social psych Flashcards
What is cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or behaviors simultaneously.
Example: Feeling uneasy after eating junk food when you believe in healthy eating.
Resolution: People often resolve this discomfort by changing their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors to restore consistency (e.g., justifying the unhealthy food choice).
What is post-decision dissonance?
Definition: Post-decision dissonance is the discomfort or anxiety experienced after making a decision, especially when the choice involves trade-offs.
The more important the decision, the greater the dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory Prediction: To reduce the discomfort, people unconsciously engage in mental work to justify their decision, often focusing on the positive aspects of the chosen option and downplaying the rejected alternatives.
Example: After buying a car, you may highlight its good features to reassure yourself it was the best choice, even if you had doubts.
What is Justification of Effort
The tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain
Internal vs. External Justification
External Justification:
Definition: A reason for dissonant behavior that resides outside the individual.
Example: Telling a lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or to avoid punishment.
Internal Justification:
Definition: Reducing dissonance by changing something within yourself, such as your attitude or behavior.
Example: Convincing yourself that a disliked dress isn’t that bad because you already told someone you liked it.
What is dehumanizing the enemy and how does it relate to cognitive dissonance?
Dehumanizing the enemy involves portraying them as less than human (e.g., calling them “vermin” or “brutes”). This reduces cognitive dissonance by justifying cruel actions. If someone sees themselves as a good person but engages in violence, dehumanizing the victim helps rationalize the behavior, making it easier to justify cruelty.
What is insufficient punishment?
Back: Insufficient punishment happens when a mild threat is given for an action, creating little external justification for compliance. This leads to dissonance, which individuals resolve by internally justifying their actions, often changing their attitudes to match their behavior.
Example:
A child refrains from playing with a forbidden toy after being mildly threatened. To reduce dissonance, they convince themselves they no longer like the toy, leading to a lasting change in their attitude.
The Hypocrisy Paradigm
Hypocrites judge others more harshly than do people who have not committed the same unethical acts, and they present themselves as being more virtuous and ethical than everyone else.
Self-Affirmation Theory
The idea that people can reduce threats to their self-esteem by af- firming themselves in areas unre- lated to the source of the threat
focusing on how great we are in some completely different area of our lives.
E.g. I’m a smoker…. but I’m a terrific cook!
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory
self-evaluation maintenance theory, people will experience dissonance in relationships when three conditions are met:
We feel close to another person, he or she is outperforming us in a particular area, and that area is central to our self-esteem. So there is no problem if a close friend outper- forms us in an area that is not particularly important to us. In fact, we feel even better about ourselves for having such a talented friend. Dissonance only occurs when a close friend outperforms us on a task that is important to the way we de- fine ourselves.
terror management theory
What is self concept
The overall set of beliefs that people have about their personal attributes
Independent View of the Self vs Interdependent view of self
Independent: A way of defining oneself in terms of one’s own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of the thoughts, feelings, and actions of other people
Interdependent: A way of defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to other people, recognizing that one’s behavior is often determined by the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others
Cultural difference
What are the four main functions of the self?
Self-Knowledge: Understanding who we are and organizing that information.
Self-Control: Making plans and executing decisions.
Impression Management: Presenting ourselves to others in a way that shapes how they see us.
Self-Esteem: Maintaining positive views of ourselves.
Self-perception theory
argues that when our attitudes and feelings are uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by observing our behavior and the situation in which it occurs
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and what is the overjustification effect?
Intrinsic Motivation: The desire to engage in an activity because we enjoy it or find it interesting, without reliance on external rewards.
Extrinsic Motivation: The desire to engage in an activity due to external rewards or pressures, rather than personal enjoyment.
Overjustification Effect: When individuals attribute their behavior to external rewards, they may underestimate their intrinsic motivation. This can lead to a decrease in interest in the activity once the rewards are removed.
Example: If a child who loves reading begins receiving pizza for every book read, they may start reading not for enjoyment but to earn rewards, potentially reducing their love for reading over time.
