unit 8 social psychology

11th ap psychology

attribution theory

we attribute behavior to internal dispositions or external situations

internal dispositions

that's just who they are

external dispositions

situational factors

additional factors influencing attribution

- distinctive vs. consistent
- consensus
- dispositional factors vs. situational factors

distinctive vs consistent

is this an isolated incident or does it occur often

consensus

are other people acting the same way

fundamental attribution error

when analyzing another's behavior we overestimate impact of personal disposition and underestimate the impact of the situation

actor-observer effect/bias

- tendency to attribute behavior of others to internal causes, while attributing our own behavior to external causes
- we blame the situation and make excuses
- ex: you trip and say it's the slippery pavement, but someone else trips and it's because they're clumsy

self-serving bias

- desire to perceive ourselves favorably
- ex: you got a "C" because the teacher is unfair

halo effect/bias

- tendency to allow one specific trait, or overall impression (of a person, company, or product), to positively influence overall judgement
- ex: teacher assumes well-behaved student is also bright and highly motivated before they have objectively evaluated student's capabilies

defensive attribution/just-world bias

- tendency to blame victims for their misfortune due to our fear of being victimized in a similar manner
- ex: what did they expect going out dressed like that?

false consensus effect

- tendency to see our own attitudes, beliefs, and behavior as being typical or common
- ex: political views, fashion sense

attitudes

feelings, based on our beliefs, that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and event

central route persuasion

based on arguments or the content of the message (info)

peripheral route persuasion

influenced by incidental cues such as speaker's attractiveness, celebrity, or being well-represented (images)

cognitive dissonance theory

we act to reduce dissonance we feel when a conflict exists between our attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors

conformity

- solomon asch
- adjusting to one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard, yielding a real or imagined social pressure

- 75% of participants gave a wrong answer at least once

factors that influence group conformity

- feelings of insecurity
- group size (at least 3 people)
- group is unanimous
- admiration of the group's status/attractiveness
- low self-esteem
- no prior commitment to any other response
- strong cultural "respect" for social standards
- identify with each other

normative social influence

- conformity to social norms for fear of negative social consequences
- we want them to accept and like us
- peer pressure
- ex: laugh at jokes just because everyone else is

informational social influence

- conformity to social norms when one looks to others for guidance about how to behave in ambiguous situations
- we believe others have accurate information
- lack of info
- ex: having no idea what people are lined up for and just getting in line

stanley milgram

- obedience to authority
- "teacher" shocked "learner" anytime a wrong answer was given
- 65% of participants delivered all levels of shock
- people are likely to obey to authority because they are not the ones responsible for what happens

foot in the door

- asking a small request then a larger request
- ex: free trials, free samples

low ball technique

- tendency for people, who have already accepted favorable offer, to then accept an unattractive detail because it's introduced after deal has been made
- ex: salesmen and advertisers as they add additional expenses

door in the face

- disagree to a large request so more likely to accept a smaller, more reasonable request
- ex: asking for $100 but really wanting $50

ingratiation

- flattery
- opinion conformity
- self presentation

flattery

- focusing on positive elements to let individual know that you think highly of them
- ex: complimenting parents

opinion conformity

- agree with beliefs, values, and opinion of individual often allowing individual to "convince" you of their opinion
- ex: an interviewer asking if you think kids' mental health is important, you say yes whether you believe it or not

self presentation

- present yourself in a manner that will appeal to individual (dress, speech, attitude)
- ex: being nice to get more tips when delivering food

deindividuation

- people lose their sense of self and follow group behavior
- lose their individuality
- abandonment of normal restraints (act without thinking/going along with group)
- ex: food fight, yelling at referee

social facilitation

- individual's performance is improved by presence of others
- improves with an audience when task is easy
- gets worse with an audience when task is difficult (social impairment)
- ex: pool players who made 71% of their shots when alone made 80% when they had spectators

group polarization

- enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussions within the group
- may produce shift towards more extreme decision
- ex: rallies, being with people that share the same views as you

social loafing

- a reduction in effort by individuals when they work in groups as compared to when they work by themselves
- ex: group projects

groupthink

- when members of a cohesive group emphasize concurrence (agreement and harmony) at the expense of critical thinking in arriving at a decision
- ex: considering where to go on vacation and only considering the first option the group suggests

philip zimbardo

- stanford prison experiment
- power of roles

bystander effect

social phenomenon in which people are less likely to provide needed assistance when they are in groups, as opposed to when they are alone

altruism

self-less concern for well-being of others

social exchange theory

- social behavior is an exchange process aimed at maximizing benefits and minimizing costs
- weighing consequences of getting involved
- ex: seeing someone hurt on the street but not stopping because you're running late

reciprocity norm

- expectation that people will help those that have helped them
- need to give as much as we receive
- ex: gift giving, helping a friend move

social responsibility norm

- societal rule to help others who need help
- driven by expectations that you should help
- ex: children and elders need more help

stereotyping

- labels
- ex: "freshmen are annoying"

prejudice

- unjustifiable positive or negative attitude toward a group (often based on stereotypes)
- ex: age, race, sex, height, disability, income

discrimination

- unjustifiable and negative behavior toward the members of a group
- ex: freshmen are not allowed to take AP Psychlogy

in group bias

- tendency to favor one's own group
- ex: clubs, friendgroups

out group homogeneity bias

- tendency to view members of an "outgroup" as all being the same or similar
- ex: "men are all the same"

scapegoating

- prejudice provides outlet for anger/aggression by providing someone to blame
- ex: china was blamed for covid

social identity theory

formation of person's identity within a particular group is explained by social categorization, social identity, and social comparison

sterotype vulnerability

effect that people's awareness of sterotypes associated with their social group has on their behavior

self-fulfilling prophecy

tendency for people to behave as they are expected to

frustration-aggression principle

frustration creates anger, which can generate aggression

modeling aggression

a kid will see their friend/older sibling acting out or being aggressive, so they'll copy when they're frustrated

the social trap (prisoner's dilemmia)

situation where two parties (prisoners), separated and unable to communicate, must each choose between cooperating with each other or not

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to new stimuli increases our liking of them

passionate love

focuses on emotions and physical attractiveness

companionate love

affection, trust, and concern for an individual's well-being