Social psychology Flashcards
Social Psychology
Study of how people influences other’s behaviours, beliefs and attitudes
Dunbar’s number
Has said that historically, as highly social species, humans have networks of 150 people
need to belong theory
biologically-based need for interpersonal connections
Isolation
isolation or the threat of isolation has been associated with increased risk for anxiety, abnormal eating behaviour, reduced intelligence, reduced test performance and other effects
Social influences
- evolutionary factors like social influences like conformity and obediences has served us wel unless accepted unquestioningly
- like genocides
social comparison theory
- we evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing the with those of others
- we use upward (superiors) or downward (inferiors) comparison
- both can boost self concept
Social contagion
looking at other when a situation is ambiguous to figure out what to believe and how to act
masss hysteria
contagious outbreak of irrational behaviour
- group irrationality that is spread by social contagions
- ex: urban legends
Attribution
the process of assigning cause to behaviour
fundamental attribution error
when looking at others, tendency to overestimate the impact of depositional influences (traits like iq or personality) and underestimate the situational influences)
- we do the opposite to ourselves
Factors of fundemental attribution error
- may be because we are unaware of other’s situational factors and very aware of our own
- could also be cultural factors
- some asians are less likely to commit this error (they consider situational)
conformity
- tendency to alter our behaviour as a result of group pressure
- solomon Asch study
Influences of conformity
- unanimity and size of majority increases conformity
- low self esteem makes you more likely to conform
- asian cultures more likely to conform
- no sex differences
Deindividuation
tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identity
- ex: stanford prison study
influences of deidividuation
- anonymity and lack of responsibility tend to promote
- wearing a mask and concealing identity leads to this
Stanford Prison study
- young men were recruited to a 2 week study where they were randomly assigned either prisoner or guards.
prisoners were dressed, reffered to as and treat like prisoners. by the second day guards treated the cruelly and the prisoner rebelled and had to stop study after 6 days.
groupthink
emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking and sound decision making.
- not always bad results but usually leads to over confidence
Cults
groups that exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause
Cults promotion of groupthink
- have persuasive leader who fosters loyalty
- disconnect members from the outside world
- discourage questioning of assumptions
- gradually indoctrinate members
inoculation effect
- convince people to change their minds by first introducing reasons the perspective might be correct and then debunking them
- a way to resist cults
cult myths
- members are emotionally disturbed (usually just the leaders)
- ## members are brainwashed and turned into unthinking zombies (beliefs arent permanent)
Obedience
adherence to instruction from those of higher authority
- essential in our everyday lives
0 can produce trouble when people stop asking why theyre behaving as others want them to
Milgram Pradigm
teachers (subjects) were asked to shock the learners (confederates) when they did not successfully repeat words
- intensity of shock increased with each failure
key themes of Milgram pradigm
1 the greater the distance between teacher and experimenter, the less obedience
2. greater the distance between teacher and learner, the more obedience
Results of milgram study
- compliance was not related to sadism (love of punishing or hurting others)
- predictors of disobedience:
- more morally advanced
- higher level of authoritarism
prosocial behaviour
behaviour intended to help others
antisocial behaviour
includes aggressive acts
Bystander Nonintervention
- when people see someone in need but fail to help them
- ex: kitty genovese’s who was murdered where lots of people couldve helped but didnt
- caused by pluralistic ignorance or diffusion of repsonsibility
- more likely to help if yu are alone
pluralistic ignorance
error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things the way we do
diffusion of responsibility
- reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others
social loafing
- phenomenon where people become less productive in groups
- due to diffusion of responsibility and influenced by cultural factors (more present in western cultures)
- helpful to ensure each person in a group is identifiable
things that affect our likelihood of helping
- empathy
- when you cant escape situation
- characteristics of the victim
- current mood
- enlightenment effect
enlightenment effect
- learning about psychological research can change real-world behaviour for the better
- learning about the bystander effect makes the effect less likely
Aggression
behaviour intended to harm, either physically or verbally
- linked to:
- frustration, media, arousal level, alcohol and drugs, temperature…
Differences in aggression
- males engage more in physical while females more in relational
- correlation between testoterone and aggression
Attitude
- a belief that includes an emotional component
- moderate on 0.35 with actual behaviours
- lead to behaviors more if they come to mind quickly and have been stable
cognitive dissonance
unpleasant state of tension between two opposing thoughts
- motivated to eliminate it
cognitive dissonance theory
we can reduce the conflict betwee two cognitions by changing the first cognition, changing the second one, or introducing a third one that will resolve the conflict
self perception theory
proposes that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviours
impression management theory
proposes that we dont really change out attitudes, but report that we have changed them
routes to persuasion
- dual processes model says that there are two pathways to persuasion
- central route focuses on informational content
- the peripheral route focuses on more surface aspects of the argument
Persuasion techniques
- foot in door: start small and move up
- door in face: start bug then back off
- low ball: low price then adds on - but you are free: gives impression of choice
stereotype
belief, positive or negative, about the characteristic of members of a group that is applied generally to most members of the group
-can lead to prejudices
prejudices
drawinf conclusions prior to evaluating the evidence
- can be accurate or due to illusory correlations and confirmation bias
ultimate attribution error
attributing negative behaviours of some group entirely to their disposition
- can attribute positive behaviours to luck or exeptions
adaptive conservatism
evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different
in group bias
means that we favour those within our group compared to those without
out-group homogenity
tendency to view people outside of our group as similar
Discrimination
the act of treating members of out-groups differently from member of in-groups
- can be prejudice without discriminating agiasnt
Jigsaw classrooms
educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project
- groups should cooperate, be enjoyable, equal status, should work together towards common goals
- way of combating prejudice
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