social Flashcards
what were social psychs largely looking at late 20th century?
attitudes, particularly cognitive processes involved
social neuroscience def
study of how our social behaviour both influences + is influenced by brain activity
social situation def
people that we interact w every day
person-situation def
joint influence of person variables and situational variables
evolutionary adaption def (w/ in social psych)
assumption that human nature, including much of our social behaviour, is largely determined by evolutionary past
describe the 2 fundamental motivations evolutionary adaptation has provided us w:
- self-concern - motivation to protect + enhance the self and the people psychologically close to us
- other concern - motivation to affiliate with, accept, + be accepted by others
kin selection
strategies that favour the reproductive success of one’s relatives, sometimes even at a cost to individual’s own survival
how does the concept of an in-group come into evolutionary adaptation?
people we were closest to were usually those we were related to - so in-group favouritism could b connected 2 kin selection
cerebral cortex def
distinguishing brain feature in mammals (including humans), part of brain involved in thinking
social cognition def
cognition that relates to social activities + helps us understand and predict the behaviour of ourselves and others
attitude object def
thing that is being evaluated
difference between moods n emotions:
moods r experienced in normal situations, but emotions r caused by specific events + are accompanied by high levels of arousal
reciprocal altruism def
cooperation by giving benefits to those who are in need, w/ the expectation of a return in the future
describe the prefrontal cortex
- part of brain that lies in front of the motor areas of the cortex + helps us remember the characteristics and actions of other people, plan complex social behaviours, and coordinate our behaviours w/ others’
- newest part of brain thru evolution, enlarged as social relationships between people became more frequent n complex
reconstructive memory bias
when we remember info that matches our beliefs better than info that doesn’t + reshape those memories to better align with our current beliefs
when r schemas used the most for judgement-making?
when people r tired (cognitive impairment) + have 2 remember more info (cognitive strain)
causal attribution
process of trying to determine the causes of people’s behaviour
when r we more likely 2 make personal attributions?
when the behaviour is unusual/unexpected in that situation
covariation principle def
a given behaviour is more likely to have been caused by the situation if that behaviour covaries (or changes) across situations
central traits
concepts that have a disproportionate influence on impressions
configure model (Asch)
all traits r combined together into a holistic perception guided by central traits
role schema def
guides ur expectations abt particular roles (fine undressing in front of Dr.)
‘content-free’ schema
not abt anything in particular, more just how the world works (e.g. causal schema - ideas abt what causes what)
how can u break down the behaviour you’re trying 2 explain?
can be broken down into person + the interaction they’re having w/ the stimulus (interaction happens w/ in the context of a social situation)