social theories - brain exercise!

Question 1

what is meant by agentic state?

Answer 1

acting on behalf of an authority figure, in order to serve the best interests of the wider group

Question 2

what is the autonomous state?

Answer 2

using free will and taking responsibility for our own actions

Question 3

what is moral strain

Answer 3

our actions feel uncomfortable and go against our own moral values

Question 4

agency theory suggests we are socialised at a young age by?

Answer 4

parents, teachers, and siblings

Question 5

agency theory suggests being an agent for society is an evolutionary advantage… why?

Answer 5

avoids conflict to allow the smooth running of society

Question 6

if we don’t have agentic people, what could happen?

Answer 6

society may descend into chaos

Question 7

give an example of how agency theory has been used in court defence

Answer 7

Eichmann (Nazi general) - saw himself in the agentic state with the defence that he was ‘only following orders’ and so wasn’t responsible for genocide

Question 8

what does Latane’s theory suggest about why obedience occurs?

Answer 8

it suggests that we are greatly influenced by the actions of others

Question 9

explain what is strength of a source’s importance

Answer 9

how important influencing group of people are to the target. increase importance => increase obedience

Question 10

explain what is immediacy of the source

Answer 10

how close the group are to the target in physical proximity and time

Question 11

what 3 factors determine the amount of influence a source can have on a target?

Answer 11

• age
• social class
• whether or not a previous relationship has existed

Question 12

describe the dinner party example that Latane used to back up his theory

Answer 12

people are more likely to give higher tips (19%) when paying an individual bill than when when given a group bill (13%) = number!

Question 13

describe the TV show example that Latane used to back up his theory

Answer 13

he tested that a TV host Billy Graham would be more effective in front of smaller audiences: he found that when audience was small people were more willing to sign cards to allow local ministers to contact them than in big audiences

Question 14

why does social impact theory seem to oversimplify nature of human interaction?

Answer 14

ignores individual differences e.g. some people are more resistant to social impact than others

Question 15

use Milgram variation 7 as an example of social impact

Answer 15

when orders were given via the telephone, immediacy was reduced and obedience fell to 22.5%

Question 16

what is meant by prejudice

Answer 16

an negative attitude towards another person based on little or no actual knowledge of them

Question 17

what is meant by discrimination

Answer 17

behaviour towards another person based on prejudice

Question 18

what did tajfel say is the cause of conflict?

Answer 18

the mere existence if 2 groups causes conflict

Question 19

describe and give an example of social categorisation:

Answer 19

our tendency to classify ourselves as an ingroup and others as the outgroup

e.g. football team supporters see their teams as the ingroup as the rival team as the outgroup

Question 20

describe and give an example of social identification

Answer 20

internalise norms, attitudes and values of the group members

e.g. football team wearing wearing their team colour which is different to rivals

Question 21

describe and give an example of social comparison *

Answer 21

we compare the ingroup with the outgroup and see ourselves as better than the them = so display ingroup favouritism which boosts self-esteem.

e.g. football teams start pushing and shoving eachother

Question 22

what factor contributes to in-group favouritism?

Answer 22

extent to which the individual identifies with the in group

Question 23

state an acronym for social identity theory

Answer 23

cold igloos clash

Question 24

state an acronym for realistic conflict theory

Answer 24

girls make cakes look really special

Question 25

state the 6 factors of realistic conflict theory

Answer 25

• goal insight
• material gain
• competition is sufficient
• length and severity of conflict
• real or perceived scarcity of resources
• superodinate goals

Question 26

what does sherif say causes conflict?

Answer 26

when competition arises between two groups who want the same material gain only one can win.

Question 27

give an example of how group conflict can be seen within a society?

Answer 27

when a group of new immigrant arrive in a country, met with prejudice by people as they are viewed as competitors for resources such as jobs, housing and schooling = leads to in-group favouritism and hostility to out group

Question 28

describe the supporting study carried out by Carol and melvin ember 1992 for RCT

Answer 28

they observed that tribal societies intergroup hostility increases when social/natural conditions mean that competition for resources is necessary e.g. during periods of famine or natural disasters, warfare was more likely to ensure access to available scarce resources