Social Processes, Attitudes, and Behavior Flashcards
Michelangelo phenomenon
idea that “sculptor simply releases and uncovers the ideal figures that are hidden within stone”….ideal self can be “sculpted” with help from others
Social action
Max Weber, actions and behaviors that individuals are conscious of and performing because others are around
if individuals predict a negative reaction from those around them, they will often modify their behavior
social facilitation
people tend to perform better on simple tasks when in the presence of others
Yerkes-Dodson law of social facilitation
being in the presence of others will significantly raise arousal, which enhances the ability to perform tasks one is already good at (or simple tasks) and hinders the performance of less familiar tasks (or complex tasks)
Deindividuation
a social phenomenon that occurs when individuals are in group settings, individual behavior is dramatically different in social environments, large group provides anonymity and causes a loss of individual identity
can lead to antinormative behaviors
Antinormative behavior
behavior against the norm
bystander effect
when individuals do not intervene to help victims when others are present
social loafing
the tendency of individuals to put in less effort when in a group setting than individually
peer pressure
social influence placed on an individual by a group of people or another individual
peers
individuals who are equals within a group
identity shift effect
when an individual’s state of harmony is disrupted by the threat of social rejection, the individual will often conform to the norms of the group
this will cause an internal conflict, so to eliminate the sense of individual conflict, the individual experiences an identity shift wherein the individual adopts the standards of the group as their own
cognitive dissonance
the simultaneous presence of two opposing thoughts or opinions, leads to an internal state of discomfort
social interaction
explores the ways in which two or more individuals can both shape each other’s behavior
group polarization
the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas and inclinations of the members within the group, can lead to more risky or more cautious decisions than based off the initial tendencies
risky shift
groups tended to make more risky decisions than individuals
later realized it could also go towards caution, so relabeled choice shift
choice shift
groups tend to make more risky or more cautious decisions than individuals
groupthink
a social phenomenon in which desire for harmony or conformity results in a group of people coming to an incorrect or poor decision
ex. Bay of Pigs invasion
8 factors indicative of groupthink
illusion of invulnerability, collective rationalization, illusion of morality, excessive stereotyping, pressure for conformity, self-censorship, illusion of unanimity, mindguards
fad
a behavior that is transiently viewed as popular and desirable by a large community
ex. pet rocks in the 1970s
mass hysteria
shared, intense concern about the threats to society
ex. Salem Witch Trials
culture
beliefs, actions, and characteristics of a group or society of people
culture shock
when traveling outside of one’s society, cultural differences can be seen as dramatic, known as culture shock
assimilation
process by which an individual’s or group’s behavior and culture begin to resemble that of another group
ethnic enclaves
can slow assimilation, neighborhoods like Chinatown or Little Italy
multiculturalism
communities or societies containing multiple cultures
mosaic–mix of different cultures
melting pot- one homogenous culture
subcultures
groups of people within a culture that distinguish themselves from the primary culture to which they belong
counterculture
subculture group that gravitates toward an identity that is at odds with the majority culture and deliberately opposes the prevailing social mores
socialization
discussing the process of developing, inheriting, and spreading norms, customs, and beliefs
cultural transmission/cultural learning
way in which a society socializes its members
cultural diffusion
spread of norms, customs, and beliefs (especially new ones) throughout the culture
primary socialization
occurs during childhood when we initially learn acceptable actions and attitudes in our society
secondary socialization
process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of society, often associated with adolescents and adults (can occur if you change jobs or school)
anticipatory socialization
a person prepares for future changes in occupations, living situations, or relationships (ex. live together to prepare for married life)
re-socialization
process by which one discards old behaviors in favor of new ones to make a life change, and can have positive or negative connotations
ex. train armed forces to respond to commands without hesitation; indoctrinating members into a cult
norms
societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior
serve as social control–> provide a mechanism for regulating the behavior of individuals and groups
mores
widely observed social norms
sanctions
penalties for misconduct or rewards for appropriate behavior
taboo
socially unacceptable, disgusting, or reprehensible
folkways
norms that refer to behavior that is considered polite in particular social interactions, like shaking hands after a sports match
deviance
any violation of norms, rules, or expectations within a society
stigma
the extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences from the rest of society
labeling theory
the labels given to people affect not only how other respond to that person, but also the person’s self image
if you call someone a slut, they may become more slutty
differential association theory
deviance can be learned through interactions with others
if you are around “the wrong group”, you may engage in bad behavior
strain theory
deviance as a natural reaction to the disconnect between social goals and social structure; social goal is to get money, if you don’t get it bc you weren’t well educated, you may steal
deviant behavior arrises to attempt to achieve a social goal outside the limiting social structure
conformity
matching one’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to societal norms
pressure to conform can be real or imagined, also known as a majority influence
normative conformity
the desire to fit into a group because of fear of rejection
internalization
changing one’s behavior to fit with a group while also privately agreeing with the ideas of the group
identification
outward acceptance of others’ ideas without personally taking on these ideas
compliance
a change in behavior based on a direct request
foot-in-the door technique
a small request is made, and after gaining compliance, a larger request is made
door-in-the-face technique
a large request is made at first and, if refused, a second, smaller request is made
lowball technique
requestor will get an initial commitment from an individual and then raise the cost of commitment
that’s not all technique
an individual is made an offer, but before making a decision, is told the deal is even better than she expected
obedience
changing one’s behavior in response to a direct order form an authority figure
people are far more likely to obey rather than comply due to the real or perceived power of the individual
social cognition
ways in which people think about others and how these ideas impact behavior
attitude
the expression of positive or negative feelings towards a person, place, thing, or scenario
ABC
Affective
Behavioral
Cognitive
affective component of attitude
refers to the way a person feels toward something and is the emotional component of attitude
behavioral component of attitude
the way a person acts with respect to something–> for example, avoiding snakes and spending time with one’s family would reflect the behavioral component of attitude
cognitive component of attitude
they way an individual thinks about something, which is usually the justification for affective and behavioral components
functional attitudes theory
attitudes serve four functions
- knowledge–> provides consistency and stability, provide organization to thoughts and experiences, knowing the attitude of others helps to predict their behavior
- ego expression–> communicate and solidify our self-identity
- adaptation–> idea that one will be accepted if socially acceptable attitudes are expressed
- ego defense–> protect our self-esteem or justify actions that we know are wrong
learning theory
attitudes are developed through different forms of learning, for ex. a child that’s taught by parents not to form curse words will form a negative attitude towards curse words and those that use them
elaboration likelihood model
separates individuals on a continuum based on their processing of persuasive information, central route processing vs peripheral route processing
central route processing
those who think deeply about info and do deep thinking, ex. someone who picks a political candidate based off policy
high elaboration, re elaboration likelihood model
peripheral route processing
those who don’t elaborate, focus on superficial details, the appearance of the individual
ex. pick a candidate because they are the most attractive
low elaboration, re elaboration likelihood model
social cognitive theory
postulates that people learn how to behave and shape attitudes by observing the behaviors of others, ex. work ethic of employees in a company is affected by how hard their colleagues work
impacted by Bandura’s triadic reciprocal causation
Bandura’s triadic reciprocal causation
personal factors, environmental factors, and behavioral factors all play a role!
