Unit 2 Test Review Flashcards
What is Social Psychology?
Study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts.
How does Psychology differ from Sociology
Psychology focuses on individuals, while sociology studies groups and institutions.
Bystander Effect
People are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.
Diffusion of Responsibility
Assuming someone else will act.
Pluralistic Ignorance
Assuming no help is needed.
Ambiguity
Unclear situations reduce likelihood of action.
Conformity
Going along with the group.
Obedience
Definition: Following direct orders from an authority figure.
Findings: People obey authority figures even when harming others.
Why do people obey?
Social pressure
Fear of consequences
Authority’s legitimacy
Conformity
Definition: Changing behavior to fit group norms.
Findings: People conform to group opinions, even when wrong (Groupthink).
Groupthink
Desire for harmony leads to poor decision-making.
Compliance vs. Acceptance
Compliance – Acting a certain way publicly but disagreeing privately.
Acceptance – Genuinely believing and internalizing group norms.
What is Psychology?
Study of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
Schools of Thought: Psychodynamic, Behaviorism, Humanism, Cognitive, Biological.
Psychodynamic Theory & Psychoanalysis (Freud)
Past experiences shape behavior; hidden desires influence actions.
Freud’s Model of the Mind (Iceburg)
Conscious – Thoughts we are aware of.
Preconscious – Memories, easily recalled.
Unconscious – Hidden thoughts & desires.
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Repression
Blocking unwanted memories or thoughts
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Regression
Acting younger than your age
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Reaction Formation
Acting opposite to how you feel
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Projection
Attributing your feelings to someone else
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Rationalization
Justifying bad behavior with logic
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Displacement
Taking out emotions on a safer target
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Denial
Refusing to accept reality
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Sublimination
Channeling impulses into acceptable behaviour
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Intellectualization
Focusing on logic to avoid emotions
Ego Defence Mechanisms: Suppression
Consciously pushing thoughts away
Freud’s Psychosexual Development: Stages
- Oral Stage (0-1.5 years)
- Anal Stage (1.5-3 years)
- Phallic Stage (3-6 years)
- Latency Period (6-Puberty)
- Genital Stage (Puberty onward)
Oral Stage
0-1.5 years
Zone: Mouth (sucking, biting)
Task: Weaning
Overindulged → Optimistic, gullible
Under-indulged → Pessimistic, envious
Anal Stage
1.5-3 years
Zone: Bowel control
Task: Potty training
Anal Retentive → Neat, organized
Anal Expulsive → Messy, reckless
Phallic Stage
3-6 years
Zone: Genitals
Task: Overcome Oedipus/Electra complex
Fixation → Fear of intimacy
Latency Period
6-Puberty
Sexual drives dormant
Focus on friendships
Genital Stage
Puberty onward
Libido returns to genitals
Healthy development = Stable relationships
Karen Horney
Criticized Freud’s sexism, emphasized social & cultural factors.
Carl Jung
Developed Analytical Psychology:
Personal vs. Collective Unconscious
Alfred Adler
Focused on Inferiority Complex & Birth Order Theory.
Erik Erikson & Psychosocial Development
Expanded Freud’s ideas
Stages of Development – Each stage has a psychosocial crisis.
8 Stages of Development (lifelong process)
Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 yr)
Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (1-3 yrs)
Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 yrs)
Industry vs. Inferiority (6-Adolescence)
Identity vs. Identity Confusion (Adolescence)
Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)
Integrity vs. Despair (Late Life)
Trust vs. Mistrust
(0-1 yr)
Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
(1-3 yrs)
Initiative vs. Guilt
(3-6 yrs)
Industry vs. Inferiority
(6-Adolescence)
Identity vs. Identity Confusion
(Adolescence)
Intimacy vs. Isolation
(Young Adulthood)
Generativity vs. Stagnation
(Middle Adulthood)
Integrity vs. Despair
(Late Life)
Virtues
Positive traits gained from each stage
Maladaptation
Too much of the positive
Malignancy
Too much of the negative
Nature vs. Nurture
Inherited vs. Learned Behaviour
Abraham Maslow & Self-Actualization
Humanism: Focuses on free will & personal growth.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Physiological → Safety → Love → Esteem → Self-Actualization).
Viktor Frankl & Logotherapy
Studied Holocaust survivors.
Argued meaning in life is key to resilience.
Disagreed with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Carl Rogers & Client-Centered Therapy
Congruence – When self-image aligns with actual experience.
Incongruence – Leads to distress.
What is Learning?
Change in behavior due to experience.
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
Learning through association.
UCS
Unconditioned Stimulus
Naturally triggers response.
UCR
Unconditioned Response
Natural reaction
NS
Neutral Stimulus
Initially meaningless
CS
Conditioned Stimulus
Formerly neutral, now triggers response
CR
Conditioned Response
Learned reaction
John B. Watson & Little Albert Experiment
Conditioned fear in a baby using a white rat & loud noise.
Ethical Issues: No informed consent, emotional harm.
Behaviour Therapy
Uses conditioning to treat phobias & anxiety (e.g., Exposure Therapy).
Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner)
Learning through rewards & punishments.
Experiment: Skinner Box (rats pressing levers).
Reinforcement
Increases behavior.
Positive: Adding rewards.
Negative: Removing discomfort.
Punishment
Decreases behavior.
Positive: Adding unpleasant consequence.
Negative: Removing a privilege.
Shaping
Rewarding gradual improvements
Extinction
Stopping reinforcement weakens behaviour
Limitations
Latent Learning – Learning occurs but isn’t immediately shown.
Cognitive & Social Factors – Not just rewards/punishments influence learning.Observational Learning (Albert Bandura)
Observational Learning (Albert Bandura)
Learning by watching others.
Experiment: Bobo Doll Study (children imitated aggressive behaviour).
Social Learning Theory
Learning through modeling
Four Stages of Observational Learning
- Attention
- Retention
- Reproduction
- Motivation
Josef Breuer & Anna O.
Breuer treated Anna O., a patient with hysteria.
Inspired Freud’s psychoanalytic theory.
Psychometrics
The study of measuring personality traits, intelligence, and abilities.
Cognitive Theory
Focuses on how thoughts influence behavior.
Self-Regulation
The ability to control one’s own emotions and behavior without external reinforcement.
Bystander Effect in the Digital Age
Social media can increase or decrease intervention.
Online diffusion of responsibility (e.g., viral tragedies, cyberbullying).
Cognitive Dissonance
Psychological discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs.
Can lead people to justify extreme behaviors in cults.
Normative Conformity
Fitting in to be liked.
Informational Conformity
Assuming the group is correct
Identification
Adopting behaviors of admired individuals.
Psychodynamic Theory
Past experiences shape behavior; hidden desires influence actions.
Behavioral Theory
Actions are shaped by rewards, punishments, and imitation.
Humanistic Theory
People strive to reach their potential and seek meaning in life.
