SP Unit 7 - 9 Flashcards
Stereotypes
the perceptions, beliefs, and expec- tations a person has about members of a particular group. They are schemas about entire groups of people, and usually they involve the false assumption that all members of the group share the same characteristics.
Prejudice
means “pre-judgement”, a positive or negative attitude toward an individual based simply on that individual’s membership in some group
social discrimination
Differential treatment of people in certain groups; the behavioral component of prejudice.
authoritarianism
a personality trait that research suggests contributes to stronger prejudices. Composed of three main elements: acceptance of conventional/traditional values, willingness to unquestioningly follow the orders of authority, and an inclination to act aggressively towards groups identified by authority to pose a threat to wellbeing or values.
cognitive closure
a need (especially in those of lower cognitive ability) to decide quickly and once and for all what one thinks about a group. A motivation for prejudice.
ultimate attribution error
similar to FAE, negative behaviours by outgroup members will be seen as internally caused ( ‘they are like that’ ), while the same behaviours coming from the ingroup will be justified ( ‘ we were provoked’ ). Positive behaviours tend to be explained in the opposite fashion.
linguistic intergroup bias (Maas 1998, 1999)
the language we use when describing positive ingroup behaviour reflects enduring dispositional states, whereas positive outgroup behaviour is described with concrete and situationally specific. With negative traits the opposite occurs. This language has implications in stereotype maintenance and change, and can be found in newspaper reporting, political situations, and inter-ethnic/inter-gender relations.
cognitive busyness (Gilbert and Hixon, 1991)
the extent of our mental preoccupation with concerns other than the present situation. A factor that encourages reliance on stereotypical expectancies – but only if some appropriate category has been engaged. Otherwise, it can actually prevent the activation of a stereotype.
the self-reference effect (Kihlstrom et al., 1988)
individuals remember information better when they can relate it to themselves. The reasoning is that you have an extensive and complex set of knowledge, experience, images and beliefs about yourself, any of which can be associated with this information.
aschematic
without schema
Social Comparison Theory
Humans have a drive to evaluate their own opinions, feelings, abilities and actions.
In the absence of objective cues such as marks or profits, individuals will evaluate themselves in comparison with others.
People tend to compare themselves with someone similar to them in opinions, background or ability.
schadenfreude
a malicious joy in the misfortune of others (van Dijk, Ouwerkerk, et al., 2011)
narcissism
The basic notion of narcissism is an excessive self-absorption, a sense of entitlement for the rewards that life brings, and often a willingness to exploit others. This is reflected in unrealistically high self-esteem.
the commodified self-concept
when one defines oneself in terms of wearing the right clothes, driving the right car, using the right cosmetics (Murphy & Miller, 1997) from Introduction to Psychology Alcock & Sadava
possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986)
visions of the self that we hope to become or dream of becoming, such as being rich, successful or thin. We also have visions of the self that we fear to become, such as being sick, unemployed or lonely.
self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987)
Self-discrepancy theory defines self-esteem in terms of the discrepancy between actual and possible selves, and this gap, if large, can lead to emotional difficulty.
People compare their self-concept – themselves as they are at present – to ‘self-guides’, the standards that they strive to attain. One of these self-guides is the ideal self embodying their hopes and aspirations: myself as I wish I were. Another self-guide is the ought self, the obligations we place on ourselves, our own sense of duty and responsibility: myself as I should be.
There is also the feared self: the kind of person you worry about becoming and would rather not become, a future you don’t want to have.
self-handicapping
To arrange in advance for impediments to a successful performance. These self-imposed impediments serve to protect one’s self-esteem from the aftermath of failure by helping attribute it externally rather than internally.
self-regulation
being able to control our thoughts, feelings and actions to our own benefit or to accord with existing social norms. This is crucial to how we function in our work, our leisure and our relationships.
theory of mind
the capacity to understand that others have thoughts and feelings, a capacity that develops in childhood.
ego-depletion
when our self-regulation is impaired for some time after an exhausting effort to exhibit self-regulation for an extended time. For example being on a strict diet and then binge eating.
