Chapter 11 Psychology

Social Influence

it stems from social norms

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

When are people more like to conform?

when they feel incompetent or insecure, in a group of at least 3 people, in a group where everyone agrees, admire a groups status or attractiveness, have not committed to a response, know others in a group will observe their behavior, or are from a culture that strongly encourages respect for social standards

Informational social influence

results from a person’s willingness to accept others’ options about reality

Normative social influence

results from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Situations where obedience was highest:

individuals giving orders were in close proximity and were perceived as legitimate authority figures

The authority figure was supported by a prestigious institution

the victim was depersonalized or at a distance

there were no role models for defiance

Lessons from conformity

strong social influences can make people conform to falsehoods or give in to cruelty

Social Control

power of the situation

Personal control

power of the individual minority influence

Group Influence

presence of others affect behavior

Social facilitation

improved performance on simple or well learned tasks and worsened performance on difficult tasks in the presence of othersS

Social Loafing

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when held individually accountable

When people act as part of a group they may:

feel less accountable

view individual contributions as unneeded

overestimate own contributions and downplay the efforts of others

free ride on others efforts

Deindividuation

Loss of self awareness and se;f restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Internet anonymity

enables people to feed and freely express their anger, sometimes with bullying and hate speech

Social facilitation

individual being observed, increased arousal, amplified dominant behavior, such as doing better, what one does well, or doing worse what is difficult

Social loafing

group projects, diminished feelings of responsibility when not individually accountable, decreased effort

Deindividuation

group setting that fosters arousal and anonymity, reduced self awareness, lowered self restraint

Group Polarization

strengthening a group’s preexisting attitudes through discussions within the group

the a group is like minded, discussion strengthens attitudes

Group think

occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Prejudice

unfair and negative attitude toward a group and its members

Discriminate

involves negative feelings, stereotypes, and a predisposition

Stereotype

generalized belief about a group of people

Implicit bias

unconscious favoritism toward or prejudice against people of a particular race, gender, or other social group

just world phenomenon

tendency to believe that the world is just, so that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get

in-group

“us” people with whom we share a common identity

outgroup

“them” those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own group

scapegoat theory

prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

cognitive shortcuts

stereotyped beliefs are a by product of how we cognitively simplify the world using categories

aggressions

any act intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

emerges when biology interacts with experience

frusturation aggression principle

frusturation creates anger when can generate aggression

psychology of attrsction

proximity or geographic nearness provides an opportunity for aggression but more often facilities like due to the mere exposure effect

altruism

unselfish concern for the welfare of others, these acts show that humans are capable of great goodness

bystandard effect

tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

reciprocity norm

expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

social responsibility norm

expectation that people will help those needing their help