Social Psych Flashcards
What is an attitude? What characteristics must it have?
A learned idea (evaluation) that a person makes about an object, a person, group, event or issue. This judgement must be relatively consistent and long lasting.
What for things can lead to the development of an attitude?
Classic conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning, repeated exposure
What is classic conditioning? Example.
Repeated association between two stimuli or events. Having ore than one usually good or bad experience with something can influence your attitude. Subway.
What is operant conditioning?
Leading by repeating a behaviour which has a pleasant consequence. If you state an attitude that someone agrees with you will be rewarded or complimented on your good judgement and your attitude will strengthen. If you are punished your attitude will weaken.
What is social learning?
We learn by modifying our attitudes by observing people we admire. We watch the model and follow their attitude. If our friend dislikes rock music we are likely to observe this and then feel the same way.
What is repeated exposure?
Repeated experience with an object, person, group, event or issue can lead to the formation of an attitude. It can be direct or indirect eg. Someone smoking indoors or hearing of someone smoking indoors.
What does the tri-component model propose?
The theory proposes that all three components must exist for an attitude to be present.
What is the affective component?
Emotional reactions or feelings towards an object, person, group, event or issue. Usually requires judgement.
What is the behavioural component?
Refers to how an attitude is expressed through our actions towards people, objects, institutions
What is the cognitive component?
Beliefs we have about an object, person, group, event or issue. They reflect our knowledge and experience of the world.
What is cognitive dissonance?
Contradictory or clashing thoughts that cause discomfort.
What to people feel when they experience cognitive dissonance and what do they do?
They generally feel uncomfortable and try to make their thoughts or attitudes agree with their actions. We tend to reject new information that disagrees with the ideas we already hold, convince ourselves we have done the right thing and experience dissonance after we cause an event we wish hadn’t happened.
What is the focus question of the La Piere study?
Do our attitudes predict our behaviour?
Method of the La Piere study
For two years he travelled through the US with a Chinese couple, visiting over 250 motels, hotels and restaurants.
Results of the La Piere study
They were refused service on only one occasion, 6 months later he wrote to them. Of the 50% that answered 92% said they wouldn’t allow Chinese people to stay.
Conclusion of La Piere study
Stated behaviour was different from actual thoughts (attitudes contradicted their behaviour). Attitudes do not predict behaviour
Criticisms of La Piere study
La Piere’s presence with the couple
Good face-to-face customer service but response to letters may be different employees
What is a stereotype? Are they accurate?
A collection of beliefs we have about people that belong to a certain group, regardless of individual differences among members of the group. They are often inaccurate and based on inadequate information.
How to humans use stereotypes? Do we change our beliefs about a person after a stereotype is created?
They help us get a sense of the world by giving it order. It isn’t possible to immediately know everyone we meet so we use them to help us react to people. We are more likely to pay attention to information that fits the stereotype and ignore contradicting information.
What is prejudice?
A negative emotional attitude held towards members of a specific social group. It is a prejudgment we make about someone based on nothing more than that they are part of a certain group. A person’s individual characteristics are often ignored and they are seen a certain way because of their membership. This often involves a majority group holding negative views towards a minority.
What are the characteristics of prejudice? What does the majority group believe?
- that the are superior to the minority
- the minority is different and doesn’t belong
- they are more powerful and important than the minority
- the majority group is insecure that the minority group may become more powerful and important than itself.
How can prejudice be formed?
Social influence, in group vs. out group, intergroup conflict, social identity
Define social influence
We can learn prejudiced actions from friends, family and others
Explain in group vs. out group
We tend to categories ourselves and others into groups, which
in turns influence our attitudes towards the groups. The group you belong to is the in- group. The group you do not belong to or do not associate with is the out-group. We tend to view people in our in-groups positively and think they are more like us. We consider those belonging to the out-group to be less like us and more like each other. We view them negatively and are likely to discriminate against them
Define intergroup conflict
Prejudiced attitudes may develop from group conflict and competition between groups for limited resources. Occurs when members for different groups compete to control or achieve something that is wanted by the members of both groups.
Define social identity
While social influence and intergroup conflict have provided reasons for prejudice, social identity is seen as important. Social identity is the belief that a person is based on their membership. These groups are an important sense of pride and self esteem.
Define discrimination
Either positive or negative behaviour that is directed towards a group or group member. Discrimination can be: ignoring someone, not giving someone a job or violence against someone.
What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? Mention stereotypes
Stereotypes are a collection of beliefs both positive and negative, prejudice is a negative action, discrimination is an action arising from prejudice.
What are types of discrimination?
Racism, ageism and sexism
Define racism.
Prejudice and Discrimination based on cultural differences. Can exist in overt and subtle forms.
Define ageism.
Prejudice or Discrimination against or in favour of an age group. It is an attitude combined of negative thoughts and stereotypes.
Define sexism
Prejudice exists on the basis of sex.
What are the ways of reducing discrimination and prejudice?
Intergroup contact which includes four contact conditions: sustained contact, superordinate goals, mutual interdependence and equality or equal status contact.
Cognitive interventions
Define inter-group contact
a strategy that aims to increase the amount of contact between the
holder of the prejudice and the group they are prejudice towards. It impacts on the cognitive (thoughts) component of an attitude. It makes people aware that members of various groups share the same goals, ambitions, feelings and frustrations.
Define sustained contact
Close, prolonged contact of a fairly direct nature (one-on- one or face-to-face) leads to a re-evaluation of incorrect stereotypes about the other group. Involves cooperative activity rather than casual and purposeless contact. This allows the holder of the stereotype to understand the person as an individual, rather than just seeing them as part of the group.
Define superordinate goals
shared goals, which groups or individuals cannot achieve alone or without the other person or group. All members are forced to work cooperatively, which usually leads to a lessening of hostilities and prejudice. “We are all in the same boat”
Define mutual interdependence
The groups must be dependent on each other to meet their goals – that is, they cannot succeed without the help of the other group. When each person’s needs are linked to those of others in the group, cooperation in encouraged.
Define equal status contact
The members of both groups must have equal status to each other, that is, they must perceived themselves as being at the same level of importance.If one group perceives itself as having higher status, this can increase prejudice.
Define cognitive interventions
Involves teaching the individual about prejudice including how it is formed and how it can be changed. Learnt skills and behaviours that we can use to
fight prejudice.