Social Psychology (Part 1)

Question 1

Social Psychology definition

Answer 1

Scientific study of feelings/thoughts and behaviours of individuals in social context

Question 2

Proximal factors

Answer 2

Immediately precede what individual does

Question 3

Distal factors

Answer 3

societal norms that predict behaviour

Question 4

Power of the situation - (Lewin’s Field Theory)

Answer 4

Behaviour due to situational environment or individual predisposition?
Lewin’s Field Theory: behaviour as function of environment and individual characteristics

Question 5

Role of Construal

Answer 5

• how people perceive reality;
• how people can construe the same stimulus in different ways (Gestalt theory)
• -> need to be aware of individual perception of situation to predict behaviour

Question 6

Automatic vs controlled processing

Answer 6

• Fast / automatic - emotional

- Slow / effortful - logical

Question 7

Automatic vs controlled processing:

Fast / automatic - emotional

Answer 7

• impulses, drives
• habits
• beliefs

Question 8

Automatic vs controlled processing:

Slow / effortful - logical

Answer 8

• reflection
• planning
• problem solving

Question 9

Cultural Differences in Self-Definition

Answer 9

independent (individualistic) vs interdependent (collectivist)

Question 10

Cultural Differences in Self-Definition:

Independent societies

Answer 10

• self as distinct from others - attributes constant
• need for individual distinctiveness; emphasis on status based on accomplishments
• rules governing behaviour should apply for all

Question 11

Cultural Differences in Self-Definition:

Interdependent Societies

Answer 11

• self as inextricably linked to others - attributes dependent on situation
• need for harmony within group; acceptance of status based on age and group membership
• rules governing behaviour should take context and relationships into account

Question 12

Use of social psychology to solve societal issues

Answer 12

Knowing how to predict behaviour may allow us to change or shape future behaviour

Question 13

Fear appeals

Answer 13

• persuasive messages that attempt to arouse fear by emphasising potential danger and harm that will befall individual if recommendations are not adopted
• fight or flight
• linear models - effective; curvilinear models - ineffective as arousal too high
• work when: include high depicted severity and susceptibility, when accompanied by self- or response-efficacy messages

Question 14

Relation between reward and punishment

Answer 14

• task performance is increased with increasing rewards
• much larger increase in task performance in “punished” condition, no matter size of lost sum
• -> deducting points rather than rewarding for correct answer avoids making same mistakes
• faming seen as more rewarding to individual - no conclusive evidence yet

Question 15

Social Proof

Answer 15

Getting approval for behaviour from social environment

Question 16

Nudging

Answer 16

• subtle changes in environment to unconsciously manipulate behaviour
• not lack of motivation that leads to poor choices but tendency to forget desired behaviour in critical moments

Question 17

Dual Process Theory

Answer 17

thought can arise from implicit unconscious and explicit conscious process

Question 18

Modelling

Answer 18

• learning through imitation

- models chosen based on attractiveness and recognition by target