Social Psychology

Question 1

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error?

Answer 1

When personal characteristics are held responsible for people’s behaviour without considering the impact of situational factors. Overemphasis of personal factors as the cause. Leads to the misjudgment of intentions underlying behaviour.

Question 2

How does the fundamental attribution error when compared to how we judge our own behaviour?

Answer 2

We are more likely to attribute our own behavioural causes to be connected to situational factors and attribute personal factors for the same behaviour in others.

Also take credit for things that go well, blame circumstances if things go wrong.

Question 3

What is self-serving bias?

Answer 3

The use for information for personal gain/interest - self-serving. Self-serving bias - easy to recognise in others, hard to recognise in ourselves.

Taking credit for success but blaming external reasons for failure. I fell - I was bumped. I stood up - I’m tough.

Question 4

What is Attribution Theory?

Answer 4

Attribution theory explains the way that we attribute cause (blame/credit) to behaviour - who/what we see as the cause (attaching meaning). The cause could either be:

1. dispositional (personal) or situational (environmental)
2. Stable/unstable

Question 5

When we look to understand others’ behaviour, which conclusions do we generally draw?

Answer 5

That their personal traits/characteristics are responsible for the behaviour.

Question 6

When we look to understand our own behaviour, which conclusions do we generally draw?

Answer 6

That the environment/situational factors are plausible explanations for the behaviour - late due to traffic, rather than not being organised.

Question 7

What is the Actor-Observer bias?

Answer 7

Attributing own actions to external factors and other people’s behaviour to external/situational factors - I was bumped, you fell.

Question 8

What is the modesty bias?

Answer 8

Attribute success to external reasons (exam was easy) and failures to internal reasons (Not smart-failed exam).

Question 9

How do we define behaviour?

Answer 9

People’s thoughts, feelings, actions.

Question 10

What is the point of social psychology?

Answer 10

Attempting to understand the social behaviour of people - how they think, feel, and act in the social context.

Question 11

What is interdependence?

Answer 11

When two or more things are dependent on each other.

Question 12

How do social interactions influence us?

Answer 12

They are stored in our memories and provide a lens in which to understand and perceive new experiences. The lens that we have developed interprets and influences the way we interact and respond to new experiences.

Question 13

What is social influence?

Answer 13

When the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others influence our own behaviour.

Question 14

What are the three forms of social influence?

Answer 14

1. Conformity
2. Compliance
3. Obedience

Question 15

Define conformity:

Answer 15

A passive type of influence. Where the norms of a group influence individual behaviour. Mechanism for learning how to conform - observation.

Question 16

Define compliance:

Answer 16

Behaviour change has been requested by someone else. Behaviour change occurs to fit in with a group. Person does not need to agree with the group. It is the desire to fit in that is the motivator.

Question 17

Define obedience in relation to social influence:

Answer 17

Pressure of others caused behaviour change. Commands issued for change from person of authority.

Question 18

What is Dispositional attribution?

Answer 18

Internal attribution, where the cause for their behaviour is attributed to personal qualities or characteristics - sees the person as responsible - personality, attitude etc

Question 19

What is Situational attribution?

Answer 19

When behaviour is seen to be caused or explained by the situation affecting a person (circumstances are responsible)

Question 20

Dispositional attributions (internal/personal) have three types or causation. What are these?

Answer 20

1. Consistency - does the person behave in the same way if a particular situation repeats itself?
2. Distinctiveness - does a person act the same or different in different situations?
3. Consensus - do other people behave similarly to me in certain situations?

Question 21

What is the communication breakdown of the Yale approach?

Answer 21

1. Who - source (communicator)
2. What - the message
3. Whom - the audience

Question 22

What are the four steps of persuasion with the Yale Approach?

Answer 22

1. Attention (of audience)
2. Comprehension
3. Acceptance
4. Retention

Audience thoughts of messages are critical regarding whether they make a judgement against it or accept the message.

Question 23

What is the third person effect?

Answer 23

You and I = unaffected by persuasion, he is affected.
In reality, we are all equally impacted by persuasive communication and advertising, despite how obvious and manipulative the techniques are.

Question 24

Which factors relating to the communicator affect the way the audience perceives messages:

Answer 24

• the more influential those delivering the message are, the more readily accepted the message is - famous people in advertisements
• Acceptance that the communicator is the expert
• If people in power of delivering reinforcement to us, they are more influential

Question 25

Which factors about the source credibility affect its persuasiveness?

Answer 25

• the more likeable, similar and attractive the source, the greater the influence
• It source is thought to be credible and believable, the more likely the audience is to believe message
• If new ideas presented are similar to a reliable source, people are more likely to change their opinion based on the new information.
• Timing of message is important in acceptance of message
• If source is revealed - more accepted/believed

Question 26

Which factors impact the message?

Answer 26

If audience is not in favour of argument presented, but intelligent, its worthwhile presenting two sides of an argument.
If audience is supportive of argument and intelligent, better to present only side of argument they support.

Question 27

What is Varna’s 3 dimensional theory of causality relating to the attribution theory?

Answer 27

1st Dimension - Locus of Control
- Cause within (mood/cognition/ability) or external (luck/others)

2nd Dimension - stability (stable/unstable)
- cause either changes/is unchanging

3rd Dimension - Controllability
- factors that we control that impact the results - skills, and ability are controllable, mood/luck - uncontrollable

Question 28

What is Gordon Allport’s definition of Attitude?

Answer 28

Mental preparedness and organisation through experiences relating to and influencing the opinion of things and circumstances.

Question 29

List 3 x elements that make up a person’s attitude, according to Gordon Allport:

Answer 29

1. Cardinal Traits
2. Central Traits
3. Secondary Traits

Question 30

What are attitudes?

Answer 30

An evaluation about something or someone and a conclusion drawn.

Question 31

What do attitudes influence?

Answer 31

How we make assessments of people, things, places, actions and these can guide our actions and behaviours, including making judgements about other people.

Question 32

What are the components of attitudes?

Answer 32

Emotions and thought (cognitions)

Question 33

Which types of learning are involved in the creation of attitudes?

Answer 33

Classical and operant conditioning.

Question 34

What are social norms?

Answer 34

Attitudes of a society or group that influence group behaviour. Can be conscious or subconscious.

Question 35

What is cognitive dissonance?

Answer 35

When a person has two conflicting beliefs or information it generates emotional discomfort. For the dissonance to resolve, one belief has to be amended or dissolved - reduce internal conflict. Discomfort is the impetus behind changing attitudes/behaviour - bring beliefs into alignment.

Question 36

Who created the idea of Cognitive Dissonance?

Answer 36

Leon Festinger

Question 37

How can cognitive dissonance be reduced?

Answer 37

• Changing attitudes and beliefs - alignment
• New ideas can firm up a particular belief and render the other useless - goodbye
• The belief/attitude can lose strength over time and fade naturally

Question 38

What is a schema?

Answer 38

Mental construct - information formed from previous experiences/situations and predicts what to expect from new experiences/situations.

Question 39

What is a sterotype?

Answer 39

Social schemas/frameworks relating to a particular group of people - could be positive or negative. These schemas use generalisation to identify group, are fixed ideas and beliefs. Stereotypes can be formed on inaccurate judgements.

Question 40

What is prejudice?

Answer 40

An established negative set of beliefs and attitudes directed specifically at a particular group of people with whom a pre-established negative stereotype has been made.

Question 41

What is impression management?

Answer 41

Working hard to present self in a certain light, give a particular impression (positive) to be perceived by others.

Clients could avoid disclosing information, wanting instead for practitioner to form a positive image of them.

Question 42

How could sterotypes and prejudices be negative in the human services setting?

Answer 42

• Could influence practitioner perceptions of client
• Preconceived ideas and schemas could cause practitioners to misinterpret or miss information relating to client and client’s circumstances and make inaccurate judgements.
• Care provided could be undermined

Question 43

Who developed the Attribution theory?

Answer 43

Fritz Hyder

Question 44

What root cause is at the base of social conformity?

Answer 44

Wanting to be liked, to belong - affiliation

Question 45

What is social loafing?

Answer 45

Putting in less effort (20%) if in a group situation than if on own

Question 46

What is deindividuation?

Answer 46

Being bound by the group ideals, losing awareness of self.

Question 47

What is group polarisation?

Answer 47

Group agreement enforces individual thoughts/beliefs.

Question 48

Who invented the idea of Group Think?

Answer 48

When individuals go along with beliefs/decisions of the group for the benefit of the group - group pressure to conform - aim is consensus. Decisions can become illogical.

Problem - alternative ideas are not voiced/aired. Group could become insular in thoughts/beliefs.

Benefits group to allow different ideas and opinions to be expressed - healthier.

Question 49

What is Primacy?

Answer 49

When the first wave of information delivered is the one that has the most impact on perceptions formed - how we judge someone we have just met. Primacy is most often at play.

Impressions affect how accepted people are socially.

Question 50

What is Recency?

Answer 50

When the last part of the information delivered is the info that forges impressions and perceptions about the information/person we meet socially. Less frequent.

Question 51

List 5 common social schemas:

Answer 51

1. Person schemas
2. Role schemas
3. Script schemas - relating to events
4. Content-free schemas
5. Self-schemas