Social Interaction Flashcards

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1
Q

The need to belong: evolutionary perspective

A

through evolution , certain psychological characteristics have been selected because they are beneficial for survival

early humans lived in small groups in difficult environments

adapted to be social and caring - more likely to grow, mature and reproduce > species is now characterised by being close to others, caring and seeking acceptance

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2
Q

The need to belong: health and wellbeing 4 main evidence

A
  1. social bonds are easy to form and difficult to break
  2. without relationships we suffer
  3. our need to belong can be satiated
  4. the need to belong is universal
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3
Q
  1. social bonds are easy to form and difficult to break
A

babies instantly form attachments

we have difficulty ending relatiosnhips

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4
Q

mortality and relationships

A

social support, social integration, and overall social relationships are a greater predictor of mortality than smoking, drinking, and obesity

perception of how your life is is far more important than reality

e.g. marriage in general does not predict but being in a happy marriage predicted higher heart attack survival than an unhappy marriage

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5
Q
  1. without relationships we suffer
A

rejection hurts = pain, reduced wellbeing and intellectual functioning

social factors predict health and mortality

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6
Q
  1. The need to belong can be satiated
A

we have a limited no. of friends, 6 is enough for people to stop making an effort to make new friends - Wheeler and Nezleck

people spend less time with friends when in a romantic relationship - social interaction needs are fulfilled

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7
Q
  1. the need to belong is universal
A

the need to belong does not seem culture-specific based on reviewed evidence

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8
Q

The quality of relationships matters

A

pleasant daily social interactions are associated with greater life satisfaction - Sun

10% happiest people are highly social and have the strongest, most satisfying and fulfilling relationships

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9
Q

weak ties

A

strangers, people we do not know very well

interacting with weak ties can make us happier and induce a greater sense of belonging

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10
Q

weak ties research

A

barista = happier and greater sense of belonging

bus driver = happier

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11
Q

why do weak ties make us happier

A
  • help us to recognise the value of others and feel connected
  • others typically feel happy and respond positively

THEY MAKE US FEEL GOOD

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12
Q

barriers/underestimation to interacting with weak ties

A

we underestimate:

  • how happy the target will feel
  • how much people like us after a conversation
  • positive effects and expressions of gratitude
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13
Q

relational diversity definition

A

the richness and evenness of relationship types across one’s social interactions

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14
Q

relational diversity

A

more people = more interactions –> good as we already know

diversity has its own benefits too

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15
Q

attraction definition

A

evaluating another person positively - not just romantic

we are often attracted to people whose presence is rewarding

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16
Q

3 forces that attract

A

reciprocity

similarity

familiarity (proximity)

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17
Q

reciprocity

A

we like people who like us

we like others more after knowing that they like us - even MORE so if they like us especially, not just like everyone

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18
Q

similarity

A

we like people who are like us, especially when they have similar backgrounds (race, age, education), interests and attitudes/values - Hampton 2019

–> we understand ourselves and they are like us so we understand them

–> they want to do the same things as us

–> trust them more - Singh 2017

–> assured that they will enjoy spending time w us and like us - Hampton 2019

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19
Q

similarity doe not always matter e.g. with..

A

PERSONALITY

actual traits like:
agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability matter more than similarity on traits - Weidman 2017

BECAUSE

these traits generally make it more enjoyable to interact with people - Watson 2014

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20
Q

Perceived vs actual similarity

A
  • perceived similarity makes people like each other more than actual similarity - Tidwell 2013
  • it increases the more relationships progress - Goel 2010
  • outsides may see actual DISsimilarities and wrongly conclude that opposites attract
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21
Q

Familiarity (proximity)

A
  • the people who you see and interact with the most —> most likely to become friends/romantic partners

friends are merely the people who got their first (Sir Peter Ustinov)

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22
Q

Familiarity: MIT housing study

A

Festinger et al 1950

studies physical proximity + friendship formation

  • students were randomly assigned to 1 of 17 buildings in a housing complex on campus
  • asked who are your 3 closest friends?
  • despite 1 building representing 5% of residents - 65% had at least one friend who lived in their own building - most of which were next door !!!1

ME BEN ELLA

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23
Q

How does familiarity work?

A
  • increased opportunity to meet people who live close
  • we tend to like things that we are repeatedly exposed to more, and they become more similar to us = mere exposure effect

LIMIT: initial disliking breeds contempt after further exposure - Norton 2013

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24
Q

Interpersonal gap

A

gap between what the sender intends to communicate and what the listener perceives

i.e., someone thinks you said something and you are certain you said something else (+ visa versa)

common

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25
Q

The sender

A
  • we have private knowledge on what we wish to convey –> we turn this into verbal and non-verbal behaviours
  • interference - aspects that can affect how these actions are perceived e.g. tone (mood), social skills, distractions
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26
Q

interference

A

aspects that can affect how these actions are perceived e.g. tone (mood), social skills, distractions

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27
Q

receiver

A

Tries to work out what the sender is trying to say/convey

Interference can be on both ends

Biases can come into play such that a message may not be received as intended

interpretation is private - sometimes we may converse about mismatch but most of the time we do not know we have mismatched

28
Q

channels through which information can be transmitted

A
  • eyes + gazing (Eye contact)
  • body movements e.g. gestures and posture

paralanguage e.g. pitch and pace

interpersonal distance - when someone is standing a lot closer than were comfortable with

29
Q

interpersonal distance

A

when someone is standing a lot closer than were comfortable with e.g. due to cultural normalities - may make us feel impinged upon

30
Q

example: facial expressions

A
  • convey mood and emotion
  • can be controlled - intensify, minimise, neutralise (masking)

BUT

  • hard to control - often the truth leaks out even if for a split second:

micro expressions: authentic flashes of our real emotions

31
Q

Gottman: Facial expressions

A

coded micro expressions in romantic couples

  • may sometimes be so little people pass it off as benign but we can actually code for flashes of contempt or criticism that leak out for a fraction of a second

(sender unaware - receiver may notice - especially if it is consistent)

32
Q

verbal communication

A

actual conversations

vital part of communication

extensively involved in developing closeness

33
Q

Self disclosure: Aron 1997

A

lab experiment to generate closeness –> promotes self-disclosure

  • p’s randomly paired up
  • answer fix set of questions

e.g., who would be your dinner guest of anyone in the world

‘36 questions that will make you fall in love with anyone’

  • p’s felt closer than those who engaged in small talk or an unstructured getting-acquainted task

face-2f-face or video chat - didn’t matter

34
Q

self- disclosure benefits

A

revealing personal information to someone else generates closeness - Aron 1997

we tend to like people who disclose personal info to us

and we also like people more after we have self disclosed (Slatcher 2010)

35
Q

disclosure set-backs - patience and turn taking

A

need some social skills for it to succeed

make sure turns are being taken and that the other person is actually interested

closeness develops based upon:

  1. meaningful disclosure
  2. other responds with interest and empathy
  3. other is perceived as responsive

communication is a 2-way street

does the sender feel understood and listened to?

36
Q

closeness develops based upon:

A
  1. meaningful disclosure
  2. other responds with interest and empathy
  3. other is perceived as responsive
37
Q

responsiveness definition

A

attentive and supportive recognition of one person’s needs and interests by another

38
Q

perceived partner responsiveness

A
  • feeling understood
  • feeling valued, respected and validated
  • feeling cared for

basis of secure, well-functioning, and highly satisfying relationships

39
Q

example of not responsive

A

talking over someone

40
Q

How big is the interpersonal gap:

meta-analysis: how accurate are we at reading other people’s intentions?

A

moderately accurate - nater 2015

room for interpretation

My intention of what im trying to convey and your perception of the info -

when there is a gap it could be because of EITHER individual e.g sender (facial expression tone) receiver (distraction, attention)

This means the gap is quite big AND we are aware of this

41
Q

perceptions can be affected by these social cognitive processes:

A
  • attributions we make
  • positive illusions - seeing through rose-tinted glasses
  • individual differences in relationship beliefs
42
Q

attributions definition

A

explanations we use to understand each other’s behaviour

43
Q

attributions info

A

E.g. if someone bumps into you = most people would assume it was an accident

Some = immediate angry
HOSTILE ATTRIBUTION BIAS

The way we attribute our own and other’s behaviour has a significant effect on how we think about and behave in our relationships

We identify the causes of event by emphasizing the role of some influences and minimizing the role of others.

internal = cause is due to the person

external = cause is due to something else

44
Q

internal attribution

A

cause is due to the person

45
Q

external attribution

A

cause is due to something else

46
Q

relationship attributions: explaining good behaviour

A

your partner brings you a box of chocolates for no particular reason

internal attribution: they always know what to get me - they are so thoughtful

external attribution: they got them from someone else at work today and is just re-gifting them to me

47
Q

relationship attributions: explaining bad attributions

A

your partner snaps at you for being 5 minutes late

internal attribution: they are such an impatient and irritable person

external attribution: they must have had a really hard day at work

48
Q

attributions and satisfaction

A

satisfaction influences attributions of partners’ behaviour (Weiss 1980)

satisfied partners make internal attributions for partners’ good behaviour and external attributions for bad behaviour –>

we are happier if we attribute people’s action to external reasons

unsatisfied partners do the opposite

49
Q

relationship enhancing attributions

A

individuals who make internal attributions for partners good behaviour and external attributions for bad behaviour become happier

help maintain satisfaction by giving partners credit for their kindness and explaining away misbehaviour

50
Q

distress maintaining attributions

A

people who make external attributions for partners’ good behaviour, internal attributions for bad behaviour become more unhappy

explain one another’s behaviour in ways that maintain distress

51
Q

positive illusions

A

emphasise partners good qualities, minimise faults (Murray 1999)

judge partner more favourably than they judge themselves

52
Q

advantages of positive illusions

A

Murray 1999

  • increased relationship satisfaction and stability
  • give the BOD
  • minimizes conflict
  • partner feels goof and more secure –> you are treating them as if they are special

partner fulfilling prophecy –> partner may ‘live up’ to our idealized image of them’

53
Q

partner fulfilling prophecy

A

Murray 1999

partner may ‘live up’ to our idealized image of them’

flipside: pressure/they are not understood/being manipulated

54
Q

positive illusions - evaluation

A

depends on how unrealistic they are:
- minor illusions = smoothing effect on social interaction

  • glossing over large character flaws = detrimental, minimise problems

partner may feel pressure to live up to ideals

55
Q

self-verifciation

A

partner knows me and they STILL love me for my authentic self - highly relevant to traits that are important to us –> feel understood and loved ‘despite’

56
Q

positive illusions vs self-verification

A

positive illusions = more beneficial for new relationships - we want to know our partners see us positively so we know it is safe to commit

self-verification =

longer-term relationships –> feel understood

or

when it is related to aspects of the self-concept that are very important

57
Q

relationship beliefs

A

beliefs about how relationships should operate

destiny beliefs: people are either compatible or they are not

growth beliefs: relationship challenges can be overcome

58
Q

destiny beliefs

A

people are either compatible or they are not:

relationship conflict is a sign they are not the one

59
Q

growth beliefs

A

relationship challenges can be overcome

its all about working it out; conflict is just part of the process

60
Q

destiny beliefs: relationship outcomes

A
  • initially happier –> but when faced with conflict satisfaction decreases

especially sensitive to signs that their relationship is ‘not meant to be’

disengage when there is a problem

61
Q

growth beliefs: relationship outcomes

A

constructive, optimistic and committed in the face of conflict

fewer one -night stands, date for longer periods

try to maintain when there is a problem

62
Q

destiny beliefs and satisfaction

A

associated with lower satisfaction when challenges arise

63
Q

growth beliefs and satisfaction

A

more satisfaction overall - help couples work through challenges

64
Q

why it is hard to narrow the interpersonal gap

A

we expect others to read our minds (wright 2015) to know when and why we are upset

we are bad at knowing what other people are thinking

the longer we know someone we do not get better - we just get more confident that we do (Swann 1997)

NEED COMMUNICATION

65
Q

how we can narrow the interpersonal gap

A

We need to consciously remember that others think differently to us

take time and effort to step back and assess our own biases and interpretations

Try and encode WITHOUT these

EPLEY - ESSENTIAL READING - construe oneself at a higher level of abstraction - see ourselves as we see others

66
Q

egocentric stimulations

A

our interpretations are influenced by how we think, feel and behave - we assume that others think like we do (egocentric)