Social Approach

Question 1

What is the social approach?

Answer 1

How thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by their social context

• people. culture and society all influence our behaviour

Question 2

Conformity

Answer 2

Conformity (normative social influence, informational social influence)

Question 3

Types of conformity

Answer 3

Types of conformity (internalisation, identification, compliance)

Question 4

Social categorisation

Answer 4

Formation and effect of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination

Question 5

Influence on others self-concept

Answer 5

self-esteem. self-image, self-efficacy

Question 6

Individualist

Answer 6

E.g. UK and USA. Main priority is the needs of the individual

Question 7

Collectivist

Answer 7

E.g. China and Japan. Prefer to prioritise family and community over themselves

Question 8

Zimbardo

Answer 8

Prison experiment

set up mock prison in the basement of Stanford University
* observational study – controlled, participant, overt
* emotionally stable volunteers were assigned to roles of either prisoner or guard
* prisoners ‘arrested’, blindfolded, strip searched, etc
* guards given a night stick, dark glasses, uniform etc and told to maintain order
* prisoners’ daily routines were heavily regulated by guards working in shifts
* dehumanisation of prisoners, eg wearing nylon stocking caps and numbered smocks, etc
* the study was planned to run for two weeks, but was stopped early.

Question 9

conformity

Answer 9

ones beliefs and behaviour are changed to fit into a group

• Jenness (1932) beans in a jar experiment
• elevator experiment

Question 10

Normative social influence

Answer 10

• The desire to be liked
• Emotional process
  -peer pressure

Question 11

Informational social influence

Answer 11

-desire to be right
-cognitive process
-how to behave in a restaurant

Question 12

Compliance

Answer 12

May agree in public with other people but privately disagrees. Does not lead to change of beliefs

Question 13

Identification

Answer 13

Takes on the views of a group they join or admire
- does not necessarily result in change of beliefs privately

Question 14

Internalisation

Answer 14

Behaves or agrees with a group of people because they have actually accepted the groups point of view or beliefs

Question 15

Asch (1951)

Answer 15

• If the naive participant gave a wrong answer even if it was obvious then it was clear it was due to group pressure
• Line experiment (vision test)
• 36% conformed with the group
• 25% didnt conform

-75% conformed at least once

Question 16

Define Intra-group dynamics

Answer 16

psychological process that takes place in any group

Question 17

Group cohesion?

Answer 17

stick together to pursue common goals

greater when members perceive themselves to be similar

Question 18

factors impacting group think

Answer 18

Group identity
Leader influence
Low knowledge
Stress

Question 19

Ingroup vs outgroup

Answer 19

categorise people who share the same characteristics as us as “ingroup” and people who dont are “outgroup”

Question 20

Roles that increase group cohesion

Answer 20

Task roles
Social roles
Procedural roles - ensure everyone has a say

Question 21

social facilitation

Answer 21

Physiologically aroused if we believe others are observing our performance so it increases. Doesnt work for complex tasks

Question 22

Colin MacDougall and Frances Baum (1997)

Answer 22

groupthink can be avoided by assigning a group member to challenge the group consensus to ask awkward questions and offering different opinions

Question 23

Social Comparison

Answer 23

comparing ourselves to other groups in order to raise our self esteem either by stereotypes or by being bias

Question 24

stereotype

Answer 24

a fixed view we hold on someone based on their social category

formed by observation and imitation

Question 25

gender stereotypes

Answer 25

clothes, behaviours, and colours. Fixed view on how different genders should act

Question 26

self-concept

Answer 26

how you see yourself and perception you hold on your abilities

Question 27

self-efficacy

Answer 27

extent to which we are confident and can achieve a successful outcome

Question 28

influence of others on self-efficacy

Answer 28

social modelling - observing someone else who is successful and therefore making you believe you are capable of achieving the same

social persuasion - positive verbal feedback

Question 29

Key assumptions in the social approach

Answer 29

Behaviour occurs in a social context

People, culture and society’s influence peoples behaviour

Question 30

Jenness (1932) - beans

Answer 30

First psychologist to study conformity - group pressure

Experiment - Glass bottle filled with beans and asked individuals to estimate how many were there