Social Psychology Flashcards
What is social psychology?
The investigation of social behaviour (norms, roles and culture)
What are social norms?
Rules that regulate behaviour
Describe the two different types of social rules
Implicit - things you know and don’t have to be taught (driving on the right side, greeting someone with a handshake)
Explicit - things people tell you to do/not to do (not being allowed to drink and drive)
Describe the two types of norms
Descriptive - what is commonly done is a situation (binge drinking in university)
Injunctive - what is commonly approved or disapproved of in a situation (you should return favours, you shouldn’t steal)
What are social roles?
social positions governed by norms and expectations that depend on the current context (sex, family, occupational roles)
What is Weiner’s two dimensional Attribution Model?
A model that explains attributions to success based on certain factors such as internal (dispositions, traits, skills, feelings) and external (environmental demands and constraints) attributions as well as unstable temporary causes and stable permanent causes (these can be internal and external)
What is the Fundamental Attribution Bias?
The tendency to overestimate internal factors and underestimate external factors when explaining others’ behaviour
What is the Defensive Bias?
The belief that the people get what they deserve
- tendency to blame the victim
- bad things happen to the person because of something that they did
What are cultural differences in attributions?
Individualist cultures:
- prioritize personal goals
- unique identity
- emphasize independence & self-esteem
Collectivist cultures:
- prioritize group goals
- group identity
- emphasize shared vales & interdependence
Culture and the self
Independent Self: is autonomous and distinct
- distinct traits and preferences
- individualistic insults
Interdependent self: is connected and overlapping
- shared traits and preferences
- relational insults
Culture and self-esteem
The importance of self-esteem varies between individualist and collectivist cultures
What are attitudes?
Positive or negative evaluations of people or things that can be explicit or implicit.
- Attitudes predict behaviour when they are strong, explicit, and there is a vested interest
What are the three components of attitudes?
Cognitive - Ex. “People on social media are deceptive jerks.”
Affective - Ex. “Social media makes me angry!”
Behavioural - Ex. Using social media as an example for negative attitudes
What is cognitive dissonance?
An unpleasant physiological arousal due to inconsistency in cognition/behaviour
- Attitudes can inform behaviour (I like grilled cheese, so I eat grilled cheese)
- Because of cognitive dissonance (I eat grilled, so I like grilled cheese)
Change attitude to be consistent with behaviour
What is postdecisional dissonance?
Dissonance from the knowledge that one has made a decision and the possibility that one did not choose well
- feel more confident in decision after making it
