Social Psychology Flashcards
Norman Triplett
Known for publishing the first study of social psychology in 1898. He studied the effects of competition on performance (found that people perform better in the presence of others)
McDougall and Ross
Each independently published the first textbooks on social psychology
Verplank
1950s experimenter who demonstrated that people alter their behavior based on social approval (which helped to later establish reinforcement theory)
Reinforcement Theory
Theory which suggests that human behavior is motivated by anticipated rewards
Role Theory
Theory that people know their expected social roles, and that their behavior is attributed to taking on these roles.
Attitudes
Cognitions/beliefs, feelings, and behavioral predisposition
Consistency Theories
Theory which suggests people prefer consistency, and either change or resist changing attitudes regarding preference
Fritz Heider’s Balance Theory
A consistency theory. If three elements are related, balance exists when all three are harmonious. Generally, balance happens if there is 1 or 3 positive attitudes in the trio. Now, considered overly simplistic.
Cognitive Dissonance
The conflict one experiences when their attitudes are not in sync with their behaviors.
Free Choice dissonance
Situations where a person makes a choice between several desirable alternatives
Post-Decisional Dissonance
When dissonance arises after a person’s choice.
Spreading of Alternatives
When one changes attitudes to reduce dissonance by altering the relative worth of the two alternatives
Forced-Compliance Dissonance
When a person is forced into acting in a way that is inconsistent with their attitudes. Force comes from anticipated punishments or rewards
Festinger and Carlsmith
Ran experiments asking participants to lie about their belief for either $1 or $20. Most subjects lied, but those in the $1 group reported their belief was consistent with their lie (in order to justify their lie), Those in the $20 group didn’t adjust their beliefs (since they justified their lie by the money they earned).
Minimal Justification Effect/Insufficient Justification Effect
If there is no external justification, people reduce their dissonance by changing their internal cognitions.
Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Theory Principles
- If pressured to act in opposition to personal attitudes, people tend to change those attitudes
- The greater the pressure, the less their attitude will change (attitude change occur most if behavior is induced with minimum pressure)
Daryl Bem’s Self-Perception Theory
If one’s attitudes are weak or ambiguous, they observe their own behaviors, and then assign themselves an attitude which corresponds to their behavior
Overjustification Effect
If someone is rewarded for something they already enjoy, they may change their attitudes about it to be less positive (since they mistakenly attribute the behavior to an external cause)
Carl Hovland’s Model of Attitude Change
Hovland’s model addresses attitude change as a process of communicating messages with the intent to persuade someone. The more credible a source is perceived to be, the greater impact it has on one’s attitudes.
The Sleeper Effect
Over time, the persuasive impact of a high credibility source decreases, while the persuasive impact of a low-credibility source increases.
Two Sided Messages
Arguments which contain facts both for and against a position are seen as more persuasive due to the perception of a “balanced” communication.
Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion
A model which suggests there are two routes to persuasion: (1) the central route, and (2) the peripheral route. The central route occurs if the issue is important to us, if it is not, it is a peripheral route. If it is the central route, then our ability to be persuaded is based upon the strength of the message. If it is the peripheral route, the ability to be persuaded is based upon the situation surrounding the argument (who is making it, where, how, etc).
Analogy of Inoculation
Developed by William McGuire, he proposed that people can be inoculated against the attack of a persuasive communication (in the same way one can be inoculated to be immune to a disease)
Cultural Truisms
Beliefs which are seldom questioned in society. Since people have no exposure to arguments against cultural truisms, people are more susceptible to attacks against them (bc the person has no practice defending the truism)
Refuted Counterarguments
When one presents an argument and then refutes it.
Belief Perseverence
When someone maintains a belief even after it has been shown to be false
Reactance
If you try too hard to persuade someone of something, that person will reassert their sense of freedom by believing the opposite of the position.
Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory
Theory which suggests we affiliate with others based on a tendency to evaluate ourselves in relationship to others. Overall, it proposes that people need to self-evaluate, and that it then becomes linked to one’s need to affiliate with groups.
Three main principles:
1. People prefer to evaluate themselves by objective (non-social) means. BUT if this is not possible, people evaluate their opinions/abilities by comparing them to others.
2. The less similar of opinions/abilities people share, the less likely someone is to make a comparison.
3. If a discrepancy exists, people tend to change their positions to reflect the group’s.
Stanley Schachter
Conducted research which demonstrates that the greater anxiety one experiences, leads to a greater desire to affiliate with groups. However, those with increased anxiety typically prefer the company of others with increased anxiety. Therefore leading to the perception of increased similarity to
Reciprocity Hypothesis
We [humans] tend to like people who have indicated that they like us (and the inverse).
