Influence of Others Flashcards
What is social facilitation
increased performance that occurs in the presence of co-actors or an audience (regardless of interest)
What is a co-actor
another individual performing the same task
What is an audience
a group of people watching an individual perform the task
What would cause performance to increase in the presence of others
when task is well practiced
What would cause performance to become hindered
complex tasks in the presence of others
What is the social learning theory
we learn appropriate behaviours by modelling and imitating the behaviours of others
What is the bandura experiment
when not given explicit instructions, behaviours were spontaneously initiated - experimenter shown playing with doll, children imitated
(children attacked clowndoll and and a real person dressed a a clown)
What are norms
unwritten but commonly accepted rules for how to behave
What is norm formation
convergence in behaviours, even in the presence of outliers
What is normative function
role of others in setting standards for our conduct based on fear of rejection
What is informational function
role of others in providing information about an ambiguous situation
What is risky shift/cautious shift
groups are always either more risky or less risky than individuals depending on the situation
What is group polarizaiton
group decision making strengthening the original inclinations of the individual group members
What is groupthink
group decision making environment that occurs when group cohesiveness becomes so strong it overrides realistic appraisals of reality and alternative opinions
How to prevent group think
be impartial
critical evaluation “devil’s advocate”
subdivide group
provide second chance
What is pluralistic ignorance
individual decides situation is not an emergency when each individual in the group sees no one responding
What is diffusion of responsibility
in deciding whether we act or not, we determine that someone else in the group is more qualified
What is social loafing
individuals less motivated when working in a group than working alone
How to break the bystander effect
be direct about asking for help
What will increase the probability of helping others in the future
seeing helpful behaviour
What was Milgram’s Experiment
participant = teacher
actor (person being shocked) = learner
testing obedience
What did Milgram’s Experiment discover?
strong obedience to authority, even if power is limited
we are terrible judges at predicting our own behaviour
1) prestige of institution does not influence level of obedience in participants
2) appearance influences level of obedience
3) proximity b/w teacher and learner influences obedience levels in participants
4) proximity to experimenter influences teachers obedience to shock learners
What is cognitive dissonance
state of psychological discomfort brought on by conflict b/w a person’s attitudes and their beliefs
- adjusting one’s beliefs to justify their actions made in the past
What overjustification effect
the resolution of cognitive dissonance as conflict in behaviour and attitude are justified by some external means