Social psych 2— test #1

Question 1

What are social norms?

Answer 1

The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviours, values and beliefs of its members. Can both have positive and negative affects

Question 2

What is conformity?

Answer 2

A change in behaviour as a result of imagined or real influence of other people. (Ex/ smoke in a room and conforming when no one moved..) conformity is essentially following the social norms/imagined.

Question 3

What is informational social influence?

Answer 3

A type of conformity. Conforming because we believe that other interpretations of an ambitious situation is more correct than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action—- driven by need for control, certainty and predictability.

Question 4

What is private acceptance?

Answer 4

Conforming to other peoples behaviour out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right.

Question 5

Explain the Sherif study and what it relates to ? (Light /autokenic effect)

Answer 5

The sherif study relates to informational social influence. It was a study on autokentic affect. Light appearing to be moving. When alone, light estimates varied widely but when in a group, the participant tended to conform to the groups estimates. Looking at ambiguous things.

Question 6

What is the Asch study and what does it relate to?

Answer 6

Unambiguous task was judging the length of a line. When group said wrong length of line, participant tended to show high levels of conformity. Relates to informational social influence. Asch found also that once the group size reaches 4 people, adding more people had little influence on conformity.

Question 7

What is normative social influence ?

Answer 7

A type of conformity. It is the influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted by them. Driven by the need for connectedness, to be liked or accepted. Leads to public compliance but not necessarily private acceptance.

Question 8

What is public compliance?

Answer 8

Conforming to other peoples behaviour publicly, without necessarily believing in what they are saying or doing.

Question 9

How do you reduce conformity?

Answer 9

The presence of a dissenter dramatically reduces conformity. Which can include social support (someone who agrees with you) and or break consensus (someone who departs from the group norm)

Question 10

What is compliance?

Answer 10

A change in behaviour in response to a direct request from another person.

Question 11

What are several types of influence techniques for compliance?

Answer 11

Ingratiation, reciprocity, contrast principle and multiple requests.

Question 12

What is ingratiation ?

Answer 12

A type of compliance technique. It involves getting the target to like them. Examples include; appear physically attractive, appear similar, impression management, flattery, compliments, smiling.

Question 13

Discuss the Freedman and Fraser household products study

Answer 13

This study was demonstrating the power of floor in the door. They asked to look at cleaning products in home for some and others they first asked for a survey and then to look at cleaning products in a home. They found that agreement was higher with the foot in the door technique opposed to no contac or familiarity groups. Initial request shouldn’t be too simple and should be seen as voluntary.

Question 14

Discuss the Cialdini et al. Zoo study

Answer 14

This study demonstrated a door in the face approach. Asking for a big favour and then expecting them to refuse and then after the refusal, you shift to smaller more reasonable requests. Small request in the study was can you chaperone and big request was counseling 2 hours a week for 2 years… researchers found that 50% agreed to smaller request (after large request was described first)

Question 15

Discuss what low balling is .

Answer 15

changing the rules mid-request. Having hidden fees added on to things. Despite the fact things may have changed, you stick with your decision.

Question 16

What is obedience?

Answer 16

Obedience is a kind of conformity in response to the commands of an authority figure.

Question 17

Describe the milgram obedience studies?

Answer 17

Milgrams study involved participants believing that the study was on memory and punishment. Focus was really on obedience of participant. Many participants were found to have a high level of obedience. Despite the cries of the other individual.

Question 18

Why the high levels of obedience ?

Answer 18

incremental nature of task, normative social influence, informational social influence, working for “greater good” or higher cause.

Question 19

What is a group?

Answer 19

A collection of three or more people who interact with one another and are interdependent, in the sense that their needs and goals cause them to rely on one another.

Question 20

What are the benefits of groups?

Answer 20

Affiliation (associate/connnect with people), achievement (goals and outcomes), identity (sense of self) and knowledge/ certainty (social norms).

Question 21

What is Entitativity?

Answer 21

“Degree to which a collection of persons are perceived as being bonded together in a coherent unit”— whether a collection of individuals is seen as “groupy” or group like. It encompasses interconnectedness, cohesiveness, similarity, common goals, importance and physical interaction.

Question 22

What does Zojancs theory of social faciliatation say?

Answer 22

The tendency for people to do better on simple tasks, but worse on complex tasks, when they are in the presence of others and their individual performance can be evaluated. This theory suggests that the presence of others is physiologically arousing.

Question 23

Describe the BARTIS et al study ? And what it means? Knife.

Answer 23

Study to test social facilitation theory. Took a knife and asked to describe ways to use it… quantity vs. Quality. The outcome was consistent with the purposals of the social faciliation theory.. when the task is simple and there is evaluation, they do good. And they do better with no evaluation on hard tasks.

Question 24

Why does the presence of others elicit arousal? (SOCIAL facilitation theory)

Answer 24

being in the presence of others might be .. evaluation apprehension.. we know people are judging us and assessing us and it can make us nervous and anxious. Another reason is .. the mere presence: alertness and vigilance- being around other people elicits a physicological response. Another reason is because of distraction-conflict meaning that other people can be distracting and hard to focus on task and them lol

Question 25

What is social loafing?

Answer 25

The reduction in motivation and effort when individuals work collectively compared to when they work individually. — effort decreases as size increases. People will do worse on simple tasks and better on harder tasks when in the presence of others and when the performance won’t be evaluated.

Question 26

Why does social loafing occur?

Answer 26

One possible reason is because of .. reduced arousal/evaluation apprehension- when our performance isn’t being evaluated, the absence of that can lead to a reduction in performance. Another potential is the dispensibility of effort- you might perceive that your efforts dont matter and that you are disposable when a part of a group. Another reason could be justice/fairness concerns:effort matching- we assume people will be slacking off, so we decide to give the same amount of effort as group . Assuming they give minimum

Question 27

What is deinvidutation ?

Answer 27

The loosening of normal constraints when people are in a group, leading to an increase in impulsive and deviant acts. (If you are less identifiable, easier to lose your own beliefs)

Question 28

What are the factors that contribute to deindividuation ?

Answer 28

Larger group (reduced accountability), physical anonymity (diminished self-awareness) and distracting activities.

Question 29

Describe the ZIMBADO Coats n hoods study/…

Answer 29

female participants in a room, some individuated and others no… led to believe they will be shocking someone. In deinvididuation, participants given hoods and lab coat and individuated, they wore normal clothes in a bright room. Results were that deindividuated was .90 seconds and individuated was .47 seconds.

Question 30

What is group polarization?

Answer 30

The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members— can sway in positive or negative way. Groups strengthen initial leanings.

Question 31

Why does group polarization occur?

Answer 31

Social comparison (when you go into a group, gauge the values and in order not to be rejected , you tend to embrace them). And persuasive arguements (we see ourselves as distinct and we taker a position of the groups but are stronger in opinion )

Question 32

What is groupthink ?

Answer 32

A kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner.

Question 33

What are the antecedents of group think?

Answer 33

Group is highly cohesive, group is isolated, a directive leader, high stress as in the members perceive threats to the group. No other viewpoints considered.

Question 34

What are the symptoms of groupthink?

Answer 34

Group has an illusion of invulnerability, belief in the moral correctness of the group, others dont bring up different views, “dont rock the boat”

Question 35

What are ways to prevent groupthink?

Answer 35

Be impartial, create subgroups, seek outside opinions, encourage critical evaluation. Do not endorse any position, meet one last time, assign a “devils” advocate.