Social Psychology Lecture Review

Flashcards based on lecture notes covering social psychology concepts.

Briefly describe the setup and key finding of the Asch (1955) conformity study.

The Asch (1955) study involved a line matching task where subjects were in a group with confederates who gave incorrect answers. The key finding was that 37% of subject responses on critical trials conformed to the incorrect group answer, with 75% giving an incorrect answer at least once.

What is the core concept of group polarization?

Group polarization is a group-produced exaggeration of members’ preexisting tendencies, leading the whole group to become more extreme in its initial direction.

Name and briefly describe the two processes that contribute to group polarization.

The two processes are Social Comparison (adopting extreme positions viewed favorably) and Mutual Persuasion (members bringing persuasive arguments).

What are three conditions that can lead to groupthink?

Three conditions leading to groupthink are a highly cohesive group, group isolation from contrary opinions, and a dominant leader whose wishes are known.

List two symptoms that a group experiencing groupthink might exhibit.

Two symptoms of groupthink are feeling invulnerable and feeling increased pressure toward unanimity.

Define social loafing in the context of an additive task.

Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort on an additive task when pooling resources compared to working individually.

According to the source material, name two factors that can reduce social loafing.

Two factors that can reduce social loafing are when the contribution of each member is identifiable and when the task is challenging, interesting, or meaningful.

What is deindividuation, and what kind of behavior does it tend to increase?

Deindividuation is the loosening of normal behavioral constraints in a crowd or when identity is concealed, leading to increased impulsive and deviant acts

Describe two conditions that promote deindividuation.

Two conditions promoting deindividuation are anonymity and focusing attention away from the self.

Define prejudice in your own words, based on the source material.

Prejudice, according to the source, is a negative judgment made in advance about a group of people and its individual members

Explain the "ABCs of attitudes" as they relate to prejudice.

The ABCs of attitudes represent the components of prejudice: Affect (feelings), Behavior tendency (inclination to act), and Cognition (beliefs).

What is a stereotype, and how does it relate to prejudice?

A stereotype is a belief about the characteristics of a group. While they can sometimes be accurate, they are often overgeneralized and resistant to new information, forming the cognitive basis for prejudice.

Describe the "women-are-wonderful effect."

The "women-are-wonderful effect" is a favorable stereotype of women, viewing them as more understanding, kind, and helpful.

Explain the difference between hostile sexism and benevolent sexism.

Hostile sexism involves overtly negative beliefs about women (e.g., men make better political leaders), while benevolent sexism, though seemingly positive, involves patronizing beliefs that women need protection or have superior moral sensibility.

According to the text, how does social identity theory explain why people favor their ingroups?

Social identity theory suggests that people categorize themselves and others into groups, identify with their ingroups to boost self-esteem, and compare their ingroups favorably to outgroups, leading to ingroup bias.

What is the outgroup homogeneity effect?

The outgroup homogeneity effect is the tendency to perceive members of outgroups as more similar to one another than members of one's own ingroup.

How do vivid cases contribute to stereotypes?

Vivid or distinctive cases are easily recalled and can lead to generalizations about entire groups, even if those cases are not representative, thus fueling stereotypes.

Define the just-world phenomenon.

The just-world phenomenon is the belief that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve, leading to the tendency to blame victims for their misfortunes.

What is stereotype threat, and how does it differ from a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Stereotype threat is the apprehension that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype, which can disrupt performance. Unlike self-fulfilling prophecies, which affect one's self-concept over time, stereotype threat has immediate effects in specific situations.

According to the text, what are some of the negative consequences of being socially rejected or ostracized?

Negative consequences of social rejection include increased risk of depression, time feeling like it passes more slowly, reduced sense of life meaning, self-regulation breakdowns (like overeating and alcohol use), and increased aggression or antisocial behavior.

Explain the concept of the mere-exposure effect and how proximity relates to it in the context of forming friendships.

The mere-exposure effect is the tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to boost people's ratings of them, fostering fondness. Proximity increases the opportunity for repeated exposure to others, which is why it powerfully predicts liking and friendship.

What is the matching phenomenon, and how does it relate to physical attractiveness in dating?

The matching phenomenon is the tendency for men and women to choose partners who are a good match in attractiveness and other traits. While initial attraction may be based on high attractiveness, people often seek partners with similar levels of attractiveness to themselves.

Describe the physical-attractiveness stereotype. Is it generally accurate regarding personality traits?

The physical-attractiveness stereotype is the presumption that physically attractive people also possess other socially desirable traits, such as being kind or intelligent ("what is beautiful is good"). The text notes that this stereotype is generally inaccurate regarding basic personality traits.

How does similarity influence liking and attraction? Do opposites typically attract?

Similarity in attitudes, beliefs, and values greatly aids liking. Likeness leads to liking, and opposites rarely attract in terms of fundamental attitudes and behavioral traits.

Explain how the principle "liking those who like us" affects relationship formation.

We tend to like people who like us; liking is usually mutual. When someone indicates they like or admire us, it often evokes a reciprocal affection, which can be a strong factor in forming relationships.

What is the reward theory of attraction, and how does it explain why we like certain people?

The reward theory of attraction proposes that we like people whose behavior we find rewarding or whom we associate with rewarding events. Relationships where the rewards outweigh the costs are more likely to be liked and maintained.

Briefly describe the two-factor theory of passionate love.

The two-factor theory of passionate love suggests that it arises from a state of physiological arousal combined with a cognitive label that attributes that arousal to the presence of another person. Intense emotions are interpreted as love in the context of an attractive person.

What is the difference between passionate love and companionate love?

Passionate love is a state of intense longing and arousal, often experienced early in a relationship. Companionate love is a deeper, more affectionate, and stable attachment to those with whom our lives are intertwined, characterized by intimacy and commitment.

How does self-disclosure contribute to intimacy in a relationship?

Self-disclosure, or revealing intimate aspects of oneself to another person, is a crucial element in developing intimacy. Sharing confidential information builds trust and a sense of closeness in a relationship.

What is the key difference between conformity and compliance?

Conformity is an overall term for acting differently due to influence, a change in behavior or belief to accord with others. Compliance is a type of conformity involving publicly acting in accord with social pressure while privately disagreeing.

How do obedience and compliance differ?

Compliance is acting in accord with social pressure while privately disagreeing. Obedience is a specific type of compliance involving acting in accord with a direct order or command from an authority figure.

Briefly describe the autokinetic phenomenon and its role in Sherif's studies.

The autokinetic phenomenon is the apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark. Sherif used it to create an ambiguous situation in his experiments, observing how individuals converged on a shared estimate of the light's movement, demonstrating norm formation.

What did Asch's line judgment experiments demonstrate about the power of group pressure?

Asch's experiments demonstrated that even in unambiguous situations where the correct answer is clear, individuals will often conform to the incorrect judgments of a group, highlighting the powerful influence of social pressure.

What percentage of participants in Milgram's original obedience study progressed to the maximum shock level?

In Milgram's original study with 40 men, 26 of them (65%) progressed all the way to 450 volts.

According to the text, what are two primary reasons people conform?

According to the text, people conform to be accepted by others (normative influence) and to obtain important information, especially in ambiguous situations (informational influence).

How does group unanimity affect conformity according to Asch's research?

Asch's research showed that when even one person in the group dissented and gave the correct answer, conformity to the incorrect majority answer dramatically decreased. It is easier to stand up for something with an ally.

Explain the concept of cohesiveness and how it relates to group influence.

Cohesiveness refers to the extent to which members of a group are bound together by attraction to one another. The text states that the more cohesive a group is, the more power it gains over its members and the more influence it has on them.

What is psychological reactance and how can it relate to nonconformity?

Psychological reactance is a motive to protect or restore one's sense of freedom. When people feel their freedom is threatened, they may act in ways that assert their independence, which can lead to nonconformity.

In which type of culture (individualistic or collectivistic) is conformity generally viewed more positively, and why?

Conformity is generally viewed more positively in collectivistic cultures (like Japan) because going along with others is seen as a sign of tolerance, self-control, and maturity, emphasizing group harmony.

According to Marvin Shaw, what is the essential characteristic that all groups share?

Their members interact.

What is the original meaning of social facilitation as observed by Norman Triplett?

The tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when others are present.

What is the current meaning of social facilitation as defined in the text?

The strengthening of dominant (prevalent, likely) responses in the presence of others.

What is one explanation for why the presence of others can lead to social facilitation?

One explanation is evaluation apprehension, which is concern for how others are evaluating us.

Define social loafing and explain why it occurs.

Social loafing is the tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable. It occurs because responsibility is diffused across all group members when individual efforts are pooled.

According to the text, when is social loafing less likely to occur in a group?

Groups loaf less when the task is challenging, appealing, or involving, or when their members are friends or they identify with the group.

What is deindividuation and what psychological state does it involve?

Deindividuation is a psychological state where people may abandon their normal restraints and lose their sense of individuality when high levels of social arousal combine with diffused responsibility.

What are two circumstances that make deindividuation especially likely?

Deindividuation is especially likely when people are in a large group, are physically anonymous, and are aroused and distracted

Define group polarization.

Group polarization is the strengthening of a group's initial inclinations through discussion.

Briefly describe one way that group polarization can occur in everyday life.

Group polarization can occur in everyday life through self-segregation in communities, leading neighborhoods to become "echo chambers" where shared opinions are amplified.