Social Psychology Flashcards
Social psychology
How social context and cultural environment impact a person’s thoughts, feelings, actions
Fundamental motivations
- Need to belong
- Need to think about ourselves positively
- Need to feel a sense of control
Social norms
Patterns of behaviour, traditions, beliefs and preferences that are reinforced by those around us and influence our behaviour
Conformity
People often adopt behaviours and beliefs of those around them
Informational social influence
Wanting to understand the world or behave correctly, so conforming to the world around us
Autokinetic effect
A single stationary light appears to move if there isn’t anything to anchor it
Normative social influence
The pressure to conform to gain approval (peer pressure)
Deindividuation
Losing sight of own individuality
Social facilitation
Presence of others impacts performance by favouring the dominant response
- Easy -> most likely to succeed
- Challenging -> make mistakes
Social loafing
How people “slack” when working in a group
- when they feel individual performance isn’t noticed, or the work is too easy
Leader
Authority to wield influence over others’ behaviour
How do “earning respect” and “dominance and intimidation” leadership styles differ?
Earning respect is effective even when the leader isn’t there
Dominance results in a population that fears
Stanley Milgram
Social psychologist that ran the Milgram experiments
Milgram Experiments
Determine the effect authority had on a person’s actions
- Learner paired with participant, if learner failed to recall word list, participant instructed to give them a shock
- 65% of participants continued to listen to experimenter against their better judgment
Aggression
Any behaviour directed toward the goal of harming another living being (not just physically)
General aggression model
The factors taht conbine to produce aggressive behaviour
- Background (personality, situation)
- Event (trigger, response)
- Resulting action (either impulsive action or thoughtful)
Why does aggression happen?
When there is something in the way of a person’s goal
Factors that can lead to aggression
Irritants, headache, hangry, etc
Negative events cue…
negative thoughts
Physical aggression is usually…
Usually men
Passive aggression is usually…
Usually women
Weapon effect
Simple exposure to a weapon can increase aggressive responses
Is there a correlation between video games and aggression?
No clear evidence of increased aggression
Prosocial behaviour
Actions to assist others toward their goals
Kin selection
Assisting those who share your genes to increase the odds of genetic survival
Norm of reciprocity
People help those who have helped them in the past or might in the future
Empathy
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand how they feel
As a white american you are more likely to help someone…
who is a white american
Empathy gap
Unable to understand how someone else is feeling
- easier to empathize with one victim, than a group
Stereotypes
Mental ideas/schemas that summarize beliefs and associations of groups of people
- picked up from our culture, people, media
Inaccurate representation of crime data
- Too much about black suspects
- Too much about white victims
- Latinos underrepresented as victims
Stereotypes can lead to…
Inaccurate judgements about people, but also reasonable predictions sometimes
The more tired someone is…
The more likely they are to use stereotypes
To fight against stereotypes…
Perceive similarities and help justify the way things are
Complementary stereotypes
Positive and negative traits to certain groups
Prejudice targets…
The core motivation of belonging
- means that discrimination hurts a person’s health
Contact hypothesis
Prejudice can be reduced through friendly/cooperative interactions
Reducing prejudice
Working together
As equals
Toward a common goal
In an environment where those in the position of authority support social change
Sherif’s Robber’s Cave Study
Two groups of boys in forest, against each other, until they are presented with a challenge that required them to work together
Positive interactions with a person
Expands sense of self (empathy)
Strongest prejudices
When someone has no prior experience or exposure
Diversity training programs
Somewhat effective
What percent of americans use social media?
72%
What percent of young American adults use social media?
84%
What does feeling connected lead to?
Lower stress
Social media can lead to…
People feeling jealous and ignored
Also connected
What percent of youth adults use dating apps?
48%
What percent of people knew someone who formed a long term relationship on a dating app?
29%
Benefits of dating apps
Lots of options
Online communication
App pairs matches
Downsides of dating apps
People don’t always know what they want
They set high expectations for their matches
