Social Psychology

Question 1

who is Norman Triplett?

Answer 1

Publish the first study of social psychology. Investigated the effect of competition on performance. People perform better on familiar task when in the presence of others than when alone.

Question 2

Who is William McDougall and E.H Ross?

Answer 2

Publish the first textbook on social psychology.

Question 3

Who is Verplank?

Answer 3

Suggested that social approval influences behavior. Showed that the course of the conversation changes based on the feedback or approval of others.

Question 4

What is reinforcement theory?

Answer 4

Maintained by Pavlov Thorndike Hall Skinner and Verplank. Behavior is Motivated by anticipated rewards

Question 5

What is the social learning theory which challenged early reinforcement theorist?

Answer 5

Maintained by Albert Bandura. Behavior is learned through Imitation.

Question 6

What is role theory?

Answer 6

People are aware of the social roles they are expected to fill and much of their behavior is attributed to adopting those roles.

Question 7

What are some cognitive processes that have influenced understanding of social behavior?

Answer 7

Perception judgment memories and decision-making

Question 8

—–Have been called the keystone in the edifice of modern social psychology

Answer 8

Attitudes, Which are likes and dislikes and affinities for, and inversions to things, people, and ideas

Question 9

What are consistency theories?

Answer 9

People preferred consistency and will change or resist changing attitudes based upon this preference. Inconsistencies are viewed as irritants.

Question 10

What is Fritz Heider’s Balance theory?

Answer 10

Concerned with the way three elements are related:

Person we’re talking about (P)
Some other person (O)
A thing, idea or some other person (X)

Balance exist when all three fit together harmoniously, But in the absence of balance there will be stress

(e.g Patrick likes Olivia, Patrick likes Chinese food, Olivia likes Chinese food = No stress)

There is no stress if Patrick disagrees with someone he dislikes.

(e.g Patrick likes Olivia, But they disagree about Chinese food= Stress) So he can change his attitude about Chinese food or Olivia

Question 11

What is Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory?

Answer 11

The conflict that you feel when your attitudes are not in sync with your behaviors. Results in changing one’s attitude so that it is consistent with the behavior.

The greater the dissonance the greater pressure to decrease dissonance. Achieved by adding consonance or by changing dissonance. (e.g nika likes smoking, knows it causes cancer)

Question 12

What is free choice dissonance?

Answer 12

Free choice->Situation where a person makes a choice between several desirable alternatives.

e.g kate likes both sawyer and jack, but tells sawyer she can’t date anymore-> experience (post-decisional dissonance

can reduce this by telling herself sawyer is a fuckboy (spreading of alternatives) Because the relative worth of the two alternative is spread apart.

Question 13

What is forced compliance dissonance?

Answer 13

Forced Compliance->When the person is forced into behaving in a manner that is inconsistent with his beliefs or attitudes. Force may come from anticipated punishment or reward.
e.g teddy doesn’t like killing, but has to kill because Dolores will be safe and protected

Question 14

What is the classical experiment by Festinger and Carlsmith?

Answer 14

Subjects asked to perform extremely boring tasks and are paid one dollar or $20 to mislead the next subject.

The one dollar subjects rated the task as more enjoyable because there was more dissonance. one dollar is very little money to be lying for, so they convinced themselves that they actually enjoyed the task more than they should have.

Question 15

What is the minimal justification effect?

Answer 15

When behavior can be justified by means of external inducements (e.g $20) there is no need to change internal cognitions. However when the external justification is minimal (e.g only $1) You will reduce your dissonance by changing internal cognitions (thinking the task was enjoyable)

Question 16

What is Daryl Bem self perception theory?

Answer 16

When your attitudes about something are weak or ambiguous you observe your own behavior and attribute an attitude to yourself. (You might assume you like brown bread because you’re always eating it)

Question 17

What is the key difference between Bem and Festinger’s theories?

Answer 17

Bem doesn’t hypothesize the state of discomfort or dissonance. Therefore in self perception theory a person’s initial attitude is irrelevant and there is no discomfort produced by behavior.

Question 18

What is over justification effect?

Answer 18

If you reward people for something They already like doing, they might stop liking it. (e.g Child likes doing the dishes but will like it less if you start paying her to do it)

Question 19

What is Carl Hovland’s model?

Answer 19

attitude change as a process of communicating a message with the intent to persuade someone.

The communicator->Someone who has taken a position on an issue and is trying to persuade another to adopt his position (The more credible the source, The greater the impact)

The communication->Presentation of an argument that is designed with the intent to persuade others

The situation->Surroundings in which a communication takes place

Question 20

What is Hovland and Weiss study on credibility?

Answer 20

The more trustworthy article source altered the opinion of 36% of subjects whereas than low credible source altered the opinion of no one

Overtime the persuasive impact of high credibility source decreased whereas the persuasive impact of low credibility source increased-> The sleeper effect

Sources can increase credibility by arguing against own self interest (e.g drug addicts saying drugs are bad)

Question 21

What are two sided messages?

Answer 21

Contain arguments for and against the position and are often use for persuasion since such messages seem to be balanced communication. e,g news reporting

Question 22

What is Petty and Cacioppo’s Elaboration likelihood model of persuasion?

Answer 22

There are two routes to persuasion. This central routes (Issue is very important to us) And the peripheral route( Issue is not very important to us or we cannot clearly hear the message)

Sometimes it does not matter how strong a persuaders argument is. what matters is Whether we are interested in the argument, Who is presenting and what surroundings is it being presented

Question 23

What is McGuire’s Analogy of inoculation?

Answer 23

People can be inoculated against the attack of persuasive communications.

Theory was tested using cultural truism (Belief that are seldom question) Where people were inoculated against attacks on cultural truisms by first being presented arguments against then Having the arguments refuted (Refuted counter arguments).

Result was that Cultural truisms that were not inoculated were actually quite susceptible to attack

Question 24

What is belief perseverance?

Answer 24

People holding onto belief even after they have been shown to be false.

Question 25

What is reactance?

Answer 25

If you’re try too hard to persuade someone of something that person will choose to believe the opposite of your position in order to assert a sense of freedom

Question 26

What is Leon Festinger’s Social comparison theory?

Answer 26

We are drawn to affiliate because of a tendency to evaluate ourselves in relationship to other people.

1) People evaluate themselves by objective nonsocial means, If it’s not possible, they compare their opinions to other people
2) The less the similarity of opinions between two people the less the tendency to make comparisons
3) When the discrepancy exists in terms of opinions, a tendency to change one’s position occurs to move in line with the rest of the group

Question 27

What did Stanley Schachter’s Research find?

Answer 27

Found that greater anxiety does lead to greater desire to affiliate. And that anxious people prefer the company of other anxious people due to perceived similarity.

Question 28

What is the reciprocity hypothesis?

Answer 28

We tend to like people who indicate that they like us back, And dislike those who disliked us.

Question 29

What is Aronson and Linder’s gain loss principle?

Answer 29

An evaluation that changes will have more of an impact that an evaluation that remains constant.

We like someone more if their liking for us has increased that someone who has consistently liked us. We dislike those more whose liking for us has decreased than someone who has consistently disliked us.

Question 30

What is the social exchange theory?

Answer 30

Assumes that a person weighs the rewards and costs of interacting with another. If rewards out-weight the costs, the greater the attraction.

Question 31

What is the equity theory?

Answer 31

We consider not only our own costs and rewards but the costs and rewards of other people. we prefer that our ratio be equal to the other persons ratio. Both of us are getting the same in this relationship.

Question 32

What is the need for complementarity?

Answer 32

People choose relationships so that they mutually satisfy each others needs. The person who likes to talk is complemented by the person who likes to listen.

Question 33

What is the attractiveness stereotype?

Answer 33

The tendency to attribute positive qualities and desirable characteristics to attractive people

Question 34

What a spatial proximity?

Answer 34

Another factor in attraction. The closer the people live the more attraction. Because they are more accessible, So relationship has more opportunities to develop, Initial interactions are more intense.

Question 35

What is the mere exposure hypothesis?

Answer 35

Mere repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to enhanced liking for it so when you see someone more, the more you like them. Robert Zajonc is a key figure in this

Question 36

What is altruism?

Answer 36

A form of helping behavior in which the person’s intent is to benefit someone else at some cost to himself.

Helping behavior includes altruistic motivations, But also behaviors maybe motivated by egoism or selfishness

Question 37

What is bystander intervention by Darley and Latane?

Answer 37

The case of Kitty Genoves who was stabbed to death in three separate attacks but none of the witnesses intervened.

Lack of intervention was due to

social influence->The more people present the less that likelihood that any individual will offer help

diffusion of responsibility->The person with 100% of the responsibility to help will receive 100% of the blame And will feel a lot of guilt So people try to diffuse the responsibility

pluralistic ignorance->Leading others to a definition of an event as a nonemergency

Question 38

What is Empathy?

Answer 38

Ability to vicariously experience the emotions of another which is a strong influence on helping behavior

Question 39

What is Batson’s empathy-altruism Model?

Answer 39

When faced with situations in which others may need help people might feel distressed Or they might feel empathy.

Subjects who Feel more distressed than empathy tend to leave rather than help whereas subjects who have more empathy than distress are more likely to help regardless of whether they are in an easy or difficult escape situation

Question 40

What is the frustration aggression hypothesis?

Answer 40

When people are frustrated they act aggressively

Question 41

What is Bandura’s social learning model?

Answer 41

Aggression is learned through modeling or direct observation or through reinforcement.

Children who have observed the aggressive model were more likely to behave aggressively towards The doll.

People act aggressively because they expect some sort of reward Such as material Benefit social approval or attention for doing so

Question 42

What is Muzafar Sherif’s conformity study?

Answer 42

Used The autokinetic effect, Where light appears to move in the dark if you stare at it, In a study of conformity.

Found that Individuals conform to their groups and their judgment converge on some group norms.

Question 43

What is Solomon ashes conformity study?

Answer 43

Strong tendency for subjects to conform to the incorrect responses of the Confederates When comparing the length of lines.

Subject gave the wrong answer 37% of the time, And 75% of the Subject gave the wrong answer at least once

Question 44

What is Stanley milligrams experiment of obedience?

Answer 44

asking people to Initiate shock when a participant gives the wrong answer.

He was interested to see how far people would proceed if they were told to give increasingly more powerful shocks to another person by someone in a position of authority who told them it is absolutely essential that you continue.

Subject shocked the other person and the majority continue shocking up to maximum voltage

Question 45

What is the foot in the door and the door in the face affect?

Answer 45

Foot in the door->Compliance with a small request increases the likelihood of compliance with the larger request.

Door in the face->People who refuse a large initial request are more likely to agree to a leader smaller request

The effects depend on the nature of the original request

Question 46

What is Clark and Clark doll preference study?

Answer 46

Showed each child a black doll and a white doll + asked how they felt about it–>White and black children preferred the white doll over the black doll.This highlights the negative effects of racism and minority group status on self-concept.

Question 47

It is believe that our identities are organized according to a —– or that which holds the most importance for us in each particular situation

Answer 47

Hierarchy of Salience. The more salient the identity the more we conform to the role expectations of the identity

Question 48

What is Bandura’s self efficacy theory?

Answer 48

Individual’s belief in his ability to organize and execute a particular pattern of behavior.

People with strong self efficacy exert more effort on challenging tasks than those with Low self efficacy.

Self-efficacy judgments are based on:

1) performance accomplishment (History ff success),
2) Vicarious experiences (Observed successful performances)
3) Social Persuasion (Test success suggested by others)
4) physiological and emotional states

Question 49

What are primacy and recency effects?

Answer 49

Primacy->occasions when first impressions are more important than subsequent impressions

Recency->The most recent information we have is the most important in forming our impression

Question 50

What is attribution theory by Heider?

Answer 50

We are all naïve amateur psychologist who attempt to discover causes and effects in events. These causes are divided into two categories:

Dispositional->Causes that relate to the features of the person whose behavior is being considered (e.g beliefs and personality)

Situational->causes that are External and those that relate to features of the surrounding (e.g money, social norms)

Question 51

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Answer 51

When inferring the causes of others’ behavior, there is a general bias towards making dispositional attribution rather than situational attribution

Question 52

What is the halo effect?

Answer 52

Tendency to allow a general impression about a person To influence other and more specific evaluations of a person (donghae is a good person, he must be a good boyfriend!)

Question 53

What is MJ Lerner’s belief in a just world?

Answer 53

Believe that good things would happen to good people and bad things would happen to bad people.

Which increases the likelihood of blaming the victim since such of worldview denies the possibility of innocent victims

Question 54

What it was Theodore Newcomb’s Experiment demonstrating influence of group norms?

Answer 54

Did a study on college students and found that each year of the students college career was marked by an increase in her liberalism.

indicating that overtime, students increasingly accepted the norms of their community, and those who were liberals remained liberals, except for those who married conservatives.

Question 55

What was Edward Hall suggestion regarding proxemics?

Answer 55

Suggest that there are cultural norms that govern how far away we stand from the people we are speaking to. In the US Interactions between strangers take place several feet apart

Question 56

What is Zajonc’s theory?

Answer 56

Presence of others increases arousal and enhances the emission of dominant responses

e.g non-expert dancer makes more mistakes (dominant response) when others are around, whereas professional dancer does things correctly (dominant response) when others are around.

Question 57

What is social loafing?

Answer 57

Group phenomenon referring to the tendency for people to put forth less effort when part of the group than when acting individually

Question 58

What is Zimbardo’s anonymity?

Answer 58

People are more likely to commit antisocial acts when they feel anonymous within a social environment. With anonymity comes a diminished restraint of unacceptable behavior.

As seen in the prison stimulation, Where de-individuation (Loss of self-awareness and personal identity) Was one of the major processes operating within the prison

Question 59

What is Irving Janis’ groupthink?

Answer 59

Refers to the tendency of decision making in groups to strive for consensus by not considering discordant information. e.g Lack of preparedness in America for Pearl Harbor

Question 60

What is risky shift?

Answer 60

Finding that group decisions are riskier than the average of the individual choices. This is explained by value hypothesis which suggest that the risky shift occurs in situations where riskiness is culturally valued.

e.g taking risks in business is valued, so less risky people look to everyone else and decide to become riskier.

Question 61

What is James Stoner’s experiment?

Answer 61

Dilemma presented to couples to examine the risky shift in controversial situations. The nature of the dilemma determined the direction of the shift.

e.g asking couples if they would keep a baby that would endanger mother’s life? no

Question 62

What is group polarization?

Answer 62

Tendency for group discussion to enhance the groups initial tendencies towards riskiness or caution.

Group that tends to be more cautious->Even more cautious after discussions
Group that tends to be risky->Even more risky after discussions

Question 63

Leaders in groups engage in ——Than non-leaders, By artificially increasing the amount a person speaks, the person’s leadership status —-

Answer 63

More communication. Increases

Question 64

What are Kurt Lewin’s leadership styles?

Answer 64

Autocratic->Hostile, More aggressive, More dependent on leader, Less motivation and interest, But more work done

Democratic->More satisfying And cohesive, More motivation and interest, But the less work done

Laissez-faire-> Less efficient, Less organized, Less satisfying

Question 65

What is cooperation versus competition?

Answer 65

people act together for their mutual benefit vs People act for their own individual benefit for a limited availability goal

Question 66

What is the prisoners dilemma?

Answer 66

In a situation where two prisoners are told to either cooperate or compete, Prisoners choose to compete (betray the other) because they want to get the best outcome for themselves, and they don’t trust the other prisoner, and don’t want to be left with a felony charge and a maximum sentence.

Question 67

What is Robber’s Cave experiment conducted by Muzafer Sherif?

Answer 67

Found that joint effort on superordinate goals (the ones best obtained through intergroup cooperation) dramatically improved intergroup relations, To the point that the groups became quite friendly and mingled at the dining hall and had joint campfires.