Social Psychology

Question 1

Social Psychology

Answer 1

examines the influence of social processes on the way people think, feel and behave.

Question 2

Attitudes

Answer 2

a positive or negative evaluative reaction toward a person, object or concept

Question 3

Attitude Strength

Answer 3

the durability or impact of an attitude
Durability: if it lasts over time
Impact: if it impacts behavior or thoughts

Question 4

Social Cognition

Answer 4

Initial Impressions: initial perceptions make a difference; and have shown strong effects

Asch’s study found that a person presented with positive traits first was found to be more sociable and happier

Question 5

Social Influence

Answer 5

the presence of others energizes performance (Triplett)

Question 6

Social Norms

Answer 6

shared expectations about thoughts, feelings and behavior; can vary by time and place; culturally sensitive

Question 7

Conformity

Answer 7

the adjustment of people’s behavior, attitudes and beliefs to a group.

Question 8

Informational Social Influence

Answer 8

follow the opinions of those we believe have accurate knowledge and believe they are doing right, “others are buying this product”

Question 9

Social Role

Answer 9

a set of norms which characterize how people in specific social positions should behave

Question 10

Role Conflict

Answer 10

norms accompanying different roles may clash

Question 11

Normative Social Influence

Answer 11

conform to obtain rewards that come from being accepted by other people while trying to avoid rejection

Question 12

Situational Influence on Behaviors

Answer 12

see others engaging in a behavior, likely to be influenced by it

Question 13

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 13

an unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes inconsistencies in actions, attitudes and beliefs

Question 14

Asch Conformity Study

Answer 14

Asch used lab experiment to study conformity, whereby 50 male students participated in ‘vision test’ using line judgment; agreed in advance what their response would be in line task, but real participant did not know this and was led to believe they were all real participants. About 1/3 participants conformed with clearly incorrect majority in trials. About ¾ participants conformed at least once. They went along with group for fear of being ridiculed. People want to fit in (normative influence) and because they believe group is better informed than they are (informational influence).

Question 15

Results of Asch Study

Answer 15

When people were alone they got the answer correct

When in a group only 25% appeared to remain completely independent in their responses.

Question 16

Factors which affected conformity

Answer 16

Group size: conformity increased from 5-35% as group size increased
After 5 this stabilized

Presence of a dissenter: when someone else dissents he/she serves as a model and it significantly reduces conformity

Question 17

LaPiere Study: 1930’s attitudes towards Chinese

Answer 17

Attitudes do not necessarily determine or predict our behavior

Attitudes and Behavior are influenced by several factors
Attitudes influence behavior more strongly when the counteracting situational factors are weak

Question 18

Persuasion

Answer 18

the deliberate effort to change or impact one’s attitude

Question 19

Systematic Persuasion

Answer 19

attitudes or beliefs changed by appeals to reason

Question 20

Heuristic Persuasion

Answer 20

attitudes or beliefs changed by appeals to habit or emotion

Question 21

Norm of Reciprocity

Answer 21

the golden rule; to get you to comply with a request you are given an unsolicited favor or gift

Question 22

Door in the face technique

Answer 22

persuader makes a large request expecting you to reject and then makes a smaller request believing you will be more likely to comply

Question 23

Foot in the Door

Answer 23

a persuader gets you to comply with a small request and then presents a larger request thinking you will now be more likely to comply

Question 24

Low Balling

Answer 24

the persuader gets you to commit to an action then before you perform in the “cost increases”

Question 25

Obedience

Answer 25

a form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority research project revisited

Question 26

Variables which influenced obedience

Answer 26

Remoteness of the victim Closeness and legitimacy of authority figure Cog in the wheel Personal characteristics: differences were weak or nonexistent Cultural differences: similar results cross culturally

Question 27

Diffusion of Responsibility

Answer 27

when others are present the responsibility to help is divided among those present

Question 28

Bystander Effect

Answer 28

people are less likely to provide help when in groups

Question 29

Latane and Darley : Bystander Research

Answer 29

Bystander won’t help if they don’t notice Decide if it is an emergency If an emergency: intervene or not Take on responsibility: begin to question self-efficacy and confidence Intervene regardless of cost

Question 30

Perceived Responsibility

Answer 30

more likely to help those who we view as “true victims” – but who we assume as true victims are biased. Ex) People on subways dressed nicely collapse vs. People on subways in tattered clothes collapse. More likely to help nicely dressed people.

Question 31

Factors that influence Attraction to Others

Answer 31

Situational Factors: Proximity: being near increases likelihood Exposure/availability increases attraction Psychological Factors Similarity in attitudes, value and interests Physical Factors Body Shape: males as inverted triangles, females as hour glass Symmetry: bilaterally symmetrical more attractive

Question 32

Matching Hypothesis

Answer 32

people tend to opt for those at their same level of attractiveness; “Middle School Sleepover”

Question 33

Gender Differences

Answer 33

found cross culturally; males place more emphasis on physical attraction; women on social status and financial resources; women more selective (Buss)

Question 34

Passionate Love

Answer 34

intensely emotional and physical

Question 35

Companionate Love

Answer 35

deep affection, share emotional intimacy and friendship

Question 36

Triangle Theory

Answer 36

Intimacy, Passion, Commitment

Question 37

Intimacy

Answer 37

sense of closeness and sharing

Question 38

Passion

Answer 38

emotional, Physical

Question 39

Commitment

Answer 39

efforts to maintain the relationship with difficulties and costs

Question 40

Prejudice

Answer 40

negative attitudes towards people solely based on membership in a group

Question 41

Stereotype

Answer 41

characteristics we attribute to people based on their membership in a group

Question 42

Subtyping

Answer 42

rather than abandoning our stereotypes when we find evidence that does not support them, we tend to modify them

Question 43

Discrimination

Answer 43

treat people differently and unfairly based on group affiliation

Question 44

Illusory Correlation

Answer 44

people tend to overestimate the number of confirmations of an association between social traits

Question 45

Self Serving Bias

Answer 45

We attribute our successes to personal factors and our failures to situational forces – ex) If we do poorly on a test, that test sucked! If we do well on a test, I did so well!

Question 46

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 46

In contrast to the self-serving bias, we assume others’ failures are due to personal or internal factors

Question 47

Group Membership

Answer 47

We categorize ourselves as “in group” or “out group” and view our members in more favorable terms Ex) Michigan vs. Michigan State, Greek or not

Question 48

Homogeneity Bias

Answer 48

believe those in the “out group” are all the same, although we see the diversity within our own group Conflict occurs when there is in-group out group difference; Summer camp 2 teams compete against each other (Eagles & Rattlers) and hostility between their identities was evident in various contests and games, led to them raiding each others’ camps

Question 49

Sherif results

Answer 49

Working on a common task or goal (superordinate goal) is an effective way to reduce in/out group conflict; collaborating leads to positive benefits such as seen in the Summer Camp study; Palestinian/Israeli kids brought together/work together towards common goal Present applications for this research: Seeds of Peace