Social (Module 4 Ch 14) Flashcards
Memorize by 11/14
Social Comparison Theory
We understand ourselves by comparing us to others
Upward vs Downward Social Comparison
Comparing ourselves to someone better than us
VS
Comparing ourselves to someone worse than us
Enlightenment Effect
Once we learn about a concept, it changes our real world behavior for the better
Halo Effect
When someone has one good trait, we assume that they have many good traits
Ex: physical attractiveness
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Once we believe in a concept, we behave in a way that causes that concept to happen
Ex: stereotypes
Attitude
Favorable or unfavorable beliefs, feelings, or actions towards a specific object, idea, or person
What are the 3 components of an attitude?
Affective - what does it make you feel
Behavioral - what does it make you want to do
Cognitive - what do you think about it
What are the 3 dimensions of an attitude?
Strength - stronger attitudes are more influential on decision making and less likely to change
Accessibility - how easy an attitude is to tap into (stronger attitudes are easier to access)
Ambivalence - having both positive and negative feelings towards something
What are the 4 components of attitude change?
Source - the person trying to cause change
Receiver - whose attitude you’re trying to change
Message - what you say to create the change
Channel - the way the message is delivered
Cognitive Dissonance
When we have two differing attitudes in our head, it causes us discomfort
We resolve this internal conflict by changing one attitude
Self-Perception Theory
We change our attitudes by looking at our behaviors
Impression Management Theory
We express different attitudes based off the impression we want to give, which is influenced by the environment we’re in and what’s considered acceptable in said environment
Persuasion
Attempting to change someone’s opinions, beliefs, or choices by arguing a different position
Elaboration Likelihood Model
There are two paths to create attitude change: central and peripheral
Central path to attitude change
The focus is on the message or strong argument
Creates more long term change
Can be utilized to change strong opinions
Peripheral path to attitude change
The focus is on everything but the message or weak argument
Creates more quick change that is not likely to be long-term
Foot in the door
Starting with small, reasonable requests, then moving on to larger and larger requests until you get to the one you actually want/care about
Door in the face
Starting with an absolutely absurd request that you’re expecting a “no” to, then following it up with something that seems much more reasonable by comparison (the thing you actually want)
Attributions
How we explain other people’s behaviors
Stable vs Unstable attributions
The cause of the behavior is unlikely to change
VS
The cause is likely to change
Internal vs External attributions
About that person that is doing the behavior (more likely in individualist cultures)
VS
About the external factors or environment that may be influencing the person doing the behavior (more likely in collectivist cultures)
Fundamental Attribution Error
Everything being held equal, we are more likely to make internal attributions, especially when trying to explain other people’s behavior
Gets weaker when applied to the self
Defensive Attribution Error
We make internal attributions for our successes and external attributions for our failures
AKA Self-Serving Bias
Prejudice
A biased attitude towards a group of people based on unfair or inaccurate generalizations of what the group is like
Often operate outside conscious awareness and can be very different than our conscious beliefs
Discrimination
The unfair treatment of one group of people over another on the basis of prejudicial attitudes
Implicit Associations Test
A way of measuring implicit bias or the unconscious association between two things
Stererotypes
Shortcuts in order to process and understand new people (a type of schema)
Ingroup vs Outgroup
A group that you’re a part of
VS
A group that you’re not a part of
Ingroup/Outgroup Bias
Exhibiting positive feelings towards ingroups and negative feelings or stereotypes towards outgroups
Subtyping
If we encounter someone that doesn’t fit our stereotypes, we see them as an exception (subtype) rather than abandoning our stereotype altogether
Perceptual Confirmation
We interpret information in a way that supports our stereotypes, making them stronger as a result
Illusory Correlation
We believe we’ve encountered more instances of a stereotype being confirmed than we actually have, strengthening the stereotype
Outgroup Homegeneity
We believe that members of an outgroup are more similar than the members of an ingroup