Unit 14: Social Psychology Flashcards
What do social psychologists study?
Study how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
-Focus on situation and why same person acts diff. in diff. situations.
How do we tend to explain others’ behavior on our own?
When looking @ bad behavior we tend to blame the person and not the situation, more often we link the bad behavior to a bad personality w/ disregard of the situation. ( fundamental attribution error)
Define the attribution theory
Credit the situation to a persons quality or to the situation
Define fundamental attribution error.
Overestimating a persons qualities/ influence of personality and underestimate the influence of the situations they are in.
What did D. Napolitan and G. Goethals demonstrate w/ college students?
Despite knowing that a woman’s behavior was situational (she was instructed to act a certain way) they attributed her behavior to her personality NOT the situation of being instructed to act that way,
What did D. Napolitan and G. Goethals demonstrate w/ college students?
Despite knowing that a woman’s behavior was situational (she was instructed to act a certain way) they attributed her behavior to her personality NOT the situation of being instructed to act that way,
How do we explain our own behavior?
We are more lenient w/ ourselves. When explaining our bad behavior we blame the situation, not ourselves. If it is relating to crediting a good behavior it is our personality and now the situation.
Does what we think affect what we do, or does what we do affect what we think?
Our attitudes affect our actions and our actions affect our attitudes.
Feelings can influence our beliefs which lead to probable actions or most likely actions change our beliefs which are our attitudes.
Define attitudes
Attitudes are feelings often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose(make us likely) us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.
What are the two main persuasion forms?
Peripheral route persuasion and central route persuasion
Define peripheral route persuasion
Using lowkey cues (speaker’s attractiveness) to influence ppl
This produces fast but unconscious changes in attitudes
Define central route persuasion
Uses evidence and arguments to trigger thoughtful responses
Usually towards ppl already related/interested in the topic
How do attitudes affect actions?
By being persuaded we can change our attitudes which change behavior.
What do many streams of evidence confirm?
Attitude follows behavior.
What is the foot in the door phenomenon?
To get ppl to agree to something big, start small and build up.
(It is easier for them to agree to a slightly bigger task if they previously agreed to a small one) Main thing is to start small and build
Define role
A set of expectations (norms) about social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.
(How you should behave @ certain points in life)
What us another big take away from the foot in the door phenomenon?
What we do, we gradually become.
What is cognitive dissonance?
When we acknowledge that our attitudes and actions don’t match, so we experience tension (cognitive dissonance)
Define cognitive dissonance theory
Leon Festinger’s theory where we bring our attitudes into line w/ our actions
This is done to reduce discomfort (dissonance) from inconsistent thoughts (cognitions)
- attitudes don’t match w/ actions so we change attitude
What is encouraging about the attitude-following behavior principle?
We can’t directly control all our emotions, but we can influence them by altering our behavior.
What is automatic mimicry and how do conformity experiments reveal the power of social influence?
aka chameleon effect is when we unconsciously go along with the group. Conformity experiments such as Asch’s show that we are more likely to change our actions to match a group if that group all agrees w/ each other. We conform to gain approval (normative social influence) or bc we are willing to accept others opinions as new info (informational social influence)
What is the chameleon effect?
Tanya Chartrand and John Bargh:
When humans naturally mimic, unconsciously imitate others’ expressions, postures, and voice tones.
- a form of conformity
Define empathize
feel what others are feeling
Define conformity
Settling and adjusting behavior/thinking to match w/ group standard.
When are we more likely to conform?
When we feel less In a group of 3+ ppl Everyone in a group agrees Admire group status Haven't committed to a previous response Know we're being observed Our culture, if it values social standards
Define normative social influence
In order to avoid rejection or gain social approval we conform
our sensitivity to social norms(understood rules for accepted and expected behavior) is due to trying to get along.
Define informational social influence
Conforming bc we want to be accurate, we are willing to accept others’ opinions about reality.
What did Milgram’s obedience experiments teach us about the power of social infuence?
It can make a person do things that they never thought they would.
Describe the Milgram experiment
A person who was assigned teacher would shock a “learner” in a different room. Each time the learner made a mistake the intensity of the shock would go up. However, those assigned teacher continued due to following the experimenters asking them to do so. Majority of the people continued up to the last intensity. (The learner was actually an actor pretending to be hurt) This shows the power of obedience.
Describe the Asch experiment
One person was put in a group of actors to identify a matching line. At first confident in their answer but then conforming and agreeing with the incorrect answer simply because the rest of the group does so. This shows how we conform bc of a group.
Describe the Zimbardo experiment
Stanford Psych. Zimbardo randomly assigned male students to be prisoners or guards. At first they consciously acted their part but then within a few days they became their role. The guards became cruel and the prisoners broke down. After 6 days it was called off bc of how much impact it had on the students who could no longer differentiate reality v simulation. This shows that role playing affects attitudes/ behavior becomes attitudes
When was obedience highest?
- Person giving orders was close and seen as legitimate authority.
- This authority figure was supported by prestigious institution.
- Victim was not humanized or at a distance
- No one else defied orders
How is our behavior affected by the presence of others?
Our most likely actions are amplified. If we’re good at something we are most likely to be even better w/ a friendly crowd. When we are bad at something we are nervous and perform worse w/ a crowd watching.
Also it may cause us to rely on their efforts if in a group (social loafing) or to be motivated and lost in the craziness of a group (deindividuation)
Define social facilitation
Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others. aka Triplett’s finding
How does others presence affect your behavior w/ difficult tasks?
It amplifies your mistakes
Define social loafing
Tendency for ppl in a group to put in less effort when trying to attain a common goal w/ others in comparison to if they were to do it alone.
What causes social loafing?
Ppl in a group feel less accountable, so they worry less about what others think
Person feels that their contributions are replaceable/nonessential
Members will share = benefits regardless of their effort contribute, unless highly motivated/strongly identified w/ the group ppl may free ride on others’ efforts.
Define deindividuation
Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint happening in group situations that have arousal and anonymity(unknown)
Define deindividuation
Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint happening in group situations that have arousal and anonymity(unknown)
What are group polarization and groupthink, and how much power do we have as individuals?
Group polarization is when we go further into our ideologies when we discuss those who share them.
Groupthink is when ppl want agreement to avoid disruptions in decisions.
As committed individuals, a small group, has the power to sway the majority.
What are two important “formulas” in group polarization?
ideological separation+ deliberation(discussion)= polarization between groups
Separation + conversation = polarization
What are two important “formulas” in group polarization?
ideological separation+ deliberation(discussion)= polarization between groups
Separation + conversation = polarization
Define groupthink
When the desire of agreement in a decision-making group overpowers a realistic assessment of options.
Define social control
Power of the situation
Define personal control
Power of the individual
Define minority influence
Power of 1-2 individuals to sway majorities
How do cultural norms affect our behavior?
Going against the culture norm is noticeable and you can feel the “force”/difference
What is accepted around influences how we act/speak
CULTURES DIFFER ACROSS TIME AND SPACE
Define culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, values, and traditions shared by a group of ppl and transmitted from one gen. to the next.
Define norms
Rules for accepted and expected behavior
Define cultural shock
When we don’t know what’s expected or accepted
Define prejudice
“Prejudgment” An unjustifiable and usually negative ATTITUDE toward a (usually diff. cultural, ethnic, or gender) group
What are prejudices’ social and emotional roots?
Social inequalities and divisions
- Higher status groups justify their privilege w/ just-world phenomenon
- We tend to favor our own group(ingroup) over other group(outgroup)
Define stererotype
A generalized (sometimes accurate but overgeneralized) BELIEF about a group of people.
What us a main difference between discrimination and prejudice?
Discrimination= negative BEHAVIOR Prejudice= negative ATTITUDE
What us a main difference between discrimination and prejudice?
Discrimination= negative BEHAVIOR
Prejudice= negative ATTITUDE
Prejudice is cognitive in nature
Discrimination is behavior MOTIVATED by prejudice
Define ethnicentrism
Assuming the superiority of one’s ethnic group
also an example of being prejudice
Define discrimination
Unjustifiable negative BEHAVIOR toward a group and its members
What is overt prejudice?
It is when ppl are prejudice openly
As overt prejudice decreases….
Subtle prejudice (automatic) continues
Define just-world phenomenon
Tendency for ppl to believe the world is just and ppl therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.
Define ingroup
“Us”– ppl w/ who we share a common identity
Define outgroup
“Them”– those seen as different or apart from our ingroup
Define ingroup bias
Favoring our own group
Define scapegoat theory
The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.
What are the cognitive roots of prejudice?
They stem from our natural ways of processing information: forming categories, remembering vivid cases, and believing the world is fair + our own culture’s way f doing things are the right ways.
Define other-race effect
Aka Cross-race effect or own-race bias
Tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than the faces of other races
(starts during 3-9 months)
What biological factors make us more prone to hurt one another?
Genetics, Neural, and Biochemical
Define aggression in psych.
Any physical/verbal behavior intended to hurt/destroy.
How do genetics influence aggression?
It can be inherited
Twin studies show how identical twins each admit to a violent temper
The y chromosome is known to carry more violence.
How do neural influences influence aggression?
Not one part of the brain that influences it
Mostly amygdala and frontal lobe.
