Chapter 13: Social Psychology

Socialization norms

social expectation that prescribes how we should behave

social norms

social expected roles for behavior

Social influence stems in part from

social norms

other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races -3-9 months old

social exchange theory

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs desire to maximize our benefits

scapegoat theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

reward theory of attraction

the theory that we like those whose behavior is rewarding to us or whom we associate with rewarding events

evolution prepares people

to identify with a group

Studies of college and professional athletic events indicate that home teams win about 6 in 10 games of their home games

true

compared with people in western countries, those in china and Japan are more sensitive to situational influences on behavior

true

even reading about yawning increases peoples yawning

true

to reduce feelings of depression, we can alter our attributions and explain events in more positive terms

true

Researchers project that other things being equal, global warming of 4 degrees fahrenheit would induce tens of thousands of additional assaults and murders

ture

we are less likely to offer help to a stranger if other bystanders are present

ture

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

cognitive dissonance theory

we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent

Through cognitive dissonance

we often bring attitudes into line with our actions (festinger)

Deindividuation

when an individual seems to lose himself or herself in the group's identity what I do doesn't matter

Communication

when real life conflicts become intense, a third party mediator may facilitate much needed communication

people are most likely to help

when they notice an incident

overt prejudice has decreases

yet subtle prejudice lingers

Solomon Asch

Conducted famous conformity experiment that required subjects to match lines. people will conform to a groups judgement, even when it is clearly incorrect

cooperation

Cooperative contact, not conflict alone, reduces conflict

passionate love

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship

social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

prejudice definition

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members mixture of beliefs, negative emotions, and action

Aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

own-age bias

better recognition memory for faces of one's own age group

we simplify the world

by forming category

more then 60 & of people

chose to obey orders, right up to the last switch, even though it supposedly meant harming the leader

Lean Festinger

cognitive dissonance theory

people are most conforming to social norms in

collective culture

Microaggressions

common, everyday verbal or behavioral indignities and slights that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion

social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

"Us" verve's "them"

develops in enemy perception

Prejudice is a negative attitude

discrimination is a negative behavior

automatic mimicry helps us to

empathize and feel what others are feeling.

passionate love seldom

endures

From research on liking and loving, it is clear that opposites do attract.

false

Individuals pull harder in a team tug-of-war than when they pull in a one-on-one tug-of-war

false

most people would refuse to obey an authority figure who told them to hurt an innocent person

false

the higher the morale and harmony of a social group, the more likely are its members to make a good decision

false

Attitudes

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Norman Triplett conducted

first experiment

frustration-aggression principle

frustration creates anger, which can spark aggression

just-world phenomenon

good is reward, bad is punished

social inequalities

have often developed attitudes that justify status quo

The milligram shock study

how people follow authorities even if it goes against there morals

odds for being helped increase

if the person appears to deserve help or is a women

front-in-the-door technique

illustrates how great evil sometimes grows out of peoples compliance with lesser evils

normative social influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

informationl social influence

influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality provided by the group

self disclosure depend

intimacy

bystander effect occurs when there

is a diffusion of responsibility

social contagion helps explain why

just hearing someone reading a neutral text in either a happy or sad sounding voice creates mood contagion in listens

availability heuristic

making a decision based on the answer that most easily comes to mind

contact

most effective when contract is free of competition and equal status exist

mirror-image perceptions

mutual views often held by conflicting people

proximity

nearness, closeness, mere exposure effects

Attribution theory error

not asking the person why

central route persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness

social loafing

occurs when people work less hard in groups than they would individually over estimate there contribution like group projects common in men in individuals cultures

people who fear rejection

often elicit rejection

physical attraction predicts how often

people date and how popular they feel

brain regions become active when

people experience cognitive dissonance

People on both sides of any debate are aiming to

persuade

two-factor theory of emotion

physical arousal and cognitive appraisal

physical attractiveness

physical beauty, which is a powerful factor in attracting lovers to each other -similarity of attitudes and interest

proscocial behavior

positive, constructive, helpful behavior

attractive people are suspicious that

praise their work

prejudice

prejudgment, having assumptions about anyone basked on factors before you even know them

social facilitation

presence of others arouses people, improving performance on easy or well-learned tasks but decreasing it on difficult ones easy task most like to do it right difficult task (more likely to not complete) there is pressure to perform

psychology of attraction

proximity, physical attractiveness, and similarity

self-disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

the factors that foster attraction are explained by

reward theory of attraction

People's attractiveness is unrelated to their

self-esteem and happiness

behavior is influenced by

social contagion

interactions of

social control (wanting to be part of a group) and personal control

outgrip

"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

in-group

"us" people who we share a common idenity

passion-fed hormones

(testosterone) give way to oxytocin that supports feelings of trust, calmness, and bonding

modern matchmaking

-Internet-formed friendships and romantic relationships are on average slightly more likely to last and be satisfying. -Nearly a quarter of heterosexual and two-thirds of same-sex couples met online.

Why do we study social psychology?

Humans are naturally social creatures

Neural influences

-Neural systems facilitate or inhibit aggression when provoked -Aggression more likely to occur with frontal lobe damage

Biochemical influences

-Testosterone linked with irritability, assertiveness, impulsiveness, and low tolerance for frustration; alcohol effect

the milligram shock study

The experiment ordered "teachers" to deliver shocks to a "learner" for wrong answers

study of implicit prejudice by

-testing for unconscious group associations -considering unconscious patronization -Monitoring reflexive body responses

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

outgrip homogeneity

-the tendency to perceive members of an outgrip as all alike or homogenous, while viewing members of the in-group as "different as snowflakes" ex. -"They all look alike"

mere exposure effect

the tendency for liking to increase with the frequency of exposure

in-group bias

the tendency to favor one's own group

Genetic influences

-Evidence from animal studies and twin studies; genetic Y chromosome genetic marker; MAOA gene -Alcohol associated with aggression response to frustration

Biology influences aggression at three levels

-Genetic influences -Neural influences -Biochemical influences

implicit vs explicit bias

-Implicit: unconscious bias (thought to be true for a long time) - Explicit: Conscious bias (outwardly aggressive towards the people)

Implicit Association Test

A computer-driven assessment of implicit attitudes. The test uses reaction times to measure people's automatic associations between attitude objects and evaluative words. Easier pairings (and faster responses) are taken to indicate stronger unconscious associations.

stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Fritz Heider created the

Attribution theory

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction) - a strategy designed to decrease international tensions

Conciliation

GRIT

postive social norms encourages

Generosity and enables group living

stereotype is used to

Rationalize inequality

helping people to agree on regulations, to communicate better, and to be more aware of

Responsibility towards others fosters cooperation

Attribution theory

We may explain peoples behavior in terms of stable traits or in terms of a situation

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Equity

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it fairness

conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social trap

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior as they pursue their own ends, thus creating an outcome that no one wants

elaboration likelihood model

a theory of how persuasive messages lead to attitude changes

less attractive people are more likely to

accept praise as sincere

Norman Triplett experiment

someone is doing it and doing it faster the other person would go faster like completion

lessons learned

studies demonstrate that social influence can be strong enough to make people conform to falsehoods or capitulate to cruelty

group polarization

the beliefs and attitudes we bring to a group grow stronger as we discuss them with like-minded others

companionate love

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Groupthink

the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome

the more we mimic

the greater our empathy, and the more people tend to like us

blame-the-victim dynamic

the idea that the victim of discrimination is partially responsible for that discrimination

attraction and sexual desire endure without

the obsession of early stage marriage

Sexual desire + a growing attachment =

the passion of romantic love

minority influence

the power of one or two individuals to sway majorities -those who resist are usually in the minority and do so very quickly. Those who stay conform to immoral behavior not long after other begin because there is social justification for their actions

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

social psychologists study

the social influences that explain why the same person will act differently in different situations