lecture 2 Flashcards
what is cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. People tend to seek consistency in their attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict causes unpleasant feelings of unease or discomfort
ex.) smoking is unhealthy + i smoke regularly = dissonance
how can dissonance be resolved?
- change one of the thoughts (cognitions 1 or 2, ex.) smoking isn’t bad)
- change the behaviour (i will stop smoking because it is bad for me)
- try trivializing the inconsistency (“sure it’s bad and i do it but i don’t care)
when is cognitive dissonance most likely to occur?
according to Leon Festinger (proposed cognitive dissonance)
after we make an important decision
what is effort justification
how people rationalize the value of a goal or outcome based on the effort they put into achieving it. derived from Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance,
people tend to increase the attractiveness of a goal or outcome if they made sacrifices or worked hard for it.
if you work hard for something and the outcome is underwhelming, you’ll probably experience dissonance
sex discussion group study - 1959
- participants (all women) signed up for experiment to join a discussion group about sex
- when they arrived, they were told not everyone is suitable so they had to go through a test first
- 3 conditions
(1) = Mild [read a list of mildly embarrassing words in front of a male experimenter - “prostitute, petting, virgin”]
(2) = Severe [read a list of obscene words from a passage describing sexual intercourse in front of a male experimenter]
(3) = no initation [control] - everyone passed and had to living to a recording of a very boring discussion about invertebrate sex
- found that participants in the severe initiation condition rate the discussion group most highly, reducing their dissonance
what is induced compliance
- forced
- when you make someone behave in a way that is contrary to their beliefs
early cognitive dissonance study
- participants completed very boring tasks (loading spoons onto trays and turning pegs on boards one at a time for an hour)
3 conditions
(1) control [completed task and rated it for enjoyment]
(2) experiment 1 = $20 [completed task, offered $20 to tell the next participant that it was fun and exciting, rated task for enjoyment]
(3) experiment 2 = $1 [completed task, offered $1 to tell the next participant that it was fun and exciting, rated task for enjoyment]
dissonance is most likely to motivate change when
you have the perception of choice
what are the 3 main areas of social influence
1.) conformity
2.) compliance
3) obedience
what is social influence?
when our thoughts, feelings, attitudes or behaviors are affected by other people
most likely when we’re uncertain about how to behave or uncertain about what is factually true
what is conformity
changing our beliefs/behaviours in response to implicit or explicit pressure from others (real or imagined)
what is compliance
responding favourably to an explicit request by another person (complying with a request)
what is obedience
requires an unequal power dynamic
you give in/submit/follow the demands of a person in authority
T/F it takes more energy to avoid conforming than to conform
false
what are the methods of conformity
1.) informational social influence [correct?]
2.) normative social influence [proper?]
3.) expressing valued social identities [effective?]
study by sherif
- participants stared at a fixed light projecting onto a wall in a dark room, the light didn’t move but due to the optical illusion, it looked like it was moving
- asked to indicate how much the light moved
- as the trial progressed, the participants used all of each others answers to get the best estimate – therefore social influence
what is normative social influence
motivation is to be liked/fit in/accepted
social belonging
conform in order to avoid looking foolish/being an outsider
what are social norms
expected standards of conduct which influence our behaviour
- tell us what to do in situations
- dictate how people respond to the a violation of norms
- predictable
what is the key difference between normative social influence and informational social influence
the presence/absence of conflicting feelings. if you are conflicted, it is most likely normative social influence
- Informational social influence is based on the desire to be correct or accurate
- Normative social influence is based on the desire to be accepted or liked by others
Asch study of conformity
- participants were to judge the relative length of lines
- some participants were confederates who began to choose the same wrong answer
- 1/3 of the time people conformed
what reduces conformity
group size
group agreement
anonymity
expertise + social hierarchy
culture
T/F conformity is less likely if the group size is 5 or less
false: 3 or elss
do 16 people create more pressure to conform than 7
no
what cultures are more likely to resist conformity and speak their mind
individualistic cultures
what is group think?
thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility
famous examples of group think
space shuttle launch disasters (challenger and columbia)
bay of pigs fiasco:
(pay of pigs invasion. invasion was planned by eisenhower administration but accepted by the kennedy administration without question when they took over. the administration ignored questions and accepted stereotypes about the cubans without questioning whether the central intelligence agency info)
financial collapse of 2008 and housing market bubble
sources and symptoms of groupthink
SOURCES
under pressure
facing threats
already biased
believe they are invulnerable to danger
under influence of strong authority
SYMPTOMS
ignoring/rejecting alternative viewpoints
discourage dissenters
unjustified confidence in group wisdom and morality
Risky Shift is
The tendency for groups to make riskier decisions than individuals would
Group Polarization
initial attitudes in a GROUP become more extreme as the GROUP discusses an issue
Social Comparison
Group discussions cause us to compare ourselves to everyone else in the group
what is impression management
the concern for our appearance in the eyes of others
