MDTERM 1- PSYC231 Flashcards
What is social psychology?
the branch of psychology that deals with social interactions, including their origins and their effects on the INDIVIDUAL.
What is social thinking?
The way we perceive and make sense of our social worlds. (We construct our own reality)
What is social influence?
Involves factors that shape our behaviour, thoughts and feelings. (EX: temporal influences, cultural influences)
What is social position? Give a few examples
Social position is the position of an individual in a given culture and society. (EX: health, gender, race/ethnicity, etc…)
What is intersectionality and how does it apply to Social Psychology?
Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. These identities cam intersect to create unique experiences of marginalization and privilege.
What does the term Mysogynoir refer to?
Anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience.
Who, when and how did Social psychology arise?
Who: Kurt Lewing, grandfather of modern Social Psychology
When: In the aftermath of World War II
How: Lewing was refugee from Nazi Germany
What is the Sociometer theory?
- Self-esteem is a monitor of our perceived value as a relational partner.
- Higher self-esteem means we believe that others value us as an interaction partner and think we are awesome.
- Lower self-esteem means that we doubt our value to others, and we suspect that other people think we aren’t so hot.
What is automatic processing vs. Controlled processing?
• Automatic processing - thinking that operates outside of our conscious control; implicit, intuitive, impulsive, effortless, habitual.
• Controlled processing - thinking that operates within our conscious control; deliberate, reflective (responding to a stimuli)
What is the downside of automatic processing?
◦ Our deliberative conclusions about our thoughts, feelings, behaviours are often wrong!
◦ Why?
‣ We are not aware of the ways in which processes shape our everyday experiences and our thoughts about those experiences.
What are the dark sides of being “Better than average”?
• Unrealistic optimism can cause risky behaviour
◦ Marrying the wrong person.
◦ Having unprotected sex.
◦ Smoking cigarettes.
◦ Failing an exam
◦ Not following COVID safety recommendations.
• You need enough optimism to maintain hope, but enough pessimism to motivate concern.
◦ More on this in persuasion.
What is the social self?
Social self refers to how we perceive ourselves in relation to others. “What impression am I creating?”
What is strategic self-presentation?
How we present ourself to others so that they see us the way we see ourselves.
What is the self-schema?
The elements of the self concept that define who you think you are.
◦ Your self-schemas shape how you see the world.
◦ Some schemas are stable, however some change with social context.
◦ EX: dog schematic
What is the relational self?
• The self is not constant - it changes with social context.
• Mental representations of who we are with different people:
◦ Known as internal working models or relational schemas.
◦ “Looking-glass self” (Cooley, 1902; Mead, 1934)
‣ The majority of ourselves, is what we see reflecting in the relationships we have with others. The self forms through relationships we have.
