PS102 - FINAL (CH. 13 & 14) Flashcards
social psychology
an area of psychology that seeks to understand, explain, and predict how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others
social cognition
the way in which people perceive and interpret themselves and others in their social world
attitudes
relatively stable and enduring evaluations of things and people
ABC model of attitudes
a model proposing that attitudes have three components: the affective component, the behavioural component, and the cognitive component
The affective component (ABC Model)
how we feel toward an object
The behavioural component
how we behave toward an object
The cognitive component
what we believe about an object
cognitive dissonance
a state of emotional discomfort people experience when they hold two contradictory beliefs or hold a belief that contradicts their behaviour
self-perception theory
a theory suggesting that when people are uncertain of their attitudes, they infer what the attitudes are by observing their own behaviour
attitude specificity
The more specific an attitude, the more likely it is to predict behaviour
attitude strength
stronger attitudes predict behaviour more accurately than weak or vague attitudes
implicit attitude
an attitude of which the person is unaware
stereotypes
fixed overgeneralized and oversimplified beliefs about a person or a group of people based on assumptions about the group
prejudice
negative and unjust feelings about individuals based on their inclusion in a particular group
social identity theory
suggests that in social situations individuals often identity as a member of the group. They see themselves at times as a member of the group rather than an individual
Social identity theory proposes that prejudice emerges through three processes:
- Social categorization - a person affiliates with a particular group as a way of figuring out how to act and react in the world
- Social identity - the person forms an identity within the group
- Social comparison - the group member compares the group favourably with other groups, and in turn derives a sense of positive well-being from looking at himself as superior in some way
central route to persuasion
emphasizes the content of the message, using factual information and logical arguments to persuade
- requires a fair amount of effort on the receiver’s part
- commonly used for matters of some significance
- decisions based on central route are more likely to last than decisions based on peropheral route
peripheral route of persuasion
relies on more superficial information, feelings, and impressions
- When you respond to peripheral appeals, you are responding to such factors as how attractive the spokesperson is and how amusing or engaging the message is
foot-in-the-door technique
involves getting someone to agree to a small request and then following up with a much larger one
door-in-the-face technique
involves making an absurd first request that will obviously be turned down, and then following it with a more moderate request
appeals to fear
Pursuading reciever by using fear
- must have a credible source sending the message
- must make receivers truly believe that something bad will happen to them if they don’t comply with the source’s request
- E.g., Anti-smoking campaigns
Barriers to Persuasion
- Forewarning an audience that you will be trying to persuade them of something will immediately raise their defences
- Beginning with a weak argument instead of a strong one can make subsequent arguments seem weaker
attributions
causal explanations of behaviour
fundamental attribution error
the tendency to use dispositional attributions to explain the behaviour of other people
actor–observer effect
the discrepancy between how we explain other people’s behaviour (dispositionally) and how we explain our own behaviour (situationally)
self-serving bias
the tendency people have to attribute their successes to internal causes and their failures to external ones
norms
social rules about how members of a society are expected to act
social role
a set of norms ascribed to a person’s social position—expectations and duties associated with the individual’s position in the family, at work, in the community, and in other settings
conformity
the tendency to yield to social pressure
obedience
the act of following direct commands, usually given by an authority figure
Millgram’s experiement outcome
the study revealed something profoundly disturbing about human nature—namely, that we are inclined to obey authority, even if it means behaving in ways we would never predict we would behave
social facilitation
an effect in which the presence of others enhances performance
social loafing
a phenomenon in which people exert less effort on a collective task than they would on a comparable individual task; also known as free riding
group polarization
the intensification of an initial tendency of individual group members brought about by group discussion
groupthink
a form of faulty group decision making that occurs when group members strive for unanimity, and this goal overrides their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action
altruism
self-sacrificing behaviour carried out for the benefit of others
Bystander Effect
the inhibiting of the presence of others on a persons willingness to help someone in need
- If your car is broken down in the rain at the side of the road and no one is stopping to help, you may be experiencing firsthand the bystander effect
aggression
a broad range of behaviours intended to harm others
triangular theory of love
a theory proposed by Robert Sternberg that love is composed of three elements: intimacy, passion, and commitment
stress
state brought on by any situation that threatens or appears to threaten a person’s sense of well-being, thus challenging the individual’s ability to cope
stressor
a situation or circumstance that triggers the stress response
acute stressor
a stressful situation or circumstance that happens in the short term and has a definite endpoint
chronic stressor
a stressful situation or circumstance that is more long term and often lacks a definite endpoint
frustration
an emotion people experience when thwarted (prevented from accomplishing) in pursuit of a goal
pressure
an expectation or demand that someone act in a certain way
conflict
discomfort brought about by two or more goals or impulses perceived to be incompatible
approach–approach conflict
conflict that occurs when a person must choose between two equally desirable options
avoidance–avoidance conflict
conflict that occurs when a person must choose between two equally undesirable options
approach–avoidance conflict
conflict that occurs when any available choice has both desirable and undesirable qualities
daily hassles
everyday annoyances that contribute to higher stress levels; also known as micro-stressors
life changes
shifts in life circumstances that require adjustment of some kind
traumatic events
unexpected events severe enough to create extreme disruptions
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
an anxiety disorder experienced in response to a major traumatic event, characterized by lingering, persistent, frightening thoughts or memories of the traumatic events, along with anxiety, depression, and other symptoms
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
a three-stage response to stress identified by Hans Selye; the stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
primary appraisal
appraisal of a stressor to determine how severe it is; the first stage in Richard Lazarus’s description of how people experience stress
secondary appraisal
appraisal of one’s personal resources and ability to cope with a stressor; the second stage in Richard Lazarus’s description of how people experience stress
Type A
a personality type characterized by competitiveness, impatience, and anger and hostility
Type B
a personality type that is less aggressive, more relaxed, and less hostile than Type A
Type C
a personality type characterized by difficulty in expressing or acknowledging negative feelings
Type D
a personality type characterized by negative affectivity such as worry or gloominess and social inhibition
meditation
technique designed to turn one’s consciousness away from the outer world toward one’s inner cues and awareness
problem-focused coping
coping strategies focused on dealing directly with the stressor, such as by changing the stressor in some way
emotion-focused coping
coping strategies focused on changing one’s feelings about the stressor
psychoneuroimmunology
an area of study focusing on links between stress, the immune system, and health
immune system
the body’s system of organs, tissues, and cells that identify and destroy foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, as well as cancer cells
lymphocytes
white blood cells that circulate through the body and destroy foreign invaders and cancer cells; important components of the immune system
eustress
the optimal level of stress needed to promote physical and psychological health
inoculation
exposing oneself to a relatively low level of stress in a controlled situation to improve later performance in a more stressful situation
