Unit 9 Ap Psych

Social psychology

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

Attribution theory

what you think is the cause of someone’s behavior (may not be accurate), crediting either situation or person’s disposition

Situational attribution

factors outside the person cause the behavior (distracted, sick, peer pressure, etc)

Dispositional attribution

the person’s stable, enduring personality traits/abilities cause the behavior

\*\*Fundamental attribution error

when we go too far in assuming that a person’s behavior is caused by their personality, we think behavior demonstrates a trait

Attitudes

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

Peripheral route persuasion

changing attitudes by going by appealing to fears (emotions), desires, and associations - occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speakers attractiveness

Central route persuasion

going directly through the rational mind, influencing attitudes with evidence (stats) and logic - occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

 you are most likely to agree to a large request after agreeing to a small one (ex. Girl scouts, salesmen, religious leaders)

Door-in-the-face phenomenon

after refusing a large request, people will sometimes agree w a smaller one (ex. $100,000 car vs a $40,000 car sounds more appealing - sales tactic, go big first then present small)

Looking glass effect

(mirror) when we are keenly aware of our actions, they are more likely to guide our behavior (ex. Ppl taking a test who were told to stop at the bell, 71% cheated after bell rang, when mirror is placed in front of them only 7% cheated)

Roles

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

Zimbardo Stanford prison experiment

college students were randomly assigned to be guards and prisoners and guards had to play the role of actual prison guards, the prisoners became distressed and after 6 days they had to call off the experiment because it became too real

\*\*Cognitive dissonance theory

we feel discomfort when our actions conflict with our attitudes so we change our attitudes to fit our actions (ex. Not getting into dream school and convincing ourselves that the other school is better bc it's closer to home, nicer weather, friends go there etc)

 \*\*Chameleon effect

 our natural tendency to automatically mimic others (can be by choice \[like clothing\] or automatic \[yawning, regional accents, empathetic shifts in mood, adopting coping styles\]

Conformity

refers to adjusting our behavior/thinking to fit in w a group standard

Social norms

a “correct” or “normal” way to behave in a group, sometimes superseding our own judgment

Norma­tive social influence

we sometimes conform to gain social approval (peer pressure), (ex. when someone else is in bathroom 90% of women wash their hands, only 16% wash if no one is there)

Informational social influence

we accept information about reality provided by the group (ex. Solomon asch conformity studies)

Solomon Asch's conformity studies

college students were placed in a group looking at lines that match each other, even though one student thought one answer was right he ends up going along with the group to not stand out

Factors that increase obedience

when orders are given by an authority, institution, or someone close by, when object/victim of order is out of sight, when other people obey or no one disobeys            (to assume a person committing harmful acts is cruel/evil would be to make the fundamental attribution error)

Milgram obedience experiments

authority figure tells participants to administer shocks to a “learner” when the learner gives wrong answers

Social facilitation

individual performance is intensified when you are observed by others (home field advantage in sports), arousal helps experts excel; people doing simple activities show more speed and endurance, novices trying complex skills do worse (like parallel parking)

Social loafing

people in a group show less effort when not held individually accountable (ex. group projects slackers, tug-of-war)

Deindividuation

people become less self-aware and less self-restrained when aroused or anonymous - when in a group of people, you act differently because you don’t stand out (ex. military, people in uniforms, online-gaming, cyberbullying, riots, cults, concerts)

Group polarization

when people of similar views have a discussion, their views become more external (polarized), can be beneficial (self-help groups/rehab programs) or dire consequences (terrorism)

Groupthink

to avoid arguments, groups will make decisions without an open exchange of ideas, prevents thinking and often leads to poor choices or missed opportunities

Minority influence

someone (usually confident) who holds to their position can sway the majority

Prejudice

an unjustified, usually negative, attitude toward a group and its members

Discrimination

 unjustified behavior selectively applied to members of a group

Stereotypes

a generated belief about a group applied to members of a group

Examples of prejudice

boy and girl preferences, ethnicity in media (italian-americans = mafia, african american = gang member or athlete), muslims being terrorists, LGBT community

Just-world phenomenon

fallacy (faulty logic) where people believe that others get the benefits/punishments they “deserve” (the world is fair) (ex. Rich people earned their wealth, poor people deserved it)

Ingroup bias

favoring one’s own group, “needs to belong”

Outgroup bias

misjudging other groups, “with me or against me” mentality

Scapegoat theory

when bad things happen (mass poverty, etc), prejudice offers an outlet for anger by finding someone to blame

Other-race effect

we see uniformity in the appearance of other groups, and assume they are all similar, which form stereotypes

Aggression

behavior with the intent of harming another person, many forms and purposes, can be physical, verbal relational, can be planned or reactive, can be driven by hostile rage or can be a coldy calculated means to an end

Genetic:

aggression can be bred in animals, identical twins are more similar in aggression than fraternal twins, males are more aggressive than females

Neural

underactive frontal lobes are linked to aggression/violence, humans become violent and rude after painless stimulation of their amygdala connected to their limbic system

Biochemical levels

testosterone levels are correlated with irritability, impulsiveness, and tolerance for frustration, traits linked to testosterone levels, such as facial width, also are linked to aggressiveness

Frustration-aggression principle

after repeated frustrating events, anger can build and find a target, ex. Hot weather, pain, overcrowding, traffic, waiting in line, foul odor, hunger

Aggression and experience

aggression increases in frequency and intensity after it is reinforced (ex. Bullies, robbers, sport players)

Social scripts

media provides us scripts of how to act; violence/aggression is reenacted

Aggression and video games

exposure to aggression, especially in porn and games, seems to increase male aggression

Catharsis hypothesis

pent up rage/violence and watching it would relieve you from being violent

Mere exposure effect

just being around someone a lot makes them more likable

Passionate love

intense desire/physiological arousal, lasts months to a yr

Companionate love

deep commitment/caring (after honeymoon/passionate love stage, usually ppl break up once the passion sizzles down)

Self-disclosure

 fostering feelings of closeness and intimacy

\*\*Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of other people; without need for personal gain

Bystander effect

fewer people help when others are available or nearby, diffusion of responsibility

Kitty Genovese case

38 neighbors watched Kitty being killed and no one called the police

Social exchange theory

we help if it brings more benefit (social approval, reduced guilt) than cost (risk, inconvenience) - mental pro/con list

Reciprocity norm

we help those who have helped us

Social-responsibility norm

others depend on us to help;  it's the right thing to do

Conflict

a perceived incompatibility in goals, ideas, and actions between people or groups

Social traps

when we pursue short-term self-interest making things worse for everyone in the long run (ex. Global warming, pollution, rainforest deforestation, etc) - benefits us right now but not others in the long run

Mirror-image perceptions

both sides assume the worst in the other person (lack of trust)

Superordinate goals

 shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction)

a strategy designed to decrease international tensions