UNIT 3: Social Psych Flashcards
Social Psychology
-focus on the situation; they study the social influences that explain why the same person acts differently in different situations
-It is the scientific study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another
Attributions
how we explain other people’s behaviour - what we ‘attribute’ a person’s behaviour to.
attribution theory
the theory that we tend to explain the behaviour of others as either an aspect of their inner trait (disposition) or due to external factors (situation).
Dispositional attributes
A person’s stable, enduring traits such as intelligence or personality
Dispositional attribute EXAMPLE
Max is a close friend and has just told you he got a perfect score on Mr Bixon’s History test.
‘Max is always so good at History’
situational attributes
behavior that is attributed to external factors
situational attribute EXAMPLE
‘Yeah, but that was a super easy test’
False Consensus Effect
The tendency for people to overestimate the number of people who agree with them.
False consensus EXAMPLE
Ms Cole loves pizza and often overestimates the number of people who enjoy it to the same degree.
‘Most people would…..’
‘Everyone agrees with me…’
Fundamental Attribution Theory
overestimating an individual’s disposition and underestimating the situation.
Fundamental attribution theory EXAMPLE
In class, Julie is quiet and never contributes to class discussion, unless called on by the teacher.
Ryan, enjoys participating in any type of discussion.
An observer, falling prey to the Fundamental Attribution Error would conclude that Julie is an introvert and Ryan is an extrovert.
However, when performing in the end of year school play, Julie has the lead role and presents herself confidently, signing and acting in solos. Ryan, opts to be an extra, standing at the back in silence.
Fundamental attribution theory: Individualist
Western cultures more often attribute behaviour(s) to personal disposition
-Tend to show lower rates of obedience
Fundamental attribution theory: Collectivist
Eastern cultures are more sensitive to the influence of situation
Just World Bias
The tendency to think that bad things happen to bad people. The word is ‘just’ so assuming we are ‘good’, good things will happen.
Just world bias EXAMPLE
You get what you deserve’
Misfortunes or negative experiences only happen to those who deserve it
Halo Effect
-When one trait of a person is used to make an overall judgment of that person.
- Attractiveness is one of the key traits that leads to the halo effect
Mere Exposure Effect
The tendency for us to like something more with repeated exposure
Mere exposure effect EXAMPLE
The more we see a person, the more we like them
Explanatory style
Explanatory style is the way a person creates a narrative about a specific event in their life.
optimistic explanatory
-a situation is temporary
-there are aspects they can control,
-it’s not their fault
-A person who creates positive narratives about life events can bounce back more quickly and keep a happier mental outlook
pessimistic explanatory style
-situation feeling permanent
-completely their fault when it probably isn’t
-there is nothing they can do to change their situation, even if there is.
External locus of control
the perception that chance or outside factors beyond your control determines your fate. Pessimistic
Internal locus of control
the perception that you control your own fate. Optimistic
social comparison
people value their personal and social worth by assessing how they compare to others.
Upward social comparison
-compare ourselves with those who we believe are better than or superior to us
-These comparisons often focus on the desire to improve ourselves, our current status, or our level of ability
Downward Social Comparison
-when we compare ourselves to others who are worse off than us.
-Such comparisons are often centered on making ourselves feel better about our abilities or traits
Relative deprivation
-the perception that we are worse off to those whom we compare ourselves to
-Relative deprivation is a more superficial judgment of your own standing in comparison to others
-NEGATIVE COMPARISON
Self-Serving Bias
-The tendency to take more credit for good outcomes (personal attribution), and blame negative outcomes on situational factors
-Humans prefer to view themselves favorably