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.