Social Psychology

Question 1

Elizabeth Loftus

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Carl Jung

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Hot vs. cold theories of social people

Answer 3

Theories or models of social people
hot = emotional/motivational
cold = cognitive and cerebral

Question 4

Consistency Seeker

Answer 4

hot model: we go about our business until we encounter inconsistency, then we try to fix it

Question 5

Self-esteem maximizer

Answer 5

hot model: someone who avoids situations where self-esteem is threatened

Question 6

Terror Manager

Answer 6

hot model: behavior is a response to the fear of death

Question 7

Information Seeker

Answer 7

cold model: someone who tries to understand the world around them, constantly looking for new information about themselves

Question 8

Information Processor

Answer 8

hot and cold: someone who notes the inner cognitive work that happens when information is encountered, reflective of emotion and cognition

Question 9

Kurt Lewin

Answer 9

who is today recognized as the founder of modern social psychology

His research on group dynamics, experiential learning, and Field Theory.

Question 10

Field Theory

Answer 10

proposed that behavior is the result of the individual and the environment.

Question 11

William James

Answer 11

Father of Functionalism
Wrote the first psychology textbook.

Came up with the model for social cognition.

Question 12

Social Comparision Theory

Answer 12

people seek others to be around who compare similarly. We are always comparing ourselves to others.

Question 13

Group Dynamics

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Group Polarization

Answer 14

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Question 15

Group Think

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Milgram

Answer 16

• researched the effect of authority on obedience

- concluded people obey out of fear or a desire to seem cooperative(participants administered electric shocks)

Question 17

Cognitive dissonance:

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Diffusion of responsibility

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Attribution Theory

Answer 19

suggests how we explain someone’s behavior—by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Question 20

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 20

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

Question 21

behavioral confirmation

Answer 21

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)

Question 22

4 components of stigma

Answer 22

1) awareness of stereotype
2) agreement with it
3) applied to one’s self
4) personal impact: the “why try” effect

Question 23

Feedback Loops

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

Cybernetics

Answer 24

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

Question 25

6 Determinants of self-concept

Answer 25

1. roles we play
2. social identities we form
3. comparisons against others
4. successes and failures
5. how other people judge us
6. surrounding culture

Question 26

What Zimbardo taught us

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Cults

Answer 27

“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.

Question 28

Types of aggression

Answer 28

• 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

Question 29

Principles that predict conformity

Answer 29

• 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)

Question 30

What causes attraction

Answer 30

• proximity
• anticipation of interaction (mere exposure effect)
• physical attractiveness

Question 31

Sherif camping experiment

Answer 31

kids developed prejudice against other teams, in-group biases, when put in groups at camp for camp games

Question 32

Social judgment theory

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Realistic group conflict theory

Answer 33

the theory that prejudice arises from competition between groups for scarce resources

Question 34

Evolutionary social psychology

Answer 34

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)

Question 35

Integrated threat theory

Answer 35

perceived changes in environment motivate or don’t motivate action

Question 36

Whitehall study

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Bandura

Answer 37

(1925-)Social learning theory: people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. Bobo dolls

Question 38

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 38

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Question 39

Halo Effect

Answer 39

The tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinion in another area.

Question 40

Attributions of success and failure

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

intergroup

Answer 41

Refers to disagreements that exist between two or more groups, and their respective members.

Question 42

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 42

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.

Question 43

Sherif

Answer 43

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.

Question 44

Bases of social power

Answer 44

French and Raven- 1959

1. Legitimate- comes from belief a person has the formal right to make demands and to expect others to be compliant and obedient
2. Reward- results from one person’s ability to compensate another for compliance
3. Expert- bases on a person’s high levels of skill and knowledge
4. Referent- result of the person’s perceived attractiveness, worthiness, and right to other’s respect.
5. Coercive- comes from the belief that a person can punish others for noncompliance
6. (Added in 1965) Informational- results from a person’s ability to control the information that others need to accomplish something

Question 45

Factors that affect conforming to a minority

Answer 45

Psychologists have identified different factors that can enhance the effectiveness of a minority:
Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility