Social Psych_ Final Exam Study Guide

Aggression

Behavior with intent to harm.

Instrumental Aggression

Deliberate and strategic aggression, often used in acts of war or planned conflicts.

Hostile Aggression

Unplanned and spontaneous acts of aggression.

Testosterone

A hormone linked to aggressive behavior; higher levels are correlated with higher rates of violent crime. (Dabbs)

Excitation Transfer Theory

Theory suggesting that arousal can amplify aggression when misattributed to a frustrating event.

Prosocial Behavior

Behavior intended to help others.

Reciprocal Altruism

The principle of 'I’ll help you if you help me' in social interactions.

Norm of Reciprocity

Expectation that helping others will lead to being helped in return.

Emotional Empathy

The ability to feel what another person is feeling, which can trigger helping behavior.

Bystander Effect

Phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

When individuals feel less responsible to take action in a group setting.

Social Comparison Theory

The motivation to compare ourselves to others to maintain an accurate self-view.

Social Exchange Theory

Theory suggesting that relationships are formed based on the balance of rewards versus costs.

Proximity Effect

The tendency to like those who are physically close to us.

Mere Exposure Effect

Phenomenon where repeated exposure to something increases our liking for it.

Reciprocal Liking

The tendency to like those who show that they like us.

Comparison Level (CL)

The expected level of relationship outcomes that influences satisfaction.

Comparison Level for Alternatives (CL Alt)

The perceived best outcomes available outside of the current relationship.

5-to-1 Rule

The ratio of 5 positive interactions to 1 negative interaction needed for a healthy relationship.

Paternal Uncertainty

The concept that men may have concerns over the certainty of fatherhood, influencing mate selection.

Parental Investment Model

Theory suggesting that men and women have different mate selection strategies due to differing reproductive investments.

Physical Aggression

Physical Behavior intended to harm ones person

Relational Aggression

Interpersonal aggression intended to harm ones feelings

Cross-National Aggression

acts of aggression or hostility directed by individuals or groups from one nation towards another nation, aggression that occurs across national borders, often involving political or military conflict between countries.

Aggression Theory / Early Frustration

A state one experiences when goal achievement is blocked

Order of events that increase aggression

1. failing to get a good grade

2. failure to win money

3. failure at an unimportant task

Excitation Transfer Theory

How frustration transforms into aggression

arousal —> ____ —> ____ —> frustration event —> _____

misattributed to, frustrating event, heightened aggression

Negative Self-relief model

It feels bad to see others in pain, so we help others more when we have to watch/see others in pain

Cognitive Empathy (empathetic accuracy)

understanding what a person is thinking and feeling

Emotional Empathy

(Feeling others pain) sharing the feelings of another person

(Bystander Intervention Model) Notice an event —> ____ —> ____ —> access ability to help —> _____

Notice an event —> define as an emergency —> accept responsibility —> access ability to help —> implement help

Informational Social Influence

No-one else seems worried, and pluralistic ignorance

Pluralistic Ignorance

people of a group hold a different belief than they perceive is the group norm

Normative Social Influence

we don’t go against the groups norm, because of the want to be liked and the embarrassment of being wrong

Accepting Responsibility in Groups

The more people in group the less likely people are to help because of the lack of accepting responsibility

Diffusion of Responsibiity

Individuals feel less responsible for taking action because “someone else (in the group) will do it”

Big Q: Why are we attracted to others?

We are motivated to approach others in order to learn about ourselves(information dependence) or to gain positive outcomes (outcome dependence)

Social Comparison Theory (learn about ourselves)

We are motivated to hold accurate self-views, test accuracy by comparing ourselves to others.

Social Exchange Theory (gaining positive outcomes)

We are motivated to gain and maintain relationships where the reward exceeds the costs

Small Q: Why are we attracted to others?

We are influences by different situational factors that influence attraction.

Proximity

The closer we are in space, the more likely we are to like one another.

Similarity

We tend to be attracted to those who are similar to us.

Familiarity

We tend to like those who are familiar to us

Mere Exposure Effect

People tend to develop a preference for things because they are familiar

Reciprocal Liking

We like those who like us

Anxiety

Anxiety breeds affiliation, we want to learn so we seek other humans.

Affiliation

engagement in positive social interactions with other people

What kinds of relationships make us happy?

We went relationships that meet what we expect and feel we deserve

Comparison Level (CL)

expected level of relationship outcomes

Over-Benefit in Marital Satisfaction

High rewards, few costs. Causes long term guilt —> dissatisfaction

Under-Benefit in Marital Satisfaction

Few rewards, few costs. Leads to long term anger/depression.

Comparison Level of Alternatives

CL Alt

CL Alt

A person’s CL Alt is set at their best perceived relationship outcomes outside of their current relationship

What happens when outcomes slide below Cl Alt?

instability increases

Cl Alt: I can find better elsewhere

relationship becomes unstable

Signals that a relationship is “going sour”

Complaining and Criticizing, showing contempt, sarcasm, and stone walling.

Stone Walling

when one partner wants to fight and the other doesn’t engage.

Evolutionary Theory of Sexual Attraction

humans evolved to select mates that solve adaptive problems… make successful offspring

Natural Selection / Parental Investment Model

seeks to explain features of valued mates

Evolutionary Psychology: Men

Early offset of female fertility, parental uncertainty (am I the father?), and sexual infidelity.

Evolutionary Psychology: Women

large child rearing commitment