Social Psychology Flashcards
Attitudes
A positive, negative or mixed reaction to a person, object or idea expressed at some level of intensity
Attitude accessibility
Strengths of the association between an attitude object and a person’s evaluation of the object
Highly accessible (strong) attitude comes to mind quickly
Theory of planned behaviour
Attitude toward behaviour
–> what i think of performing the behaviour
Subjective norms
–> what important others think of the behaviour
Perceived behavioural control
–> how easy it is to perform the behaviour
Persuasion
Persuasive communication
–> message or ad that promotes a particular view of a person, object, or idea
Factors:
- -> message
- -> source
- -> channel
- -> audience
Elaboration Likelihood Model (central route)
Person thinks carefully about a message
Influenced by the strength/quality of message
Long-lasting impact on behaviour
Elaboration Likelihood Model (peripheral model)
Person does not think critically about contents of message
Influenced by superficial cues
Weaker attitudes
Temporary impact on behaviour
Motivation to think
Personal relevance
–> will this issue/product impact my life?
Need for cognition
–> does a person generally like to think about things?
Ability to think
Distraction
Fatigue
Knowledge about the issue
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Motivation to be consistent can influence attitudes
Two thoughts can be unrelated, consistent or inconsistent
People have three options:
- -> change their behaviour
- -> justify behaviour by changing one dissonant cognitions
- -> justify behaviour by adding new cognitions
Attribution
How people explain the causes of behaviour
Theories (Heider)
Personal attribution
–> an internal characteristic of the person caused the behaviour(e.g. personality, mood)
Situational attribution
–> an external factor caused the behaviour (e.g. task, other people)
Attributing outcomes to stable factors gives people a sense of predication and control
Fundamental Attribution Error
Tendency to overlook situational factors and instead make internal attributions for others’ behaviours
Prejudice (social categorisation)
Classification of people into groups on the basis of common attributes
Prejudice (stereotypes)
Beliefs that associate a whole group of people with certain traits
Prejudice (prejudice)
Negative feelings about others because of their connection to a social group
Prejudice (discrimination)
Negative behaviours directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group
Social Identity Theory
People strive to enhance their self-esteem partly through social identities
Ingroup
Group we belong to
Outgroup
Group we do not belong to
Realistic Conflict Theory
Hostility between groups is caused by direct competition for limited resources
Relative deprivation
–> the belief that one fares poorly compared with others
Perceived threat against group
Robbers Cave Study
Children randomly assigned to groups
Separated and engaged in activities that build group cohesion
Brought back together in competitive environment
Contact Hypothesis
Direct contact between hostile groups with intergroup prejudice under certain conditions:
- -> equal status
- -> personal interaction
- -> cooperative activities
- -> social norms promoting intergroup contact
Social Influence
Ways in which people are affected by the real and imagined pressures of others
Conformity
The tendency to change our perception, opinions or behaviour in ways that are consistent with group norms
Compliance
Changes in behaviour that are elicited by direct requests
Obedience
Behaviour change produced by the commands of authority
