Lecture_12_Social Psychology and the Sustainable Future Flashcards
1
Q
Social Psychology & Environmental Problems
A
- Social psychological questions are best tested with the experimental method.
- These studies can be used to understand basic psychological processes and to develop theories about social influence.
- Social psychological theories and methods can be used to address pressing social problems.
2
Q
Conveying and Changing Social Norms
A
- Injunctive Norms
- People’s perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved of by others - Descriptive Norms
- People’s perceptions of how people actually behave
3
Q
Invoking Descriptive Norms Exception
A
- Seeing a single piece of trash (in an otherwise clean area)
- Reminds people more strongly of norms against littering - A completely clean setting
- Less likely to think of the norms
4
Q
Keeping Track of Consumption
A
- Some environmental social dilemmas
– Not easy for people to track use of gas, electricity, water, etc. - Making it easier for people to keep track increases conservation
– Water use in England during a drought
– College students’ driving - Providing comparative feedback about how it was doing relative to others increased conservation
“Competition can facilitate conservation”
5
Q
Inducing Hypocrisy
A
- Posting notices reminding people to conserve
– Increases compliance a little bit - Asking people to commit publicly to conservation principles
– Greatly increases conservation behavior
6
Q
Removing Small Barriers to Achieve
Big Changes
A
- Change attitudes and values, behavior will follow.
– Attitudes do predict behavior under some circumstances.
– Use mass communication to change attitudes.
* Example: recycling - Change people’s behavior is simply to make it easy!
* Example: Providing recycling bins increases recycling
7
Q
Subjective Well-being
A
- Positive affect
- Negative affect
- Life satisfaction
8
Q
Life Satisfaction
A
The cognitive judgement of each individual’ s life satisfaction based on his or her own standard
9
Q
Factors that may affect life satisfaction
A
- Social Comparison: Negative comparison, not for self
improvement - Too high expectation
10
Q
What should we do to have life satisfaction?
A
- Build spiritual/mental immunity
- Accept everything with the positive attitude
- It is the good chances to refine or polish ourselves
- Even the bad things, we have something to learn
11
Q
What makes people happy?
A
- Having satisfying relationships with other people
- Flow: Engaging in something you enjoy
- Accumulating experiences, not things
- Helping others
12
Q
Satisfying Relationships
A
- Spend more time with other people
- Are more satisfied with their relationships
13
Q
Flow
A
- Working at something they enjoy
- Are making progress
- Flow occurs when people are “lost” in a task that is challenging but attainable - Reaching a goal may be gratifying
- But then no longer in a state of flow
14
Q
What about when the goal is achieved?
A
People adapt quickly to their successes
- In short, pursuing something in an enjoyable way often makes us happier than getting it.
15
Q
Accumulating Experiences, not Things
A
- Material things don’t make people happy
- Helping others increases happiness more than does spending money on things for ourselves
- Experiences tend to bring more happiness
- Two reasons:
1. Experiences bind us to others
2. Experiences are more likely to be expressions of who we truly are
