Social psych finals

Obedience, modeling, cognitive dissonance, bystander effect, intergroup competition, ingroup favoritism, and social roles

Who studied social roles through the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Philip Zimbardo

In what era was Zimbardo’s study conducted?

During the 1960s - 1970s

What was the historical context of Zimbardo’s study?

The study was conducted during a period with increasing incarceration rates, prison riots, and power of authority

What was Zimbardo’s proposal regarding authority?

Ordinary people might behave abusively in situations encouraging dominance, anonymity, and unequal power

What was Zimbardo’s research question?

Does assigning ordinary people to positions of authority produce abusive behavior?

What do social roles do to individuals?

Social roles influence expectations and behavior

What happens in deindividuation?

Anonymity and group membership reduced personal accountability

What is the connection of the Stanford Prison findings with the Social Identity theory?

Reicher and Haslam (2006) argued that abusive behavior depends on role assignment and identification with group norms and authority

What was the influence of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

The Stanford Prison Experiment highlighted the influences of social roles, institutional structures, and situational pressures on human behavior

What factors shape how people exercise authority?

Legitimacy, leadership, social identity, organizational culture, and accountability

Who was the proponent of ingroup favoritism?

Henri Tajfel

What was Tajfel’s motivation?

Tajfel sought to understand why people often favor members of their own group without history of conflict based on his experiences as a Polish Jew

What was Tajfel’s research question?

Is mere social categorization suffiicient to produce ingroup favoritism and discrimination against outgroups?

What was Tajfel’s hypothesis?

Participants will allocate more rewards to members of their own group despite the absence of competition or personal relationships

In Tajfel’s study, what is the observed pattern of equal allocation?

It was relatively uncommon

In Tajfel’s study, what is the observed pattern of maximum joint profit?

It was often rejected

In Tajfel’s study, what is the observed pattern of maximum ingroup gain?

It was frequently selected

In Tajfel’s study, what is the observed pattern of maximum difference between groups?

It was the most preferred strategy

What is the social identity theory?

A person’s self-concept is derived from their personal identity and membership in social groups

According to the Social Identity theory, what is the impact of social identity on an individual?

Individuals strive to maintain a positive social identity, contributing to self-esteem, and psychological well-being

What does the Social Identity Theory assume about people’s identities?

People possess multiple social identities, each becoming more/less important depending on social context

What does the Social Identity Theory assume about self-esteem?

Group membership contributes to self-esteem

What does the Social Identity Theory assume about distinctness?

Poeple seek positive distinctness

What does the Social Identity Theory assume about comparison?

Intergroup comparisons are inevitable

What are the cognitive processes involved in Social Identity Theory?

1. Social categorization

2. Social identification

3. Social comparison

4. Positive distinctness, higher self-esteem

What is ingroup favoritism?

The preferential evaluation of members of one’s own group

What is outgroup bias?

People may evaluate members of other groups less favorably

Who was the proponent of Realistic Conflict Theory?

Muzafer Sherif

In what era was Sherif’s study conducted?

1940s - 1950s

What were Sherif’s motivations for his study of realistic conflict theory?

Sherif sought to demonstrate that social structure and competition could create prejudice in similar individuals

What was Sherif’s research question?

Can competition alone create prejudice? Cooperation reduce hostility?

What was Sherif’s hypothesis?

Competition over limited resources creates intergroup hostility, whereas cooperation toward superordinate goals reduces prejudice and conflict

What did a meta-analysis on realistic confilct theory find?

Cooperative interdependence reduces prejudice across diverse settings

What is realistic conflict theory?

Many resources cannot be shared equally, so competition emerges when groups pursue the same resource.

What does the realistic conflict theory suggest about social identities?

Groups naturally form social identities which become psychologically meaningful

What does the realistic conflict theory suggest about competition and cooperation?

Competition produces conflict, while cooperation reduces it

What is the zero-sum competition?

One group’s success appears to require another group’s loss

What is outgroup derogation?

Negative beliefs develop about competitors

What did the Robbers Cave Experiment (Sherif) show about conflict?

The Robbers Cave Experiment demonstrated that intergroup conflict can emerge from competition over valued resources

What did the Robbers Cave Experiment (Sherif) show about prejudice?

Prejudice and hostility are not irreversible

Who were the proponents of the Bystander effect?

John Darley and Bibb Latané

What was the background of studying the Bystander effect?

Helping behavior was usually viewed as a reflection of personal characteristics

What was Darley and Letané’s research question?

Does the number of bystanders reduce personal responsibility for intervention?

What was Darley and Latané’s hypothesis?

Increased number of perceived bystanders [makes intervention] less likely and slower

What was found on Darley and Latane’s analysis of results?

Participants in larger group conditions took longer to respond

What is diffusion of responsibilty?

Individuals often fail to help because responsibility becomes psychologically diffused across multiple witnesses

What is the five step decision model of helping

1. Notice the event

2. Interpret it as an emergency

3. Accept personal responsibility

4. Know how to help

5. Decide to implement assistance

What did a meta-analysis on the bystander effect find?

Over 100 studies confirmed the reliability of the bystander effect

According to the meta-analysis, under what conditions will the bystander effect be reduced?

When the emergency is dangerous, the victim is clearly in need, or when bystanders possess relevant expertise

Who was the proponent of cognitive dissonance?

Leon Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)

What was the background of Festinger’s study?

Psychologists sought to understand how people maintain coherent self-concepts despite behaving inconsistently

What was Festinger’s research question?

Will individuals who receive a small reward for lying change their attitudes more than those who receive a large reward?

What was Festinger’s hypothesis?

$1 participants would change their attitude more, $20 participants would rely on the payment as sufficient justification, experiencing less dissonance

What is the cognitive dissonance theory?

Individuals experience discomfort when they simultaneously hold two or more inconsistent cognitions

What was Festinger’s argument for cognitive dissonance?

Humans possess a fundamental drive toward internal consistency. When this is disturbed, individuals attempt to reduce the discomfort through various strategies

What is the self affirmation theory?

People can reduce discomfort by affirming valued aspects of the self rather than changing their attitude

Who proposed the self affirmation theory?

Claude Steele (1998)

What was the historical background of Bandura’s study?

Learning theories were dominated by behaviorism and direct experience

What was Bandura’s proposal?

Human learning occurs vicariously through observation

Who was the proponent of vicarious learning or modeling?

Albert Bandura

What was Bandura’s research question?

Does observing aggressive behavior increase the likelihood that children will imitate similar aggressive behaviors?

What is the social learning / social cognitive theory?

Learning is acquiring knowledge. Children may learn things but not immediately use them

What is self-efficacy?

The belief in one’s ability to perform successfully

What did Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment show about behavior acquisition?

The Bobo Doll experiment demonstrated that children can acquire aggressive behaviors by observing others, even without direct reinforcement

Who studied obedience?

Stanley Milgram

What case inspired Milgram’s experiment?

Trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961

What was intriguing about Eichmann’s trial?

Adolf Eichmann claimed he had been following orders, challenging the assumption that Nazi officials were uniquely cruel

What did psychiatrists at the time predict would happen in Milgram’s experiment?

Less than 1% of participants would continue to the maximum voltage

What were the results of Milgram’s study?

65% (26/40) participants administered the max 450 V, and all participants reached 300

What changes did Burger (2009) add to his replication of Milgram’s study?

Psychological screening, informed consent, right to withdraw

What were the findings of Burger (2009)’s study?

70% of participants continued past 150 V, resembling Milgram’s original findings

What was the ethical stopping point in Burger (2009)’s replication?

150 V

What does Milgram’s study say about obedience?

Desire for social acceptance can outweigh the desire to correct