Influence of Others

Question 1

What is social facilitation

Answer 1

increased performance that occurs in the presence of co-actors or an audience (regardless of interest)

Question 2

What is a co-actor

Answer 2

another individual performing the same task

Question 3

What is an audience

Answer 3

a group of people watching an individual perform the task

Question 4

What would cause performance to increase in the presence of others

Answer 4

when task is well practiced

Question 5

What would cause performance to become hindered

Answer 5

complex tasks in the presence of others

Question 6

What is the social learning theory

Answer 6

we learn appropriate behaviours by modelling and imitating the behaviours of others

Question 7

What is the bandura experiment

Answer 7

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)

Question 8

What are norms

Answer 8

unwritten but commonly accepted rules for how to behave

Question 9

What is norm formation

Answer 9

convergence in behaviours, even in the presence of outliers

Question 10

What is normative function

Answer 10

role of others in setting standards for our conduct based on fear of rejection

Question 11

What is informational function

Answer 11

role of others in providing information about an ambiguous situation

Question 12

What is risky shift/cautious shift

Answer 12

groups are always either more risky or less risky than individuals depending on the situation

Question 13

What is group polarizaiton

Answer 13

group decision making strengthening the original inclinations of the individual group members

Question 14

What is groupthink

Answer 14

group decision making environment that occurs when group cohesiveness becomes so strong it overrides realistic appraisals of reality and alternative opinions

Question 15

How to prevent group think

Answer 15

be impartial
critical evaluation “devil’s advocate”
subdivide group
provide second chance

Question 16

What is pluralistic ignorance

Answer 16

individual decides situation is not an emergency when each individual in the group sees no one responding

Question 17

What is diffusion of responsibility

Answer 17

in deciding whether we act or not, we determine that someone else in the group is more qualified

Question 18

What is social loafing

Answer 18

individuals less motivated when working in a group than working alone

Question 19

How to break the bystander effect

Answer 19

be direct about asking for help

Question 20

What will increase the probability of helping others in the future

Answer 20

seeing helpful behaviour

Question 21

What was Milgram’s Experiment

Answer 21

participant = teacher
actor (person being shocked) = learner
testing obedience

Question 22

What did Milgram’s Experiment discover?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

What is cognitive dissonance

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What overjustification effect

Answer 24

the resolution of cognitive dissonance as conflict in behaviour and attitude are justified by some external means

Question 25

What was revealed in the stanford prison experiment

Answer 25

the shocking power of assigned roles on behaviour
deindividuation

Question 26

What is deindividuation

Answer 26

in a group setting, the loss of a sense of personal responsibility and restraint

Question 27

what are the factors of perssuasive communication

Answer 27

credibility
physical attractiveness
relatability (age, gender)

similarity: lifestyle choices
credibility: objective fact

Question 28

how to be more perssuasive

Answer 28

speech style: straightforward, eye contact, speed
framing message:
- 1 sided argument: audience initially agrees
- 2 sided argument: audience initially disagrees

Question 29

What is central appeal

Answer 29

well reasoned, factual, two-sided arguments (effective for academic audiences)

Question 30

What is peripheral appeal

Answer 30

well presented, easy to understand messages (effective for non academic audiences)

Question 31

What is the foot in the door technique

Answer 31

1) assume identity of an authority figure
2) establish credibility using police jargon
3) use gradual escalation of demands to increase compliance

every request is considered in relation to the previous request, rather than the first

Question 32

What is the low-ball technique

Answer 32

escalation of terms of an agreement after someone has already agreed to comply
- agreeing beforehand to something, but the conditions change later