Topic 10 - Select Topics in Social Psychology

Question 1

What is prejudice?

Answer 1

Prejudice is a hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group based solely on their membership in that group

Question 2

Who can be a target for prejudice?

Answer 2

Any group can be a target of prejudice - even those based on the most trivial of differences

Question 3

What is intersectionality?

Answer 3

the ways that our identities and different groups can intersect

These interconnected social categories like race, class gender, etc. as they apply to a given individual or group, can create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

Question 4

What is intersectional prejudice?

Answer 4

prejudice as a result of being part of multiple groups or social categories

Question 5

What are the bases of prejudice or descrimination?

Answer 5

When we look at an individual, we see that they are made up of multiple identities and group memberships, so they can experience stigma, discrimination, or even violence based on any of these aspects of self.

Question 6

Describe how privilege and oppression relate to one another.

Answer 6

Whenever talking about oppression or discrimination, or stereotyping, we need to talk about how certain group identities give people certain privilege or benefits in society.

Question 7

What are 3 common components of prejudice?

Answer 7

ABCs
- Cognitive: stereotypes
- Affective: emotions
- Behavioural: discrimination

Question 8

What are stereotypes?

Answer 8

Generalizations about a group of people, making assumptions, product of making generalizations (grouping similar things together; efficient but not always accurate)

Question 9

How do emotions relate to prejudice?

Answer 9

Negative emotions about a group are often engrained, can make them really difficult to dispel

Question 10

What is discrimination?

Answer 10

unjustified, negative, or harmful actions towards members of the group simply because of their membership in that group

feelings, cognition, and behaviour are all wrapped up in this

Question 11

What are possible effects of prejudice on the victim?

Answer 11

Self-fulfilling prophecy: people act in certain ways because of what others expect them to do
(living up or living down to other people’s expectations)

Social identity threat or stereotype threat:
- People feel evaluated as a member of a group, rather than as an individual
- Fear or anxiety of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s social group
- Fear or anxiety often leads to underperformance

Question 12

What are 3 over-arching causes of prejudice?

Answer 12

conformity pressure

social identity (ethnocentrism, in-group bias, out-group homogeneity)

realistic conflict theory

Question 13

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 13

Belief that your own culture, nation, or religion is superior to all others

Question 14

What is in-group bias?

Answer 14

Tendency to favour members of our own group and give them special preference over people who belong to other groups

Self-esteem function - want to feel good about our group

Question 15

What is out-group homogeneity?

Answer 15

Where we start to perceive out-group members as more similar or homogenous than they really are
creates “us vs. them”

Question 16

What is realistic conflict theory?

Answer 16

Limited resources leads to conflict among groups, which leads to prejudice and discrimination

Prejudice increases when times are tense and conflict exists over mutually exclusive goals
- Ex. economic recessions - in-group members feel more threatened by out-group members

Question 17

Robber’s Cave experiment was based on what theory?

Answer 17

Realistic conflict theory

Question 18

What were the 3 stages of the Robber’s Cave experiment?

Answer 18

bonding stage (developed names: Eagles, Rattlers

developed their own cultures and cultural norms)

competition stage (4-6 days); reducing friction period

Question 19

What were the findings of the Robber’s Cave experiment?

Answer 19

Conflict for limited resources can lead to prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory behaviours

Simple coexistence did not eliminate these prejudices, but working together for something better for both groups did (to reach common goals)

Question 20

What is the idea of the contact hypothesis?

What is the reality of this idea?

Answer 20

Contact hypothesis by Allport in 1954 was the idea that mere contact between groups would reduce prejudice.

Yes, that is part of it, we want people to be in regular contact
BUT just mere contact can actually create opportunities for conflict that would increase prejudice

Question 21

How can prejudice and inter-group conflict be reduced?

Answer 21

Prejudice will decrease when people are also meeting in a state of mutual cooperation
- We want them to have shared goals, a sense of interdependence (rely on one another), have to be in an equal status position
- Needs to be supported by broader norms

Question 22

What is aggression?
How is aggression different from assertiveness or violence?

Answer 22

intentional behaviour aimed at causing physical harm or psychological pain to another person

Different from assertiveness (no intent to harm, just self-advocacy) or violence (extreme form of aggression - ex. war, murder, assault)

Question 23

What are the 2 types of aggression?

Answer 23

instrumental aggression

hostile aggression

Question 24

What is instrumental aggression?

Answer 24

a means to some goal other than causal pain - an intermediary step toward a nonaggressive goal

Question 25

What is hostile aggression?

Answer 25

stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury

Question 26

Is aggression innate, cultural, or learned?

Answer 26

There are evolutionary, cultural, and social learning explanations of aggression

Question 27

How does the evolutionary approach view aggression?

Answer 27

Physical aggression as genetically programmed

near universality of aggression suggests that aggression has evolved and maintained because it has some survival value, even within a species that is overall defined by cooperation

complex relationship between testosterone and aggression

Question 28

What is the cultural view of aggression?

Answer 28

Humans are born with the capacity for aggressive behaviour, but how, whether, when, and where we express it is learned and depends on our circumstances and culture

Suggests that if human aggression was natural or in-born, then humans in all cultures would be equally aggressive, but this is not the case

Question 29

What type of culture often has lower levels of aggression or violence?

Answer 29

In close-knit cultures, in socio-centric, or collectivist cultures, individuals depend on cooperation for group’s survival and aggression is considered dangerous and disruptive.

collectivist - lower levels of aggression or violence

Question 30

How does the learning theory view aggression?

Answer 30

Others provide cues about the acceptability of aggressive behaviour (norms) that shape our desires and actions

our culture’s rules about aggression vary, we learn what they are from what we see

Question 31

What does the learning theory suggest in terms of the ability to unlearn aggression?

Answer 31

Exposing to non-aggressive models, restrained and pleasant manner - can help people to respond less when provoked

Question 32

What is prosocial behaviour?

Answer 32

any act performed with the goal of benefitting another person

Question 33

What is altruism?

Answer 33

prosocial behaviour that is motivated by the desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper

Question 34

What are the 3 primary theories that try to account for altruism and prosocial behaviour?

Answer 34

evolutionary theories:
- people help because of factors that have become ingrained in our genes

social exchange theory:
- people help when the personal benefits outweigh the costs

pure motive theories:
- people help when they feel empathy for others (out of goodness of their hearts; pure altruism)

Question 35

What are the personal and situational determinants of helping?

Answer 35

gender
in-group vs. out-group
religion
mood
rural vs. urban
residential mobility

Question 36

Who is more likely to engage in heroic acts of helping?

Answer 36

males

Question 37

Who is more likely to be part of long-term helping relationships that involve greater commitment?

Answer 37

females

Question 38

How does in-group impact helping behaviour?

Answer 38

People in all cultures are more likely to help anyone they define as a member of their in-group than those they perceive in out-groups

in-group when we feel empathy

Question 39

When does out-group helping occur mostly?

Answer 39

when it furthers own self-interest, even if that means just to feel good about ourselves

Question 40

What does religion have to do with helping behaviour?

Answer 40

religious people are more likely to help others who share their beliefs

no more helpful than non-religious people when it comes to helping strangers

Question 41

How does mood impact helping behaviour?

Answer 41

People in a good mood are more likely to help

Question 42

Are rural or urban residents more likely to help?

Answer 42

rural residents are more likely to help

About half in small towns stop to help, about only 15% in big cities

Question 43

How does residential mobility impact helping behaviour?

Why?

Answer 43

People who have lived for a long time in one place are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviours

Living for a long time in one place leads to:
- Greater attachment
- More interdependence - relying on neighbours
- Greater concern with one’s reputation in the community

Question 44

Take-away from course?

Answer 44

Take one thing away from course: recognition that in a world of social animals, what you do matters. Hope you are inspired to do some good.