Social Psychology

social psychology

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

Factors that influence attributions

1. culture

2. whether you’re explaining thoughts or some else’s behavior

Exceptions to our usual view of our own actions

1. attributing deliberate & admirable actions to our own good reasons

2. attributing younger selves’ behavior to our traits as we age

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

cognitive dissonance theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

social contagion

humans tending to go with their group, to think what it thinks, and do what it does

ex: social media platforms serve as contagious pathways for moods such as happiness & loneliness, drug use, and even behavior patterns that lead to sleep loss.

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

normative social influence

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

can be used by teachers to their advantage

informational social influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

When obedience was found to be highest in Milgram’s experiments

-the person giving the orders was close at hand & was perceived to be a legitimate authority figure

-the authority figure was supported by a powerful or prestigious institution

-the victim was depersonalized or at a distance, even in another room

-there weren’t role models for defiance

groupthink

-the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal or alternatives

-is avoided when a good leader welcomes various opinions, invites experts’ critiques of developing plans, & assigns people to identify possible problems

other race effect (aka the cross-race effect & the own-race bias)

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

outgroup homogeneity

the uniformity of outgroup attitudes, personality, & appearance

prejudice

-an unjustifiable (& usually negative) attitude toward a group & its members

-generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, & a predisposition to discrimination

stereotype

a generalized belief about a group of people

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

influences of aggression

-genes: gene markers that are an influence include the y-chromosome and monoamine oxidase (MOAOA)

-neural: refers to frontal lobe activity. If the frontal lobes are damaged, disconnected, or not yet fully mature, this may be more likely

-Biochemical: affects of hormones like testosterone as well as alcohol

social script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

consummate love

love made up of passion (desire to be with someone), intimacy (emotional closeness), and commitment (desire to remain together)

Passionate love

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

Companionate love

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

equity

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

self-disclosure

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

reciprocity norm

the expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them. This norm compels ppl to give as much as they receive & to pay it forward by returning favors

social-responsibility norm

the expectation that people will help those needing their help. When people follow this norm, sometimes the costs outweigh the benefits. Sometimes, this norm leads to pro social behavior

Graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension-reduction (GRIT)

a strategy designed to decrease int’l tensions

availability heuristic

a problem solving method in which ppl estimate the likelihood of events based on how fast they come to mind- their ‘availability’ in memory

mirror-image perceptions

mutual views often held by conflicting ppl, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful & views the other side as evil & aggressive

self-fulfilling prophecy

process through which an originally false expectation leads to its own confirmation

ex: A coach expects his freshmen to be uncoordinated & unskilled so he does not play with them often, and when he does, they are rusty and do not perform well.

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate how much other ppl agree with us

actor-observer bias

actors explain their own behavior differently than how an observer would explain the same behavior

ex: When you drive slowly down 173 it is because you are looking for an address, not like that rude person crawling in front of you last night.

self-serving bias

taking credit for triumphs but are more likely to blame others or circumstances for short-comings

Ex: Mischa believes she did well on her English exam because she is very intelligent but that she failed her chemistry exam because the instructor is not very good.

self-effacing bias (aka modesty bias)

mindset where a person downplays their successes & internalizes their failures; the opposite of self-serving bias

ex: If I do well in my violin recital it is due to my teacher helping me more in practice. If I fail, it’s because I’m not very good.

positive herding

phenomenon where positive ratings generate more positive ratings.

Leon Festinger

the person that came up with and promoted cognitive dissonance theory

John Darley and Bibb Latané

-social psychologists who attributed the inaction of witnesses to Kitty Genovese’s murder to an important situational factor-the presence of others.

-created an experiment where people needed to respond to an emergency situation to test their helping behavior

Muzafer Sherif

His experiment was a boys’ camp study where an emergency situation required group cooperation. Two previously competitive groups had to work together to solve problems

superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people & require their cooperation

peripheral route of persuasion

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

central route of persuasion

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and responds with favorable thoughts