temp 1 Flashcards
ANCHORING BIAS
Anchoring bias refers to the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information given (when you don’t know the answer of something) which influences our judgment/decisions. Anchoring bias is explored in Strack & Mussweiler’s study.
STRACK & MUSSWEILER: The aim of Strack & Mussweiler’s study was to test the influence of anchoring bias on decision making. The procedure involved 69 German undergraduates being given a general knowledge questionnaire. Within the questionnaire, one group of participants was given the high anchor question, which asked participants if Gandhi died before or after the age of 140, or the low anchor question, which asked participants if Gandhi died before or after the age of 9. The participants were then asked to estimate when they believed Gandhi died. The results found that the average estimate of Gandhi’s age in the high anchor group was 67, whereas the average estimate of Gandhi’s age in the low anchor group was 50.
MULTI-STORE MODEL THEORY
The multi-store model theory states that memory consists of three stores. It begins with environmental input becoming sensory memory. Then, if sensory memory is given attention, it becomes short-term memory. If short-term memory is rehearsed, it becomes long-term memory. The multi-store model relates to the Milner/HM study.
MILNER/HM STUDY: The aim of Milner’s case study on HM, who had his hippocampus removed, was to investigate the role of the hippocampus on memory. The procedure involved utilizing HM’s IQ tests, observing his behavior, interviewing him and his family, and taking MRI scans of his brain. The results found that the hippocampus is responsible for long-term memory, but not short-term memory, as HM still retained that ability. This supports the multi-store model because it shows that short-term and long-term memory have 2 distinct stores.
INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIVISM
Individualism versus collectivism is an example of a cultural dimension, which was developed by the researcher, Hofstede. Individualism is a social theory that values individual achievement, freedom, and self-reliance. Collectivism is a social theory that believes in social harmony, helping others, and sharing responsibility. This phenomenon is investigated in Berry‘s study and Kulkofsky’s study.
BERRY: The aim of Berry’s study was to compare the level of conformity between 2 societies. The study involved showing the Temnes (rice farmers, collectivists) and the Inuits (hunters, individualists) a set of lines and asking them to match the lines of the same length. On the third out of six trials, they were told that either the Temnes or Inuits, depending on the society they belonged to, were more likely to guess a specific line pairing together. The suggested line pairing was incorrect, however this was kept unknown to the participant. The results found that the Temnes had a higher level of conformity than the Inuits.
KULKOFSKY: The aim of Kulkofsky’s study was to see if memories differed in individualist versus collectivist cultures. The study involved adults from either China, Germany, Turkey, the U.K., or the U.S. recalling as many memories regarding public events as they could. Then, they were asked questions about the events they identified. The results found that individualist cultures placed greater emphasis on personal involvement and emotional experiences within their memories than collectivist cultures.
SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY
The social identity theory states that a person has multiple personal identities that correspond to group membership. The social identity theory predicts that when one of our social identities becomes salient, meaning we become more aware of that part of our identity, it will influence our behavior. This theory is investigated in Tajfel’s study and Druy’s study.
TAJFEL: The aim of Tajfel’s study was to investigate if discrimination would take place from creating groupings. The study involved teenage boys rating paintings, where they were then allocated to a group based on the painting they chose. Then, the boys were asked to assign points to a boy from their in-group and a boy from their out-group. The results found that the boys generally awarded more points to the members of their in-group rather than to members of their out-group. This study supports the social identity theory.
DRUY: The aim of Druy’s study was to test the effect of in-group bias. The study involved self-identified Manchester United fans being told to walk to a location, during which a confederate would fall over in front of them. The confederate was either wearing a Manchester United, Liverpool, or plain shirt depending on the experimental group. The results found that the participants were more likely to help the Manchester United fan than the Liverpool fan or person wearing a plain shirt. This study supports the social identity theory.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY
The social cognitive learning theory was developed by Albert Bandora. It suggests that behavior is learned from the environment through modeling and reinforcement. This theory is investigated in Bandura’s study and Joy, Kimball & Zabrack’s study.
BANDURA: The aim of Bandura’s study was to investigate whether children could learn aggressive behavior by watching the behavior of adults. The children in the study were subdivided into groups based on their pre-established “aggression level”. The children first individually observed the behavior of the adult model, which would either act aggressively or not aggressively to a Bobo doll, based on the condition. Then, the children were taken into an alternate room where they were left alone with a Bobo doll and their behavior was observed. The results found that children exposed to the aggressive condition made more aggressive acts towards the doll than children who were in the non-aggressive condition. This study supports the social cognitive learning theory.
JOY, KIMBALL, AND ZABRACK: The aim of Joy, Kimball, and Zabrack’s study was to investigate the impact of television on children’s aggressive behavior. The study involved 3 towns, 2 with previous exposure to television and 1 with no exposure to television. The children’s behavior was observed before the study began and 2 years after the television and/or a specific channel that demonstrated aggressive behavior was introduced to the towns. The results found that aggressive behavior increased after introducing the channel to the town with no previous exposure to television, but the aggressive behavior did not increase in the other 2 towns. This study supports the social cognitive learning theory.
