Module 35: Social Thinking and Social Influence

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Question 2

Attribution Theory

Answer 2

• Fritz Heider

- The theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Question 3

Dispositional Attribution

Answer 3

Attribute to person’s stable, enduring traits.

Question 4

Situational Attribution

Answer 4

Attribute it to the situation.

Question 5

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 5

The tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

• Usually commit this error when a stranger acts badly
• When explaining our own behavior, we’re sensitive to the situation

Question 6

Attitude

Answer 6

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.
- Attitudes affect actions

Question 7

Peripheral route persuasion

Answer 7

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as speaker’s attractiveness.

• Trigger emotion
• Appealing to fears, desires

Question 8

Central route persuasion

Answer 8

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.
- Evidence and arguments aim to trigger careful thinking

Question 9

The foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 9

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Question 10

Attitudes affect actions

Answer 10

If we believe someone is threatening us we will feel fear and anger. We will then act defensively.

Question 11

Actions affect attitudes

Answer 11

Doing becomes believing. Given order to harm innocent victim —> will eventually look down on the innocent victim.

Question 12

Role

Answer 12

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

• Role playing affects attitudes
• First feel phony because you are acting a role. What was once acting becomes you.

Question 13

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 13

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent.
- For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and actions clash, we reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

Question 14

Norms

Answer 14

Understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior.

• Social influence has enormous power and stems from norms

Question 15

Social Contagion

Answer 15

Humans go with their group.

• Behavior is contagious —> yawning

Question 16

Conformity

Answer 16

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
- 1/3 of the time college students called white black to go along with the group

Question 17

Normative Social Influence

Answer 17

Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
- We are responding to normative social influence when we conform to avoid rejection or to gain social approval

Question 18

Informational Social Influence

Answer 18

Influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.
- Conform because we want to be accurate

Question 19

Social Facilitation

Answer 19

Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Question 20

Social Loafing

Answer 20

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Question 21

Deindividuation

Answer 21

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Question 22

Group Polarization

Answer 22

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Question 23

Groupthink

Answer 23

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.