Social psychology Flashcards
SIT (individual and the group) intro.
- humans are influenced by social situations. We learn from observing others and develop internal personalities from group relationships.
- social identity theory is a theory that an individual’s sense of self is developed on the basis of group membership and this identity is shared with other members of the same group.
- leads to formation of in-groups and out-groups (social categorisation) and in group favouritism where the in group is preferred (biased towards) and out group is discriminated against.
- social comparison: compare in group to out group.
- social identity: self-concept that is biased on group membership.
- tajfel and turner: part of one’s self-concept based on the knowledge of membership in social groups in combination with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership.
- negative implications: segregation and divides between groups.
SIT (and stereotypes formation) study.
Tajfel et al (1971)
Aim - to investigate social identity theory by testing how specific variables could influence the choice of reward.
Method - 48 boys ages 14-15. They rated 12 abstract by Klee and Kandinsky and were randomly sorted in to 2 groups and told it was preference-based. They then had to award points to 1 boy in each group. Tajfel created a point allocation system: 1) maximum joint profit, 2) maximum in group profit, 3) maximum point difference.
Results - Boys preferred to maximise point difference as opposed to maximum in group points: even giving themselves less points to max group difference.
Conclusion - out group discrimination is very easy to trigger (using minimal group paradigm) and we have natural tendency to favour in group.
SCT intro.
- Bandura: observation of specific behaviours and their consequences may lead to replication or copying of the behaviour (observational learning). 2 types of learning = direct and indirect. First called social learning theory which explained how we learn. He then expanded it to include new aspects like human agency reciprocal determination, self-efficacy adn observational learning
SCT study
Bandura, Ross and Ross
Aim - to investigate if children behave aggressively after observing an adult display those behaviours. They also examined whether children are more likely to replicate behaviours of same-sex models.
Method - lab experiment; 72 children (36 b&g) aged 3-6 were split into 1 of 3 conditions: 1) aggressive model condition where the model behaved aggressively towards the bobo boll, 2) non-aggressive role model, 3) control group with no role model. They first put the children into a room with an adult model in another corner. They were given toys and stickers and an inflatable bobo doll. The adult model condition 1, the adult started behaving aggressively towards the bobo doll (verb and physically), 2, they just played with the toys. Then the child was taken to another room with lots of toys but just as they became interested in the toys, they were removed from the room to create a frustrating scenario. Then the children were taken to a room with a one-way mirror for observations and there were toys similar to the first room and the bobo doll. The researchers measured their behaviours towards the bobo doll.
Results - when exposed to the aggressive model, children were more likely to behave aggressively towards the doll than in the non-aggressive group. A same-sex role model increased the likelihood of behaviour replication. Boys were more likely to display physical aggression whilst girls displayed verbal aggression.
Conclusion - observational learning is supportes and can be indirect.
Stereotypes on behaviour intro.
- simplified mental images which act as templates to interpret the social world.
- automatic cognitive processes that are a part of social and cultural environment and based on experience.
- they are formed through illusory correlation (encoding of serially presented information) and social categorisation enhances the formation of illusory correlation.
- Stereotypes have been shown to impact human behaviour for example, those who hold a stereotype may influence the behaviour of the stereotyped group through a self-fulfilling prophecy. Members of stereotyped groups may inadvertently reinforce the stereotype by changing their behaviour.
Stereotypes on behaviour study.
Steele and Aronson
Aim - to investigate test performance as a function of stereotype threat in white and black participants.
Method - 114 male and female b&w Stanford students were asked to take a 30 min verbal test that was difficult enough for most to find it difficult. In the experimental group, participants were told that it was a test of intellectual ability and the control condition was told that it has nothing to do with intellectual ability. The assumption was that liking the test to ability would activate existing racial stereotypes so black participants faced the threat of fulfilling the stereotype.
Results - white participants performed equally in both conditions and black participants performed as well as white participants in the control condition. However, black participants performed worse on the experimental condition.
Conclusion - liking the test to intellectual abilities activates a pre-existing stereotype, causing the black students to experience stereotype threat. The research suggests that this may be explained by an increase in apprehension in the black students over possibly conforming to this negative stereotype.
Stereotype formation intro.
Stereotypes are prevalent throughout social and cultural environments and are learnt through daily interactions, conversations, and media.
- they are automatic cognitive protocols that act as templates for us to interpret social worlds through simplified mental imagery. One theory to explain the formation of stereotypes is SIT…
Cultural dimensions intro.
Culture is defined as specific rules and values within a community and they affect and influence behaviour.
- a cultural dimension is a description of a trend in the behaviour of a given culture: individualistic vs collectivistic.
- Individualistic: value independence and individuality, uniqueness is encourages and there is little reliance on the wider community.
- Collectivistic: de-emphasise an individuals feelings and operate within the interests of the wider community.
- they have been theorised to influence the formation of FBM which are highly detailed and exceptionally vivid ‘snapshots’ of an important/emotionally arousing event. They are maintained through overt/covert rehearsal.
Cultural dimensions study.
Kulkofsky
Aim - to investigate the role of individualistic/collectivistic cultures on the formation of FBMs.
Method - 5 countries (china, turkey, Germany, UK and USA) with a variance in the type of cultures. 274 middle-class adults were given 5 mins to recall as many pubic life events from at least 2 years ago. The researcher then created a memory questionnaire about these events containing 5 questions; 1) where the participant was when receiving the news, 2) what time of day was it, 3) how did they learn about the event, 4) what were they doing when they learnt of the event and 5) who were they with. They were asked about the national/international importance of the event, the number of times recalled to someone else and how surprising the event was.
Results - collectivistic= less recall
Conclusion - individual= more importance on individual experiences.
Enculturation intro.
- the process by which we adopt and internalise the schemas of our culture.
- unconsciously from infancy and can influence the way we think and behave.
- E.G: the colour clue has masculine connotations.
- We enculturation through gatekeepers which could involve parents, teachers or others within that culture that present norms, not always through direct tuition.
- Values enculturation is when we adopt and internalise ‘deep culture’ which includes traditions, beliefs and attitudes related to that culture. It creates cultural norms of behaviour and can influence the way we think and behave.
Enculturation study.
Odden and Rochât
Aim - to investigate the role of SCT on development of cultural norms and hierarchy in Samoa.
Method - investigated behaviour of line fishing. 28 children 4-12 for over 25 months and made observations, interviews, etc.
Results - parents do not tend to intervienne/ teach their children behaviours, they are instead learnt through observing the behaviours. Boys often watched the adults fish but didnt have the resources to do so themselves so instead observed the behaviours. Gave 46 12 year olds a questionnaire about their knowledge of the chief system. They found that at 10, the children would borrow the equipment and fish without supervision until the age of 12 until they could fully fish alone.
Acculturation intro.
- process of psychological and cultural changes as a result of contact between different cultures.
- for example, moving to a new country may change behaviour and thinking.
- Migrants who move to a new culture must devise strategies to acclimatise wiht new setting based on how strongly they want to preserve their culture/form new relationships with new cultures.
Integration is a strategy fwhere the inficidual maintains their own culture but adopts new norms from the new culture. They often demonstrate a mix of norms. - integration will lead to negative acculturation where they become more similar to natives of that culture.
Acculturation study.
Shah et al 2015
Aim - to study the association between acculturation and obesity.
Method - 1,375 south Asian male migrant workers in the uae were used as well as a comparison group of men in their countries of origin.
Results - migrant workers in the UAE had significantly higher BMIs than the comparison group and the longer they stayed int he UAE, the higher their BMI became.
Conclusion - acculturation may contribute to unhealthy eating behaviours resulting in obesity and being overweight which may explain the fac that migrant workers are moving into a cultre that promotes more unhealthy eating behaviours compared to their culture of origin.
