Exam 5 Flashcards
- define social psychology
scientific study of how we think about influence and relate to one another
- define and give an example of the fundamental attribution error
When we observe others’ behaviors we underestimate the influence other situation and we attribute their behavior to dispositional ( trait) factors
EX: you roommate get a bad grade on a test. Why? Well she’s stupid and sleeps around
- define attitude
feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and events.;
describe the central and peripheral routes to persuasion
doesn’t engage systematic thinking, but does produce fast results as people respond to incidental cues (such as celebrity endorsements), and make snap judgments. It occurs mostly when people are naturally analytical or involved in the issue.
Environmental advocates may show us evidence of rising temperatures, melting glaciers, rising seas, and northward shifts in vegetation and animal life. Because it is more thoughtful and less superficial, it is more durable and more likely to influence behavior
- describe the foot-in-the-door phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.
- describe the circumstances under which cognitive dissonance is likely to occur; How do we reduce our cognitive dissonance?
the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes
- give an example of the chameleon effect
you are with a group of people, one shakes foot, others do too
- define conformity; How did Asch test for it?
adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
He tested by having a group of people working on a problem. One person worked for him and gave an obviously wrong answer. Then others did too because he did.
What conditions increase conformity?
are made to feel incompetent or insecure.
are in a group with at least three people.
are in a group in which everyone else agrees. (If just one other person disagrees, the odds of our disagreeing greatly increase.)
admire the group’s status and attractiveness.
have not made a prior commitment to any response.
know that others in the group will observe our behavior.
are from a culture that strongly encourages respect for social standards.
- define social norms and tell how they influence our behavior
an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior.
They make us act differently so that we will belong in a group
- describe Milgram’s experiment on obedience
There is a teacher and a learner. The teacher goes in a separate room where he has a shocking device which is hooked up to the learner. The teacher gives the learner word pairs. If the learner gets one wrong you have to “shock” him starting at a low to high shock. The learner starts to scream and beg the teacher to stop but the teacher won’t because the experimenter is there and telling you you have to because it is the rules.
What conditions influenced how obedient Milgram’s subjects were?
Experimenter is prestigious, very close, the learner was depersonalized, and there were no models of defiance.
What percentage of participants in the original version of the study appeared to deliver the full range of shocks?
65%
- Describe what was learned from Milgram’s study about historical events such as the Holocaust
Ordered by police to give a list of sheltered Jews, the head pastor modeled defiance: “I don’t know of Jews, I only know of human beings.” Without realizing how long and terrible the war would be, or how much punishment and poverty they would suffer, the resisters made an initial commitment to resist. Supported by their beliefs, their role models, their interactions with one another, and their own initial acts, they remained defiant to the war’s end.
- define and give an example of social facilitation
stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
. Under what conditions is social facilitation (a) most likely to occur? (b) less likely to occur?
Good pool player- bring on spectators ends up scoring more, bad pool player- I don’t want anyone to watch ends up scoring less
- explain social loafing
the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
you perform less when in a group
- describe how a person becomes deindividuated and the effect this has on his/her individual behavior
This process of losing self-awareness and self-restraint
You will do more harm if in a mask
- describe group polarization
the beliefs and attitudes we bring to a group grow stronger as we discuss them with like-minded others
give an example of how group polarization can lead to (a) negative, destructive behavior or attitudes, and (b) positive, constructive behavior or attitudes
terrorist group, church
- describe the factors that lead to groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
overconfidence, conformity, self-justification, and group polarization
prejudice
means “prejudgment.” It is an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group—often a different cultural, ethnic, or gender group.
stereotypes
a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneral-ized) belief about a group of people.
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.
- give examples of (a) prejudices that have been reduced in recent decades and (b) prejudices that have increased in recent decades
men and women should get equal pay, would vote for woman leader, have interracial relationships and schools
gay and lesbian, Muslims
- define the just-world phenomenon and explain how it can lead to instances of blaming the victim
the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
well if they would have worked harder, they wouldn’t be homeless. She was wearing a miniskirt and flirted with me, she deserved to be raped
ingroup
“Us”—people with whom we share a common identity.
outgroup
“Them”—those perceived as different or apart from our in-group
ingroup bias
the tendency to favor our own group.
- define and give an example of the scapegoat theory of prejudice
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
all Arabs are evil
- define the other-race effect
the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect and the own-race bias
- define aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
aggression and explain how genetic, neural, and biochemical influences on it
Genes influence aggression. We know this because animals have been bred for aggressiveness—sometimes for sport, sometimes for research
animal and human brains have neural systems that, given provocation, will either inhibit or facilitate aggressive behavior
High testosterone correlates with irritability, assertiveness, impulsiveness, and low tolerance for frustration
- explain how frustration can trigger aggression
Suffering sometimes builds character. In laboratory experiments, however, those made miserable have often made others miserable
hot temperatures, physical pain, personal insults, foul odors, cigarette smoke, crowding,
- discuss the effects of observing filmed violence and pornography on social attitudes and relationships
social scripts—culturally provided mental files for how to act. Will be more violent, might think rape is OK
- discuss the research on the effects of video games on violence
more violent games more violent they are. Dehumanization
- define and give an example of the mere exposure effect
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.
We are even somewhat more likely to marry someone whose first or last name resembles our own
- list the factors that influence our liking of others and the probability of forming friendships and romantic relationships
physical attraction, proximity, similarity
- describe the bystander effect
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.
bystander effect and list factors that increase the likelihood of helping
the person appears to need and deserve help, the person is in some way similar to us, the person is a woman, we have just observed someone else being helpful, we are not in a hurry, we are in a small town or rural area, we are feeling guilty, we are focused on others and not preoccupied, we are in a good mood.
- define and give an example of social exchange theory
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Giving blood (hurts, time) (reduced quilt, helping others)
- define and give an example of reciprocity norms
an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.
Gifts need to be equal cost, thought, work
define and give an example of social-responsibility norms
an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them even though
I am poor I will donate (going to church)
- describe balance theory
a way of identifying situations in which we’re motivated to change our attitudes towards others
