Social Psychology 3 Flashcards
Prejudice
Judging people based on stereotypes. Can be positive or negative. Prejudice typically requires the distinction between ingroups and outgroups and discrimination involves behaviours that follow from negative attitudes towards particular group members. Preserves interests of dominate group.
Stereotype
Schemas about characteristics ascribed to a group of people based on qualities such as race, ethnicity or gender rather than achievements or actions. They are innate but the content is learned. Media is large influence. Stereotypes may be based on genuine differences but typically become very overgeneralised. Fighting a stereotype does not make it go away; in fact, it can intensify its expression when the person least expects it.
Racism
The pervasive and systematic assumption of the inferiority of certain groups and the different and unfair treatment of those groups on the basis of that assumption. Can be implicit or explicit.
Discrimination
The behavioural component of prejudiced attitudes.
Ingroup and Outgroup
People perceived as belonging and not belonging to a valued group. People often attribute more homogeneity to outgroups than ingroups and make more positive interpretations of the behaviour of ingroup members. Ingroup–outgroup distinctions probably reflect both motivational and cognitive factors. Contact between groups can decrease prejudice and hostility if it is accompanied by shared goals, personal acquaintance with members of the outgroup, relatively equal status, and enough shared values and culture to dissolve stereotypes.
Ostracism
Occurs when people are ignored, excluded or rejected, and can be painful and distressing for the individuals involved.
Aggression
Verbal or physical behaviour aimed at harming another person or living being. Across cultures, males tend to be more aggressive than females. Men engage in more direct aggression, women perpetrate aggression more indirectly.
Hostile Aggression
Impulsive aggression often elicited by anger.
Instrumental Aggression
Calm and premeditated aggression.
Antisocial behaviour
Behaviour that damages interpersonal relationships and is deemed undesirable.
Violence
“Violence is an extreme form of aggression such as assault, rape or murder” American Psychology Association.
Instinctual and evolutionary perception of aggression
View aggression as rooted in biology. The neural control of aggression is hierarchically organised, with the amygdala, hypothalamus and frontal lobes playing prominent roles. Aggression is also partially controlled by hormones, particularly testosterone and serotonin. Needed for survival and can improve reproductive success.
Cognitive–social perception of aggression
Aggression may be innate but inhibition and activation of aggression depends on learning and culture. Explains aggressive behaviour as a result of rewards and punishments, cognitive processes (such as attributions about people’s intentions) and social learning (such as modelling).
Frustration–aggression hypothesis
Suggests that aggressive behaviour arises from frustrated needs or desires.
The general aggression model (GAM)
Unifies the multitude of theories created to explain aggression. According to the GAM, person and situational input variables combine to determine the presence or absence of aggressive output.
