Lec. 23 (social psych) Flashcards
the process we go through to explain the causes of behavior
attribution
attributions are important because they help us to do what 3 things?
- UNDERSTAND someone’s behavior
- PREDICT someone’s future behavior
- CONTROL the situation if it should occur again
2 types of attributions:
- situational
- dispositional
type of attribution: leads to TOLERANT reactions; due to a situation
situational
type of attribution: leads to UNFAVORABLE reactions; we make more of these (why it’s called “fundamental attribution error”); due to a person’s dispositive
dispositional
the tendency to OVER-attribute the behavior of others to INTERNAL factors/dispositional sources (ex: the student got a D on the test is not very smart (this is an internal attribution; other potential external reasons include little sleep and illness)
Fundamental Attribution Error
BIGGEST bias in explaining behaviors (attribution) =
fundamental attribution error (use dispositional sources)
bias in attribution; when we try to explain uncomfortable events (murders, rapes, etc) we tend to look for INTERNAL causes increases; “she was raped bc she dress too sexy”
blaming the victum
blaming the victim allows us to maintain our belief in a “______ _______” – “bad things happen to bad ppl and good things happen to good ppl”
just world
the tendency to think, feel, or act positively or negatively toward objects in our environment
attitudes
3 components of attitudes:
1) cognitive component
2) emotional component
3) behavioral component
component of attitude: what you THINK about a particular topic
cognitive
component of attitude: how you FEEL about that topic; also called “Affective component”
emotional
emotional component of attitudes is also called the ______ component
affective
component of attitude: what are your ACTIONS in relation to that topic
behavioral
T/F: how you attribute behavior leads to very different consequences
true
component of attitude that is easy to detect; MOST measured
cognitive component
assessment method of COGNITIVE component of attitude =
paper-and-pencil tests (questionnaires)
assessment method of AFFECTIVE/EMOTIONAL component of attitude =
physiological indices (heart rate, GSR)
assessment method of BEHAVORIAL component of attitude =
directly observed behaviors
splitting up components of attitude allows us to _______ them
measure
T/F: actions can lead to attitudes
true
non only do people stand for what they believe in (attitude), they start believing in what they stand for — actually very ______
common
________ actions can lead to _____ likings (beliefs)
cooperative; mutual
Cognitive Dissonance theory that says we want our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to be _______
CONSISTENT
if attitudes do not match behavior, this leads to ______ _______
cognitive dissonance
cognitive dissonance leads to an uncomfortable “_______”
feeling
a state of cognitive dissonance can lead to one of two outcomes/2 solutions:
- change behavior
- change attitude
T/F: you can perform both solutions to solve any cognitive dissonance
false (can only do one)
in the cognitive dissonance study of participants turning wooden pegs, who was more convincing that the task was fun – ppl paid $20 or $1?
$1
Persuasion Cues (4):
- expertise and credibility of the communicator
- attractiveness of communicator
- emotionally arousing messages
- repeating the message
persuasion cue: ppl considered more expert or more credible are better at changing attitudes
expertise and credibility of the communicator
persuasion cue: more physically attractive ppl are better at changing your attitudes
attractiveness of communicator
persuasion cue: arousing fear and anxiety is a great way to persuade people; especially persuasive if you give them a way to get out of the fear or anxiety (“vote for me”)
emotionally arousing messages
persuasion cue: simply being repeatedly exposed to a message may change your view
repeating the message
how DEEPLY we think about the messsage
elaboration
range of how deeply we think about the message/elaboration (2):
- low elaboration
- high elaboration
type of elaboration: NO information is presented; we use the persuasion cues from previous slide to decide; this is the PERIPHERAL ROUTE to persusasion
low elaboration
type of elaboration: we think DEEPLY about the content of the message; lots of info is provided and we pay attention to it; is this the CENTRAL ROUTE to persuasion
high elaboration
low elaboration = ______ route to persuasion
PERIPHERAL
high elaboration = ______ route to persuasion
CENTRAL
the process by which the words or actions of other people DIRECTLY or INDIRECTLY affect other people’s behavior
social influence
social influence affects your… (5 things):
- attitudes
- beliefs
- decisions
- emotions
- behavior (what u wear, eat, etc)
the greatest contribution of social psychology is its study of attitudes, beliefs, decisions, and actions and the way they are molded by _______ _______
social influence
learned, socially based rules that prescribe what ppl should and should not do in various situations
social norms
why do we have social norms?
tells us how to behave in public situations
social norms differs by _______ (ex: personal distance between ppl while talking)
culture
social norms is usually for the _____ _____; implicitly shared agreement between people
public good
T/F: social norms are always good
false (can cause mobs, riots)
behavior is ______, modeled by one followed by another.
contagious
we follow behavior of others to ________. other behaviors may be an expression of _________ (obedience) towards authority.
conform; compliance
why we copy behavior ranges from ______ to ______
conformity to obedience
Real World Social Influence: in the 8 days following the Columbine shootings, EVERY state except Vermont reported increased ______ _____ (copycat crimes)
school violence
T/F: after a famous suicide (Marilyn Monroe), the number of suicides in the US significantly increased
true
subtle type of conformity; adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard
suggestibility
an influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions about reality
group pressure and conformity
WHEN do people conform (3)?
1) when situations are ambiguous or UNCERTAIN
2) when the majority is UNANIMOUS (of two or more people fully in agreement)
as the group
3) as the groups gets LARGER, but only to a point
despite initial research findings, there are NO _____ ______ in conformity
gender differences
Methods of Making Ppl Comply (3):
- foot-in-the door technique
- door-in-the-face procedure
- low-ball approach
method of making ppl comply: a person initially agrees to a SMALL request and then is presented with gradually larger requests; cognitive dissonance
foot-in-the-door technique
method of making ppl comply: an initial request is made that is likely to be denied, then the real request is made; the appearance of compromise
door-in-the-face procedure
method of making ppl comply: after a person agrees to a request, the cost of fulfilling the request is increased; common in car sales*
low-ball approach
which approach?
salesperson giving you something for free first
foot-in-the-door technique
which approach?
“pls give $100. I know that is a lot of money, OK, how about $10?”; haggling
door-in-the-face procedure
which approach?
“you can have the car for $15k. with taxes and add-ons, its $20k.” ; very common in car sales
low-ball approach
study in which participants were told to give shocks to other “participants” when they would get a question wrong; many went all the way up in shock levels
Milgram’s Obedience Studies
in Milgram’s Obedience Study, _____% of people gave shocks up to deathly levels
65%
how GROUPS affect our behavior
grou influence
social psychologists study various groups including… (4):
- one person affecting another
- families
- teams
- committees
refers to improved performance on tasks in the presence of others; Triplett (1898) noticed cyclists’ race times were faster when they competed against others than when they are just against the clock
social facilitation
the tendency of an individual in a group to exert LESS effort toward attaining a common goal than when tested individually
social loafing
the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (ex: mob behavior)
deindividuation
enhances a group’s prevailing attitudes through a discussion; if a group is like-minded, discussion strengthens its prevailing opinions and attitudes
group polarization
regarding group polarization, staying in your bubble makes you more _______
extreme
simply called “prejudgment;” an unjustifiable (usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members; often directed toward different cultural, ethnic, or gender groups
prejudice
components of prejudice (3):
1) beliefs (ex: stereotypes)
2) emotions (ex: hostility, fear)
3) predisposition to act (ex: to discriminate)
prejudice works at the ______ but MOSTLY at the _______ level.
conscious; unconscious
T/F: prejudice is more like a knee-jerk response than a conscious decision.
true
