◦Immediacy
◦Number of member

Question 24

Social Impact Theory (strength/importance)

Answer 24

how important the group is to you
◦The stronger the group (or the more important the group is to you) the
more likely you’ll conform to normative pressures

Question 25

Example of a strong social impact theory

Answer 25

It makes sense that you’d probably feel more pressure to conform if it’s your family or close friends (very strong) than a classmate that you don’t know very well (not strong)

Question 26

Define Idiosyncrasy credits

Answer 26

the tolerance a person earns, over time, by conforming to group norms; if enough idiosyncrasy credits are earned, the person can, on occasion, deviate from the group without retribution

Question 27

example of idiosyncrasy

Answer 27

You don’t really like going to the movies. However, your best friends love it, so you usually go with them when they ask you to a movie. Let’s say they want to watch a movie this weekend, and you really don’t want to. So you decline to go and ask if y’all can do something else. Because they know you’re not into movies but go anyway for them, they’re not mad at you this time for going against them.

Question 28

Social Impact theory (Immediacy)

Answer 28

◦How close the group is physically during the attempt to influence you ◦The more physically close the group, the more likely you’ll conform

Question 29

Example of immediacy in social impact theory\

Answer 29

◦How close the group is physically during the attempt to influence you ◦The more physically close the group  the more likely you’ll conform

Question 30

Social Impact theory (number)

Answer 30

How many people are in the group ◦The more people in the group  the more likely you’ll conform ◦BUT only up to a certain point ◦Optimal group sizes for conformity is between 3 -5 ◦After 5 people, adding anymore to the group will not increase the likelihood of conformity ◦It does not take a large group to make you conform

Question 31

When else will people conform?

Answer 31

-When there are no allies in the group -When the group’s culture is collectivistic

Question 32

Define injunctive norms

Answer 32

-people’s perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved of by others -What are people supposed to do

Question 33

Example of injunctive norms

Answer 33

people are supposed to slow down at a yellow light; people are supposed to recycle

Question 34

Define descriptive norms

Answer 34

-people’s perceptions of how people actually behave in given situation, regardless of whether the behavior is approved or disapproved of by others ◦What people actually do

Question 35

Example of descriptive norms

Answer 35

most speed up when they see a yellow light; people throw away a lot of recyclable items

Question 36

Reno, Cialdini, & Kallgren (1993) study

Answer 36

Three conditions ◦Descriptive norm condition ◦ Confederate walked by the P and dropped an empty fast-food restaurant bag on the ground ◦ By littering, the confederate was subtly communicating that “this is what people do in this situation” ◦Injunctive norm condition ◦ Confederate picked up a littered bag from the ground before passing the P ◦ By picking up someone else’s litter, the confederate was subtly communicating that “littering is wrong” ◦Control condition ◦ Confederate walked by the P and didn’t do anything In addition, they conducted this study in one of two environments ◦The parking lot was heavily littered ◦ Communicated that “littering is what most people do here” ◦The area was clean and unlittered ◦ Communicated “littering is not what people do here”

Question 37

Reno, Cialdini, & Kallgren (1993) study - Results

Answer 37

Control condition ◦Almost 40% of the participants threw the flyer on the ground, regardless if the area was littered or clean Descriptive norm condition ◦Littering was reduced more in the clean area (11% of participants littered) than in the littered area (30% littered) Injunctive norm condition ◦Lowest amount of littering compared to all other conditions ◦About 7% littered in the clean and 4% in the littered area

Question 38

Define obedience

Answer 38

a change in one’s behavior due to the direct influence of an authority figure

Question 39

Example of obedience

Answer 39

Listening to your parents, following a teacher’s instructions, completing the work your boss tells you to do

Question 40

Consequences of obedience

Answer 40

◦People will obey an authority figure to hurt or even kill other human beings ◦Ex: My Lai massacre, Holocaust, genocide

Question 41

Milgram’s (1963) study:

Answer 41

A participant and confederate were told that the study was investigating the effects of punishment on learning accomplice to the researcher. ◦Participant is always the “teacher” ◦Confederate always the “learner” ◦Remember, a confederate is someone who is “in” on the study. They’re an ◦Milgram, as the experimenter, is perceived as the authority figure

Question 42

Milgram’s (1963) study: Results

Answer 42

Most of Milgram’s participants succumbed to the pressure of the authority figure (the experimenter) The average maximum shock administered was 360-volts 62.5% of the participants went all the way to 450-volts ( fully compliant) 80% of the participants continued giving shocks after the learner complained of his heart condition, which he had mentioned at the beginning of the experiment

Question 43

Why did participants obey?

Answer 43

The role of normative social influence ◦If someone really wants us to do something, it can be difficult to say no, especially when it’s an authority figure ◦You don’t want the person of authority to be disappointed, hurt, or even angry ◦So when an authority figure is so insistent that we obey, saying no can be very difficult Variation of Milgram’s study ◦Two confederates working with P ◦ One confederate read the list of word pairs ◦ The other confederate told the learner if he was right or wrong ◦ P was in charge of shocking the learner ◦Results ◦ Only 10% of the participants were fully compliant

Question 44

Define group

Answer 44

two or more people who interact and are interdependent in the sense that their needs and goals cause them to influence each other

Question 45

Examples of groups

Answer 45

two or more people who interact and are interdependent in the sense that their needs and goals cause them to influence each other

Question 46

Why do people join groups?

Answer 46

To help us accomplish things that would be difficult to do on our own ◦Ex: think about your job – it would be impossible to do everything on your own To fulfill a need of belongingness ◦Have an innate need to belong to groups (feel like we’re part of something To help us define who we are ◦Use other people as important sources of information ◦Groups can impact how we see the world ◦Groups become an important part of our identity ◦Groups help us establish social norms

Question 47

Define Group Cohesiveness

Answer 47

-qualities of a group that bind members together and promote liking between them ◦The more cohesive a group is, the more its members are likely to stay in the group, take part in group activities, and try to recruit new like-minded members

Question 48

Group similarity

Answer 48

◦Members tend to be alike in age, sex, beliefs, and opinions ◦This happens because people are attracted to others who are similar to them

Question 49

Define social norms

Answer 49

acceptable behaviors and beliefs that groups members are supposed to follow

Question 50

Define social roles

Answer 50

shared expectations in a group about how particular people are supposed to behave

Question 51

Define Social Facilitation

Answer 51

when people are in the presence of others and their individual performance can be evaluated, they tend to do better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks

Question 52

Simple vs complex tasks

Answer 52

◦Simple task – something you can easily do ◦Usually something well-learn and maybe even automatic (second nature) ◦Ex: writing your name; riding a bike ◦Complex task – more difficult ◦Usually requires more cognitive energy and might involve something newer or something you don’t have a lot of experience doing ◦Ex: solving a difficult math problem

Question 53

Define Social Loafing

Answer 53

when people are in the presence of others and their individual performance cannot be evaluated, they tend to do worse on simple or unimportant tasks but better on complex tasks

Question 54

Define Deindividuation

Answer 54

-the loosening of normal constraints on behavior when people can’t be identified (such as when they are in a crowd) ◦Getting lost in the crowd can lead to people engaging in impulsive, deviant, and sometimes violent acts ◦“Mob mentality” – riots, fights, destruction of property, looting

Question 55

Why does deindividuation occur?

Answer 55

Makes people feel less accountable ◦Anonymity makes it difficult to tell one person from another ◦Reduces the likelihood that any individual will be singled out and blamed ◦Since you feel like you won’t be held accountable for your actions, you’re more likely to do something you normally wouldn’t Increases obedience to group norms ◦It’s possible to have group norms that can sometimes conflict with other group norms or even societal norms in general ◦When faced with conflicting norms, people will usually follow the one that is most immediate (closest to you at that time) ◦If your group is engaging in deviant behavior (current group norm), it’s easy to get swept up in that group norm and follow it

Question 56

What was the Stanford Prison Study

Answer 56

Zimbardo wanted to look at the power of social roles Social roles ◦Prisoner ◦Guard (Ps were randomly assigned to be a prisoner or a guard) ◦Prison warden (Zimbardo) The two groups were outfitted with different uniforms ◦Prisoners: dressed in loose-fitting smocks with identification numbers on it, rubber sandals (flip flops), and stocking cap (beanie), and the locked chain attached to one ankle ◦Guards: dressed in khaki shirts and pants, a whistle, a police nightstick, and big reflective sunglasses that covered half their face

Question 57

What happened during the Stanford Prison study?

Answer 57

The participants assumed their roles of guards and prisoners very quickly and to such an extent that continuing the study would have been unethical and immoral ◦Many of the guards became incredibly abusive and cruel ◦Thought of creative ways of verbally harass and humiliate the prisoners ◦The prisoners became passive, helpless, and withdrawn ◦Some became so anxious and depressed that they had to be released from the study earlier than the others

Question 58

Define Process Loss?

Answer 58

any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solving

Question 59

Define Groupthink

Answer 59

a kind of decision process in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner

Question 60

Avoiding groupthink

Answer 60

-remain partial -seek outside opinion -create subgroups -seek anonymous opinions

Question 61

Define Group Polarization

Answer 61

the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of its members

Question 62

Example group polarization

Answer 62

individuals think that chess players shouldn’t make a risky move unless there’s at least a 30% chance of success, but when they discuss it with group members, it drops to just 10% - shows that they moved in a more extreme direction when in a group

Question 63

Define Contingency Theory of Leadership

Answer 63

the idea that the effectiveness of a leadership depends both on (1) how task-oriented or relationship-oriented the leader is and (2) the amount of control the leader has over the group

Question 64

Define TASK-ORIENTED LEADER

Answer 64

more concerned with getting the job done than with group members’ feelings and relationships

Question 65

RELATIONSHIP-ORIENTED LEADER

Answer 65

more concerned with group members’ feelings and relationships

Question 66

High-control

Answer 66

leader has excellent relationships with group members, his/her position as leader is clearly perceived as powerful, and the work needing to be done by the group is structured and well-defined

Question 67

Low-Control

Answer 67

the leader has poor relationships with group members, and the work needing to be done is not clearly well-defined

Question 68

CAUSES OF ATTRACTION

Answer 68

Propinquity Similarity Reciprocal liking Physical attractiveness

Question 69

Define the PROPINQUITY EFFECT

Answer 69

the more we see and interact with people, the more likely they are to become our friends

Question 70

Define Mere Exposure

Answer 70

the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more likely we are to like it

Question 71

Define Similarity

Answer 71

a match between you and another person

Question 72

Define reciprocal liking

Answer 72

People who like each other get to know each other better and become more familiar with each other

Question 73

Define Attractiveness

Answer 73

Attractive people seem more familiar to us, and we like them more

Question 74

Define Companionate love

Answer 74

DEF: the intimacy and affection we have for someone that are not accompanied by passion or physiological arousal

Question 75

Example of Companionate Love

Answer 75

close friendships, family relationships

Question 76

Define Passionate Love

Answer 76

an intense longing we feel for a person, accompanied by physiological arousal

Question 77

Example of passionate love

Answer 77

Romantic relationships

Question 78

Define Ster berg’s Theory of love

Answer 78

the idea that different kinds of love consist of varying degrees of three components (intimacy, passion, commitment)

Question 79

Intimacy

Answer 79

Feelings of being close to and bonded with a partner

Question 80

Passion

Answer 80

-The arousal you experience toward your partner -Includes sexual attraction

Question 81

Commitment

Answer 81

-Short-term: that you love your partner -Long-term: to maintain that love and stay with your partner

Question 82

SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY (SHORT-TERM)

Answer 82

the idea that people’s feelings about a relationship depend on (a) their perceptions of the rewards and costs of the relationship (b) the kind of relationship they deserve, and (c) their chances for having a better relationship with someone else

Question 83

Rewards

Answer 83

Anything positive that you get out of being in that relationship

Question 84

Example of rewards

Answer 84

validation, companionship, support, entertainment, gaining access to money, status, activities, and other interesting people

Question 85

Costs

Answer 85

Anything negative that you have to deal with in that relationship

Question 86

Examples of cost

Answer 86

putting up with annoying habits and characteristics of the other person, stress (from fights or disagreements)

Question 87

Define comparison level

Answer 87

people’s expectations about the level of rewards and costs they are likely to receive in a particular relationship

Question 88

Comparison levels

Answer 88

 High comparison level (high expectations)  Expect a lot of rewards and few costs  If a relationship doesn’t match this comparison level, you will be unhappy and unsatisfied  Low comparison level (low expectations)  Expect a lot of costs and few rewards  You would be happy in an okay relationship because you expect relationships to be difficult and

Question 89

long-term relationships, you have to consider a person’s level of investment in the relationship

Answer 89

anything you put in to a relationship that you will lose if you leave the relationship

Question 90

investments

Answer 90

Tangible things – financial resources and possessions (i.e., house) Intangible things – emotional energy and time spent building the relationshi

Question 91

INVESTMENT THEORY (LONG-TERM SOCIAL EXCHANGE)

Answer 91

the theory that people’s commitment to a relationship depends not only on their satisfaction with the relationship but also on how much they have invested in the relationship that would be lost by ending it

Question 92

Define Equity Theory

Answer 92

the idea that people are happiest with relationships in which the rewards and costs experienced and the contributions made by both parties are roughly equal

Question 93

Equitable relationships

Answer 93

Partners are pretty much equal in the rewards/costs they experience and the amount of time/effort they are putting into the relationship Doesn’t matter if rewards are higher or costs are higher – just needs to be similar Most stable relationships

Question 94

Inequitable relationships

Answer 94

Under-benefitted  One partner gets few rewards, incurs more costs, and has to devote more time/energy to the relationship  Least satisfying relationship Over-benefitted  The other partner gets lots of rewards, incurs few costs, and devotes little time/energy to the relationship  Less satisfying relationship, but not as bad as under-benefitted

Question 95

EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIPS

Answer 95

relationships governed by the need for equity (i.e., for an equal ratio of rewards and costs)

Question 96

COMMUNAL RELATIONSHIPS

Answer 96

relationships in which people’s primary concern is being responsive to the other person’s needs

Question 97

Destructive behaviors – harm the relationship

Answer 97

Actively harming the relationship (e.g., abusing the partner, threatening to break up, actually leaving) Passively allowing the relationship to deteriorate (e.g., refusing to deal with problems, ignoring the problem, spending less time together, putting no energy into the relationship)

Question 98

Constructive behaviors – help the relationship

Answer 98

Actively trying to improve the relationship (e.g., discussing problems, trying to change, going to a therapist)

Question 99

Define fatal attractions

Answer 99

the very qualities that were so initially so attractive became the very reason as to why the relationship ended

Question 100

Examples of Fatal Attraction

Answer 100

Ex: at first – “she’s so exciting and predictable;” and then – “I can never count on her” Ex: a woman attracted to an older man because he’s mature but then breaks up with him because he’s so much older and they have nothing in common

Question 101

Breakees

Answer 101

-Were miserable Reported high levels of loneliness, depression, unhappiness, and anger Almost all reported experiencing physical disorders (i.e., headaches, stomachaches, eating and sleeping irregularities) in the weeks after the breakup as well

Question 102

Breakers

Answer 102

Were the least upset Reported the lowest levels of pain and stress 39% reported the fewest physical symptoms However, breakers did report feeling guilty and unhappy

Question 103

Mutuals

Answer 103

Were not as upset and hurt as breakees but were not as unaffected as breakers 60% of mutuals reported physical symptoms

Question 104

REMAINING FRIENDS AFTER A BREAK-UP

Answer 104

Couples with higher rates of satisfaction and investment during the course of the relationship are more likely to remain friends after a break-up