Social Psychology Flashcards
Elizabeth Loftus
Demonstrated the malleability of memory (car crash experiment), showing how easy it is to get someone to give a false testimony by framing the question differently to them.
Carl Jung
1875-1961
Field: neo-Freudian, analytic psychology
Contributions: people had conscious and unconscious awareness; libido is all types of energy, not just sexual; the collective unconscious
Studies: dream studies/interpretation
Hot vs. cold theories of social people
Theories or models of social people
hot = emotional/motivational
cold = cognitive and cerebral
Consistency Seeker
hot model: we go about our business until we encounter inconsistency, then we try to fix it
Self-esteem maximizer
hot model: someone who avoids situations where self-esteem is threatened
Terror Manager
hot model: behavior is a response to the fear of death
Information Seeker
cold model: someone who tries to understand the world around them, constantly looking for new information about themselves
Information Processor
hot and cold: someone who notes the inner cognitive work that happens when information is encountered, reflective of emotion and cognition
Kurt Lewin
who is today recognized as the founder of modern social psychology
His research on group dynamics, experiential learning, and Field Theory.
Field Theory
proposed that behavior is the result of the individual and the environment.
William James
Father of Functionalism
Wrote the first psychology textbook.
Came up with the model for social cognition.
Social Comparision Theory
people seek others to be around who compare similarly. We are always comparing ourselves to others.
Group Dynamics
Study of groups: term for group processes
Group process refers to the understanding of the behavior of people in groups that are trying to solve a problem or make a decision.
Group Polarization
the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
Group Think
When a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.
Milgram
- researched the effect of authority on obedience
- concluded people obey out of fear or a desire to seem cooperative(participants administered electric shocks)
Cognitive dissonance:
when we experience things that do not match well with our values or are counter-intuitive, we are uncomfortable and we do whatever we can to reduce the dissonance. We also avoid situations that provoke dissonance
Diffusion of responsibility
With enough people around, no one will take responsibility for something that needs to be done, thinking that someone else surely will do it. Cause of the bystander effect
Attribution Theory
suggests how we explain someone’s behavior—by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.
Fundamental Attribution Error
If someone else does something wrong, it’s attributed to them, not the situation. If they do something right, it is the situation, not them. It is opposite when we think about ourselves
behavioral confirmation
a type of self-fulfilling prophesy: people’s social expectations lead them to behave in ways that cause others to confirm their expectations (i.e. playing in to the role you’ve been given in society, like the nerd)
4 components of stigma
1) awareness of stereotype
2) agreement with it
3) applied to one’s self
4) personal impact: the “why try” effect
Feedback Loops
return of portion of output of a system, especially when used to maintain output within predetermined limits (negative feedback) or to signal a need to modify system (positive feedback)
Cybernetics
the scientific study of communication and control as applied to machines and living organisms. It includes the study of self-regulation mechanisms, as in thermostats or feedback circuits in the nervous system, as well as transmission and self-correction of information in both computers and human communications
6 Determinants of self-concept
- roles we play
- social identities we form
- comparisons against others
- successes and failures
- how other people judge us
- surrounding culture
What Zimbardo taught us
when we say things, we believe them - when there is no compelling external explanation for one’s words, we start to believe our own lives
Cults
“new religious movements” characterized by distinct ritual and beliefs related to devotion to a God or person, isolation from surrounding “evil” culture, and charismatic leader.
Types of aggression
- Hostile: reactive, hot blooded, driven by anger, is an end to itself
- Instrumental: proactive, cold blooded, is a means to some other end. Both can be physical, verbal, relational/social
Principles that predict conformity
- reciprocity (more willing to comply if you did something nice for them)
- social validation (if the requested bhx is consistent with what other similar others are doing)
- consistency (if we have already committed to something, we like to remain consistent)
- liking/friendship (more likely to comply with friends)
- scarcity (lower availability = increased value)
What causes attraction
- proximity
- anticipation of interaction (mere exposure effect)
- physical attractiveness
Sherif camping experiment
kids developed prejudice against other teams, in-group biases, when put in groups at camp for camp games
Social judgment theory
Carolyn Sherif, Muzafer Sherif, and Roger Nebergall
attitudes towards ideas shape whether we accept, reject, or remain neutral toward them
claims that an individual’s position on an issue depends on three things. First, their anchor, or their preferred position on the issue. In our car example, the anchor would be the person’s current vehicle.
Second, their position depends on alternatives, classified as acceptable, rejected, or noncommittal. In the car example, the only alternative was not taking the car (but imagine the range of alternatives in topics such as politics or religion).
Finally, the third component of someone’s position on an issue depends on their personal ego-involvement.
Realistic group conflict theory
the theory that prejudice arises from competition between groups for scarce resources
Evolutionary social psychology
traits that help us survive in a group get passed on. These are things like our ability to form coalitions (cooperation), status symbols, vigilance against members of out-groups that could be dangerous (hence our proneness to intergroup prejudice)
Integrated threat theory
perceived changes in environment motivate or don’t motivate action
Whitehall study
Higher ranking British civil servants had way less health problems than those with lower status. Stress is bad for you only when it is perceived as distress
Bandura
(1925-)Social learning theory: people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. Bobo dolls
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent
Halo Effect
The tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinion in another area.
Attributions of success and failure
Theory that supposes one attempts to understand behavior of others by attributing feelings, beliefs, and intentions to them.
We attribute our own successes to internal factors and our failures to external factors.
We attribute the successes of other to external factors and their failures to internal factors.
intergroup
Refers to disagreements that exist between two or more groups, and their respective members.
Social Exchange Theory
Proposes that social behavior is the result of an exchange process. The purpose of exchange is to maximize the benefits and minimize costs.In theory, people weigh the potential benefits and risks of social relationships.
Sherif
Mozafer Sherif (1905-1988) Social judgment theory- attitudes towards ideas shape whether we accept, reject, or remain neutral toward them Realistic group conflict theory- model of intergroup conflict. Apocolpyspe, think Walking Dead.
Bases of social power
French and Raven- 1959
- Legitimate- comes from belief a person has the formal right to make demands and to expect others to be compliant and obedient
- Reward- results from one person’s ability to compensate another for compliance
- Expert- bases on a person’s high levels of skill and knowledge
- Referent- result of the person’s perceived attractiveness, worthiness, and right to other’s respect.
- Coercive- comes from the belief that a person can punish others for noncompliance
- (Added in 1965) Informational- results from a person’s ability to control the information that others need to accomplish something
Factors that affect conforming to a minority
Psychologists have identified different factors that can enhance the effectiveness of a minority:
Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility
