Social Psychology

Question 1

Basic Definition:

Answer 1

The scientific study of how people think about, influence and relate to each other. It is the connection between groups and individuals in understanding social behaviour.

Question 2

Relationships’ Core Ideas

Answer 2

• the need to belong
• the need for intimacy
• the convulgance between S(elf) and O(ther) over time

Question 3

Influences on Interpersonal Attraction

Answer 3

Similarity
- Common traits, beliefs, interests and attitudes
- western

Proximity
- The closer people are together, the more likely they are to develop stronger relationships

Positive Affect
- Positive feelings at the time of first interaction promotes likeliness

Question 4

Triangular Theory of Love

Answer 4

Robert Sternberg (1988)
- Three components of Love is intimacy, passion and commitment
- Combine to form 8 types of love

Question 5

Processes that undermine love

Answer 5

• criticism
• contempt
• defensiveness
• stonewalling, used in predictions of divorce

Question 6

Prosocial Behaviour

Answer 6

actions intended to help somebody else

Question 7

Bystander Effect

Answer 7

the presence of others inhibit helping

diffusion of responsibility: as the number of people present increases, individuals feel less personal responsibility

as people know they are the only ones in the conversation they were more likely to help

Question 8

Emergency Intervention

Answer 8

1. Notice the Emergency
2. Interpret as Emergency
3. Assume Responsibility
4. Know What to Do
5. Decide to Help

Question 9

Person Factors that Influence Help

Answer 9

• “helpful personalities”
• religious following
• received help before
• similarity to helper
• witnessed other helpers

Question 10

Situation Factors that determine Help

Answer 10

• consumption of media (prosocial media promote prosocial behaviour)
• education (understanding and learning increases likability of action)

Question 11

Attributes

Answer 11

positively or negatively feelings towards objects in our environment

Implicit VS Explicit

Question 12

Explicit

Answer 12

those that can be thought about, reported on, and controlled

Question 13

Implicit

Answer 13

those that cannot be consciously accessed, and therefore cannot report on nor control
- more strongly impacted by early, developmental events
- more sensitive to current affective experience

Question 14

Dimensions of Attitude

Answer 14

Specificity VS Generality
High Vs Low Accessibility
Weak Vs Strong

Question 15

Principles of Attitude

Answer 15

Specificity, Accessibility, Strength

Question 16

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 16

attitude change occurs to address dissonance in attitudes and behaviours

Question 17

Attributions

Answer 17

efforts to explain why others are behaving in a particular way
- used to sustain a need for cognition and easier opportunity for prediction

Question 18

Attribution Theory

Answer 18

understand others behaviours to be from:

• Internal dispositions
• External situations

or some combination of the two
- relationship between situational and personal influences

Question 19

The Sources of Information - Attribution Theory

Answer 19

Consensus: extent to which other people behave in the same way as the person that we are considering

Consistency: extent to which the person behaves in the same way on different occasions in that same situation

Distinctiveness: extent to which the person behaves in the same way in different situations

Question 20

Attribution Process

Answer 20

perception of situation –> expected behaviour –> perceived behaviour –> attribution

Question 21

Internal/Dispositional Attribution

Answer 21

low consensus, high consistency and low distinctiveness

Question 22

External/Situational Attribution

Answer 22

high consensus, low consistency and high distinctiveness

Question 23

Attribution Errors

Answer 23

correspondence bias, stereotype maintenance

Question 24

Correspondence Bias

Answer 24

when people make inferences on someones character based on their behaviours in a situation, or due to a situation

Question 25

Stereotype Maintenance

Answer 25

attributions made in such a way that avoids updating a stereotype stereotype consistent behaviour - attributions to internal characteristics stereotype inconsistent behaviour - attributions to situations

Question 26

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Answer 26

expectations creating reality by influencing the reality of others or ourselves

Question 27

Obedience

Answer 27

behaviour change produced by the commands of authority to create social structure, coordination, efficiency and predictability

Question 28

Variables that Influence Obedience

Answer 28

proximity, legitimacy of authority, the effects of observing a model there is a greater intensity of obedience with closer people whereas greater reach considers more popular people

Question 29

Social Brain Hypothesis

Answer 29

brain evolved to manage social relationships, need for belonging, status and identity,

Question 30

Blank Slate/ Tabula Rasa Illogical Assumptions

Answer 30

wrong and illogical hypothesis due to the understanding of genetic influences, displays limited theories of social engineering as the fail to allow for genetic expectations (fascism and marxism)

Question 31

Dynamogenic Factor Theory

Answer 31

the presence of others is a stimulus "arousing the competitive instinct" (social facilitation) - performance improves around the mere presence of other people (social inhibition) - this is only true if it is something that a person does well, only then will they tend to do better around other people

Question 32

Social Loafing

Answer 32

phenomenon where people exert less effort when they are in a group rather than when they are alone

Question 33

Norm Formation

Answer 33

the closer people are together the more likely they are to agree and create common ground

Question 34

The Asch Paradigm

Answer 34

the more difficult the judgement the more conformity occurs features that promote conformity - incompetence and insecurity - admiration for the group - no prior commitment to a response - absence of anonymity - unanimous - repeated exposures

Question 35

Groupthink

Answer 35

when collective delusions dominate reality, thinking that is engaged in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group

Question 36

Mind Guards

Answer 36

filter information, control of dissent, shutdown trains of thought

Question 37

Deindividuation

Answer 37

the perceived loss of a person's individuality and personal responsibility that can occur when some participates as part of a group promoted by - diffusion of responsibility - arousal - anonymity - moral certainty

Question 38

Positives and Negatives of Conformity

Answer 38

positives - structure - predictability - comfort negatives - tyranny of opinion - loss of authentic self

Question 39

The Minimal Group Paradigm

Answer 39

method to investigate the minimal conditions required to understand: -the in-group bias - strong social identity -production of discrimination

Question 40

The Mere Exposure Effect

Answer 40

unfamiliarity is recognised as dangerous and negative but after no danger occurs after repeated exposure to unfamiliarity there are less negative feelings