social psychology ch.1 intro

what did social psychologists need to remember during the pandemic to get people to comply?

people from different backgrounds and ideologies have different ways of thinking and that fact should be included in any methods to get people to do stuff

why did people who believed conspiracy theories still refused to get the vaccine even after presented with evidence the vaccine works?

cognitive dissonance

cognitive dissonance

an effect that makes people double down on their beliefs when presented with evidence that challenges or falsifies their beliefs

social psychology

the study of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of individuals in social situations

what does social psychology say about folk wisdom?

most folk wisdom has been proven wrong

what does social psychology say about Who we are likely to like?

we are likely to like people who are similar to us; opposites do not attract

the father of social psychology

Kurt Lewin

what did Kurt Lewin say about a person's behavior?

like an object travelling through space, if we can figure out the forces affecting a person, we can predict their behavior

what influences us?

Situational factors influences us, like the situation itself, but mostly other people's behavior affects us

the Milgram experiment

Stanley Milgram set up an experiment where participants were told to shock "learners"(actors) when they got answers wrong, each time the shocks intensified; the particpants didnt know the electric shocks were fake, but the learners faked the pain; 62.5% of particpants continued to the highest voltage

Seminarians as Samaritans(Darley and Batson)

seminarians were told to deliver a sermon across campus; some were told they were late and others told they had time; those were late were less likely to help the sickly man researchers had planted; religion was not a good indicator of altruism

dispositions

beliefs, values, personality traits, and abilities that guide behavior; they are not always the underlying causes of behavior

fundamental attribution error

the failure to recognize the importance of situational influences on behavior, together with the tendency to overemphasize dispositions

channel factors(nudges)

small, innocuous seeming prompts that have big effects on behavior

what happened when employers signed their employees up automatically for the company funded retirement plan instead of asking?

workers were told they could opt out but most did not, it has resulted in more enrollment and happier retirements

the role of construal

Both the perceptual process and assumptions are automatic and unconscious- we are not aware of them

Gestalt psychology

people perceive objects not by means of some passive and unbiased perception of objective reality, but by active usually nonconscious interpretation of what the object represents

naive realism

the idea that we see the world realistically,and without cognitive or perceptual machinery affecting it

Construal

how we interpret behaviors and situations and how we make inferences, often nonconscious, about the contexts and people we are encountering; what we think about a person's disposition will determine how we judge their actions

schemas

we depend on elaborate stories of systematized knowledge to understand even the most simplest and obvious situations; generalized knowledge about the physical and social world

stereotypes

Schemas that we have for people of various kinds, it is often automatic and it is often incorrect

automatic response

it is emotional and occurs more quickly than the controlled response

controlled response

involves deliberate thought and can override the emotional response;considered rare

both responses effects on attitudes

automatic responses give rise to implicit attitudes and beliefs that can't be readily controlled; controlled processing results in explicit attitudes but can become implicit over time

effect of the environment on behavior

if we want to change people's behaviors, we should change their environment; vice versa, if we want to save ourselves from these influences, we should make important decisions in different environments

colors in the environment

blue and green can make people more creative; greenery can make people less violent; red clothes and environment can make people more sexy

environment of polling stations

if you want people to vote against abortion, place the polls at a church; if you want people to vote for education, place the polls at a school

how can you put people on their best behavior?

put up a poster with eyes that look like they follow people around the room

how do you get people to worry about climate change?

have them fill out a survey in a hot room

natural selection

an evolutionary process that molds animals and plantsso that traits thst enhance the probability of survival and reproduction are passed on to subsequent generations

there are many behaviors that are considered universal; name three

behaviors that can be found across cultures in all humans

Group Living

offered advantages like better protection for young

language benefits

allowed people to communicate attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and complex thoughts

babies and language

babies are born with the ability to make all the sounds of any language and with their brains prewired to learn language

twins and language

twins can sometimes invent their own languages in the crib that follow all the basic grammar rules of real languages

theory of mind

the ability ro recognize that other people have beliefs and desires and that understanding their beliefs and desires allows us to predict and understand their behavior

age and theory of mind

at age 2, babies understand theory of mind; at age 3 or 4, theory of mind is sophisticated enough that children can understand when others' beliefs are false

autism and theory of mind

autism has led scientists to believe that theory of mind is biologically based; autistic individuals have difficulty understanding theory of mind; developing this ability through trial and error would be too costly so it is innate

controversy regarding innate differences between men and women

these theories and hypotheses say these differences result in differences in mate choice and their have been many mistaken claims that have been used to perpetuate male privilege

naturalistic fallacy

the claim that the way things are is the way they should be; we are predisposed to do many things that we can overcome

why do psychologists use fMRI(functional magnetic resonance imaging)?

scientists can see which parts of the brain blood flows to when humans experience certain thoughts and feelings

Amygdala

involved in gut feelings, especially those of a fearful nature, about salient stimuli we encounter in the environment-strangers, threatening images, people from adversarial groups

nucleus accumbens

thought of as the brain's reward circuit, signaling to the prefrontal cortex what is rewarding in an environment

Neocortex

the parts of the brain on top of the more animalistic parts of the brain; some parts are involved in reasoning, abstract thought, and memory; self-awareness and moral judgement-what is right and wrong and whether we decide to punish or forgive; there is also an empathy network that enables us to experience the feelings of others and a "mentalizing" network that enables us to understand other people's mental states, intentions, desires, and beliefs

social safety and social alarm networks

parts of the brain that are activated by acceptance and rejection

why do Adolescents take greater risks?

a region of the brain that alerts people to danger is underdeveloped until early adulthood

why are humans one of the most successful mammals on the planet?

because of our capacity for a wide range of behavior

how do cultural differences affect us?

cultural differences extend all the way to the fundamental forms of self-conception and human interaction even to basic perceptual and cognitive processes that give rise to new thoughts and beliefs

which parts of the world are independent and individualistic?

Western Europe and parts of the British Commonwealth(US, Australia, Canada)

what are independent and individualistic cultures like?

people in these cultures see themselves as linked to social groups but individually very unique and capable of severing any ties if necessary

what parts of the world are collectivistic(interdependent)?

all except the ones mentioned as independent: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the middle east

what are interdependent countries like?

people in such cultures don't have as much freedom or personal control over their lives and they don't necessarily want or need it

pen experiment between Americans and Koreans(Kim, 1999)

Koreans were less likely to choose the one unique color pen than Americans were

interdependent relationship expectations

interdependent people tend not to expect mutuality, or even equality in relationships; often they expect heirarchical relationships

effects of culture on the brain

participants who were more independent showed denser gray matter(increased cell bodies of neurons) in a region of the cortex that supports thoughts of self-agency(the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex)

what are children of both cultures taught from an early age?

American children are taught to be ready for action and independence; Chinese children are taught to be ready for relationships and interdependence

Familialism

more prevalent in Hispanic cultures than Asian cultures, it is a social value defined by interpersonal warmth, closeness, and support

effects of familialism

a strong sense of familialism leads to great well-being and stronger relationships, but also more stress, especially when moving away from family

social class and independence/interdependence framework

working class or those of lower socioeconomic status(SES) are more interdependent that middle class individuals, they have more interactions with their family, their parenting style emphasizes more conformity and obedience, and they value personal uniqueness less

Middle class people and buying cars

Middle class people felt more jealous when their friend bought the same car; working-class people enjoyed the similarity

Middle-class, gifts, and personal choices

Middle-class people prefer the object they chose themselves and working-class people prefer the object they are given

Can you place all people from one culture in the same category?

No

How does the American south differ from the rest of the country?

They are more interdependent and more tolerant of quirks and deviant behavior

How do situations affect people's independent/interdependent behavior?

A differing situation can change a person's behavior, and they may become individualistic or collectivist

What two factors influence a culture's leaning toward independence or interdependence?

How income is earned and association with kin

How does income source influence independence/interdependence?

Interdependence comes when income is earned through cooperation, like large-scale agriculture

Independence comes when people can earn a living on their own

Do all countries fall into one certain economic condition?

No

Differing economic conditions in a country

Differing economic conditions within one country can create regions with different social orientations

Why are southern Chinese more interdependent than Northern Chinese?

South China cultivates mostly rice, which requires a lot of cooperation, but North China grows mostly wheat, which can be done with less reliance on cooperation.

How does relationship to kin affect social orientation?

depends on how dependent complex social relations are with family,

What type of dependent social relations exist?

extended families, clans, and tribes

Where are clans, tribes, and extended families found?

Social relations of this kind are most common in East Asia and the Mediterranean Basin

Which parts of Italy are more interdependent?

Southern and Central Italy have more family relations and are more interdependent than Northern Italy

How do societies deal with rules?

Some societies have tight, heavily enforced rules while other societies have a looser structure

Examples of tight cultures and loose cultures

Germany and China are tight cultures, while the USA and Australia are loose

American variation when it comes to rules

South tends to be much tighter than the rest of the country

Why do societies sometimes get tighter on rules?

when they are under threat from sources like frequent invasion, natural disasters, and chronic food scarcity

Gender roles of hunter-gatherer societies

typically involve males hunting and females gathering, but they are actually very gender-egalitarian and leaders typically have little power over the rest of the group

Which cultures are very gender-egalitarian?

Many western cultures, like northwestern europe and Scandinavia, are very gender-egalitarian

What are the most common romantic relationship practices around the world?

Serial Monogamy and polygyny(one man with several wives)