From cognition to behaviour Flashcards

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1
Q

construal and behaviour

A

The interaction sequence:
o Social interaction can be viewed as a sequence of events – a complex ‘dance’ or set of exchanges between people (Darley & Fazio, 1980)

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2
Q

what are the components of this ‘dance’?

A

see notes

First step = goals we bring to an encounter

Second step = detect certain features about person, activated expectancies

Predictive veridicality – anticipate behaviour and formulate appropriate behaviour in response to the expected action of others.

Interactant interprets meaning of perceiver’s action and responds with apt response

Perceiver has expectancy confirmed!

This example shows what is termed behavioural confirmation – you may also know it as self-fulfilling prophecy

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3
Q

self-fulfilling prophecy

A

“the self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the originally false conception come true. The specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning (Merton, 1948)

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4
Q

the self-fulfilling prophecy cycle

A

see notes

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5
Q

famous examples of the self-fulfilling prophecy - Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

A

Pygmalion in the classroom

Planted seed that some children were bloomers – better results than others

Make teachers behave towards children in a different way
o Ask more Qs
o Challenge them more
o Interpret ambiguous answers as more likely to be right
o Providing affirmation

Knock-on effect on the student

Bloomers showed increased IQ

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6
Q

examples of the self-fulfilling prophecy - Rosenhan (1973)

A

on being sane in insane places
Went to asylum saying they heard voices

Behaved normally

Others believed they acted in line with the SZ behaviour

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7
Q

Snyder et al. (1977) - how minor misconceptions can snowball into major misunderstandings - the halo effect revisited

A

Male and female undergrads

Separate rooms (intercom)

Given details and photo about the person in the other room

Photo was attractive or unattractive confed

Conversation

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8
Q

Snyder et al. (1977) results - perceiver impressions

A

Did they form initial impression of target on basis of stereotypes about physical attractiveness and desirable qualities?

Yes indeed.

Ratings after seeing photo but before conversation showed:

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9
Q

halo effect in action

A

Men who anticipated physically attractive partners thought they’d be more:
o Sociable, poised, humorous and socially adept
o i.e. halo effect

Men who anticipated less attractive partners thought they’d be more:
o Unsociable, awkward, serious and socially inept

OK, but this is just the halo effect … what about self-fulfilling prophecy?

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10
Q

Snyder et al. (1977) more interesting finding

A

Actual conversation was recorded

Tapes doctored to erase man’s voic

New judges (did not see photos or biography) rated woman based on conversation

Judges also rated thought-to-be-pretty woman more positively than thought-to-be-ugly woman

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11
Q

what this means

A

Judges had no expectations…so, this is not a case of perceptual assimilation

So, what is going on?

Could it be that the women whose male partners mistakenly thought they were attractive actually behaved more socially, more poised etc?
o That what the person is drawing out of her – they interact with her in a certain way

Example: Scott and Joanne or Barbie

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12
Q

what Snyder et al. conclude

A

“We regard our investigation as a particularly compelling demonstration of behavioural confirmation in social interaction. For if there is any social-psychological process that ought to exist in stronger form in everyday action than in the laboratory it is behavioural confirmation.”

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13
Q

Barbie and Raquelle

A

Barbie and Raquelle

The misunderstanding (based on faulty expectancy that Barbie was aloof and Raquelle was mean)
o Raquelle is mean
o Barbie doesn’t get why
o Raquelle forms expectancy Barbie is too popular to be interested in talking to her, starts being offish to Barbie
o Barbie interprets this as Raquelle being a bitch
o They hate each other
o Then they sit down and talk, finally getting the bottom of their rivalry and misunderstanding. They apologize to each other and promise to become friends. Their forgiveness transforms the spheres into real wings for them, because forgiveness lets you fly.

The happy resolution where they realise, they’re wrong

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14
Q

broadening this out to stereotyping

A

Word et al. (1974) – stereotyped groups

Are stereotypic expectancies about groups linked to specific kind of NVB?
o More positive expectancies = NVB portrays this
o (interpersonal distance, eye contact, leaning forward)

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15
Q

what Word et al. (1974)

A

Study 1: Obtained diffs in NVB for White person interviewing White or African American (AA) person
o Sat further away, less eye contact, more speech errors when communicating with black P

Study 2: Consequences in terms of SFP
o White confed who acted in positive/negative NV way towards AA/White interviewee
o Judges who just saw interviewee rated his NVB worse if on receiving end of negative NVB
o Interviewer produced behaviours in others that fulfilled negative expectancies (without either party’s awareness)
o Confirm initial negativity

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16
Q

stereotype threat - other behavioural deficits

A

“the event of a negative stereotype about a group to which one belongs becoming self-relevant, usually as a plausible interpretation for something one is doing, for an experience one is having, or for a situation one is in, that has relevance to one’s self-definition.”

“…being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one’s group.”

17
Q

Steele and Anderson (1995) - African Americans and tests of ability

A

Study 1: test presented as diagnostic of ability or not; AA participants did worse than White participants when told it was diagnostic (ST present)
o Activates stereotype threat if told your ‘group’ usually performs badly

Study 2: same results but more subtle manipulation – recording race (ST) or not

18
Q

Steele and Anderson (1995) - study 3

A

Diagnostic group AA participants completed more word fragments with words related to the AA stereotype and words signifying self-doubt, and listed fewer stereotypic self-characterizations than AA participants in non-diagnostic condition and Whites in either condition…
• Complete word fragments – makes things more accessible
• Creating distance between yourself and the stereotype

19
Q

implications of Steele and Anderson

A

implies that expecting to take ability-diagnostic test is sufficient to activate racial stereotype, increase self-doubt and motivate pps to avoid being seen stereotypically

Shown in other domains (gender/maths, race/sport and lots more)

If we belong to a stereotyped group, the way we think about ourselves can impact upon behaviour (in negative way)

20
Q

expectancies and construal

A

“the concept of expectancy forms the basis for virtually all behaviour…Every deliberate action we take rests on assumptions (expectancies) about how the world will operate/react in response to our action” (Olson, Roese, & Zanna, 1996)n

21
Q

how do expectancies lead to stereotype threat

A

Increased anxiety?

Fear of fulfilling the stereotype?

“When one is taking a test…how is one to construe this situation? Is it an opportunity to display one’s abilities and intellectual acumen or is it an opportunity to possibly destroy one’s hopes for college admission and to put one’s inadequacies into an official document?”

22
Q

situations need to be construed

A

the way we construe them determines our behaviour

This could help explain underperformance in domains affected by ST

Remember stereotype accessibility?

“Typically, African Americans do not do so well on SAT (tests)”

When stereotype is primed/brought to mind it may affect construal of situation

May not be fear of fulfilling stereotype, just tendency to construe situation in anxiety-provoking way

How could we find out if one is more likely?

23
Q

Wheeler et al. (2001)

A

Do same effects occur (poorer performance) when Whites are primed with AA stereotype?

What would this show us?

If same effect found, can’t be down to fear of confirming stereotype because AA stereotype not relevant to Whites’ performance

But…Whites do possess knowledge of stereotype and it could be activated and prime them to do worse

24
Q

what Wheeler et al. did

A

Non-AA participants worked on maths test (GRE) but beforehand…

Half had AA stereotypes primed by writing essay about AA

Half wrote essay about non-AA person

Tyrone pps did worse on the test than Erik pps

Behaviour was modified by stereotype of another group being made accessible, altering how situation was construed