Chapter 11-Social Psychology

Social Psychology

The study of how people think about, influence, and relate to other people

conformity

a change in a person’s behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard

informative social influence

we want to be right

normative social influence

we want to be liked

obedience

behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority

Milgram’s study of obedience

Experiment that tested how far individuals would go when directed by an authority figure. It had a teacher and learner. 65% of test subjects gave the maximum electric shocks to the learner.

Deindividuation

the reduction in personal identity and erosion of the sense of personal responsibility when one is part of a group

social facilitation

improvement in an individual’s performance because of the presence of others

social loafing

each person’s tendency to exert less effort in a group because of reduced accountability for individual effort

altruism

giving to another person with the ultimate goal of benefiting that person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself

empathy

a feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another person

Model of Helping Behavior

1. Emergency

2. notice the event

3. interpret the event as an emergency

4. assume responsibility

5. know the appropriate form of assistance

6. provide help

Bystander Effect

the tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to be less likely to help when other people are present than when the observer is alone

social exchange theory

the view of social relationships as involving an exchange of goods, the objective of which is to minimize costs and maximize benefits

aggression

social behavior whose objective is to harm someone, either physically or verbally

intimate partner violence

abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship

social cognition

the area of social psychology exploring how people select, interpret, remember, and use social information

attribution theory

the view that people are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior

fundamental attribution error

observers’ overestimation of the importance of internal traits and underestimation of the importance of external situations when they seek explanations of another person’s behavior

attitudes

an individual’s opinions and beliefs about people, objects, and ideas—how the person feels about the world

cognitive dissonance

an individual’s psychological discomfort caused by two inconsistent thoughts. These are inconsistencies between what we believe and what we do

social roles

behavior patterns expected of individuals in different situations and settings based on their specific position within a social unit

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

2 week study an the effects of incarceration on human behavior and mental processes that was cancelled after 6 days. It introduced and demonstrated the concept of deindividuation.

Prejudice

an unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on the individual’s membership in a group

stereotype

a generalization about a group’s characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another

stereotype threat

an individual’s fast-acting, self-fulfilling fear of being judged based on a negative stereotype about their group

discrimination

an unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because the person belongs to that group

microaggressions

everyday, subtle, and potentially unintentional acts that communicate bias to members of marginalized groups

ingroup

a group in which we belong to

outgroup

a group to which one does not belong or identify

systemic racism

systems, structures, and procedures in a society that disadvantage a racial group and privilege another

attraction

a characteristic that makes a person or thing interesting to them, want them, or gravitate toward them

proximity/mere exposure effect

the more often you see a person, the more attractive they become

physical attractiveness

human beings have preferences about the physical appearances of other people, particularly with reference to their facial features and body proportions

similarity

the idea that we like to associate with people who are like us

groupthink

value getting along with each other more than finding the best solution

Muzafer Sherif

Born in Turkey. His childhood was filled with wars and political conflicts. He translated many psychology books and articles from English to Turkish. He had to flee to the US to escape political persecution. He was a man with no country because he could not go back to Turkey and the US would not allow him to become a US citizen. He is credited with helping found modern psychology and published over 60 articles and 24 books. His most famous experiment was the Robbers Cave Experiment which supported the Realistic Conflict Theory that he developed.