Social Psychology Flashcards
Social Psychology
The psychology of how people think, feel, and behave in social environments (emphasis on groups)
Conformity
Matching one’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to societal or group norms (also called majority influence)
Normative conformity/influence
Conforming to avoid rejection from a group, or to gain approval from the group
Informative conformity/influence
Looking for guidance when you don’t know what to do and assuming that the group is correct
Compliance
Changing behavior, attitudes, or beliefs based on a direct request; usually for a reward of avoiding a punishment
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Asking of small favors to lead up to much bigger requests
Door-in-the-Face Technique
Asking of a large request first so a second, smaller request can be asked and more likely accepted
Lowball Technique
The requestor asks for an initial commitment in a favor, but then raises the cost of the commitment
Private conformity
Actually changing your behaviors to conform
Public conformity
Outwardly changing your behaviors but privately still sticking to your core beliefs
Michelangelo Phenomenon
The concept of the self is made up from the intrapersonal self and the interpersonal self (what other people think of the person)
Group Polarization
The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the individual inclinations of the members within the group; is also called choice shift
Groupthink
Maintaining harmony in the group is more important than carefully analyzing the problem; consensus is reached without discussion of alternatives
Group Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias in a group – groups tend to seek information that supports the majority view
Obedience
How we obey authority
Social Anomie
The breakdown of social bonds between an individual and the community
Identification
A pattern of behaviors that are intended to show respect for a figure
Internalization
The idea/belief/behavior has been integrated into our core values; private conformity
In terms of role play, we internalize our role and let it affect our behavior
Asch Conformity Study
3 lines and a target line; when confederates gave the wrong answer, 75% of subjects conformed. It’s an example of normative social influence
Perceptual error
An error in judging reality as it is
Milgram Study on Obedience
The one with the shocks – 65% administered the full shock and conformed (4 prompts for continuation); compliance with authority even if it goes against their moral values
Just World Phenomenon
The belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people
Self-serving bias
Individuals will view their own success as being based on internal factors, while viewing failures and mistakes as being based on external factors
Fundamental Attribution Error
We tend to believe that flaws and mistakes in others are due to internal factors (inherent personality flaws) than external factors
Zimbardo Prison Study
Stanford Prison Experiment; actors got so caught up in their roles that they had to end the experiment early. It shows how internalization works
Deindividuation
The crowd/group conceals a person’s identity, so group members are more likely to act inappropriately in a manner that the group is acting in
Factors that affect conformity
Group size (3-5) Unanimity Group status Group Cohesion Observed behavior Public Response Prior commitments (did we agree with the group on a previous point?) Feelings of insecurity
Factors that affect Obedience
Type of Authority
Closeness to authority
Legitimacy of Authority
Proximity to authority
Victim distance
Depersonalization (victim made to look less human)
Role Models for Defiance (if others defy, we will too)
Bystander Effect
People in a group will feel less likely to help; amplified by the amount of people in the book
Diffusion of Responsibility
In a larger group, an individual feels a smaller share of responsibility
Dominant Response
The response that is most likely to occur in the event of a stimulus
Social Facilitation
In the presence of others, our dominant response will occur (if we’re usually good, then we will perform well in the presence of others)
Social Loafing
Each individual in a group will put forth less effort than if they were alone; the group ends up performing poorly
Hawthorne Effect
We tend to change our behaviors when we know that we are being observed or monitored
Yerke’s Dodson Law of Social Facilitation
Arousal is raised in the presence of others; we therefore perform better on simple tasks (familiar) and are hindered at performing complex tasks (unfamiliar)
Peer Pressure
The social influence on an individual by a group or another individual
Identity Shift Effect
In the threat of social rejection, a person will conform to the norms of the group. This results in cognitive dissonance, so the individual shifts their identity to adopt the standards of the group
