INTRO TO PSYCH: Exam 4 (final)

Chapters 12, 14, and 15

Social Psychology

the study of we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Attribution Theory

theory that we can explain another’s behavior by crediting the situation or the person’s disposition

Fundamental Attribution Error

the tendency of observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon

the tendency for people who have agree to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Role

set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Central route persuasion

occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments

Norms

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior—norms prescribe “proper” behavior

Tight culture

places with clearly defined and reliably imposed norms

Loose culture

places with flexible and informal norms 

Conformity

adjusting behavior to fit into a group standard

Normative social influence

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

Informative social influence

influence from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Social facilitation

around others performance on simple tasks will improve, and performance on difficult tasks will worsen

Social loafing/diffusion of responsibility

the tendency for people in groups to exert less effort when pooling their efforts towards attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Deindividualization

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint when in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Group polarization

a phenomenon where a group will lead members to adopt more extreme positions than what they individually believed before discussion

Groupthink

a mode of thought that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Just-world phenomenon

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

Ingroup

“us”—people with whom we share a common idenity

Outgroup

“them”—those perceived as different or apart from out ingroup 

Ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group

Scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Other-race effect

tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races.

Frustration-aggression principle

the idea that frustration creates anger, which can generate aggression

Social script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Mere exposure effect

the tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them

Passionate love

an aroused state of intense positive absorptio in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship

Companionate love

deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Self-disclosure

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander effect

the tendency of a person to be less likely to give aid if other people are present 

Social exchange theory

theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Reciprocity norm

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

Social-responsibility norm

an expectation that those will help those needing their help

Social trap

a situation where two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Mirror-image perceptions

mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Superordinate goals

shared goals that override difference among people and require their cooperation

What are the influences on behavior?

Social expectations, internal beliefs, situational pressures

Evaluation apprehension

the fear someone feels when they think they are being judged or evaluated by others

Mere-presences

the presence of other leads us to be more alert or on edge

What are the ABC’s of attitude?

A- affect

B- behavior

C- cognition 

Psychological disorder

a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individuals cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior

Medical model

the concept that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treaded, and in most cases cured

Epigenetics

the study of molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression

Anxiety disorders

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety 

Generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder where a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

Panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and other physical symptoms

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts, actions, or both

Cognitive Dissonance (tension)

the perceptual incongruity that occurs when there is a contradiction between two attitudes or between an attitude and a behavior

Ex. Doing something you are morally against and feeling bad after it

What do we do to relieve cognitive dissonance?

make excuses about why we did it

Ex. “I did that because I stubbed my toe and it hurt”

What are the choices in cognitive dissonance?

1. Change the behavior (Ex. stop smoking)

2. Change the attitude (Ex. “at least it is not vaping!”)

Post decisional dissonance

the tension/discomfort after making a decision, especially if it was hard to make—relieved by justifying why the choice was made.

Ex. Chose UW Stevens Point because it was cheaper than UW Madison

Stereotype

thoughts about a specific group is like—cognitive

Ex. “Girls are emotional”

Prejudice

evaluation or feeling about a particular group—affect

Discrimination

behaviors based on a group membership

Ex. Not giving someone a job based on their race

Stereotype knowledge

the stereotypes that we know exist

Stereotype endorsement

whether or not you believe in the stereotype

Implicit stereotypes

stereotypes that are unconscious and formed/ learned early on

Explicit stereotypes

conscious beliefs, things you would say out loud

Intergroup Attitudes

people tend to value their own group over another group

Ex. “Girls rule, boys drool!”

Asch Conformity Study

presented people with a test line and then had them choose which out of two other lines is equal to the test line and actors also in the group will all give a different answer

Milgram’s Obedience study

testing if people were told to give a shock to another person based on if they got a question wrong if they were told to do so—60% of participants made it to the end regardless of actor begging for help

Darley and Latane’s study of bystander effect

had group interviews that were conducted in different rooms while on the phone and one of the participants mention they have epilepsy and later on “have” a seizure—see how long it takes them to get help, and if it was longer if there were more people on the call

Stanford Prision Experiment

assigned people randomly into guard role or prisoner role—got very violent and out of control, guards were abusive to prisoners solely because they had power over them

Factors that are important in forming relationships

proximity, physical attractiveness, similarity, reciprocity

Why is physical attractiveness important in forming relationships?

people like others who are like them, and insecurity would ruin the relationship if the partner was more attractive than themselves

Why is similarity important in forming relationships?

if they do not have any similarities there will most likely be disagreements and no basis for conversation

Why is reciprocity important in forming relationships?

if only one person puts in effort, they will eventually pull back and no longer be around the other.
Ex. Always asking a friend to hangout, but they never ask you, eventually you give up and rarely see the person

What makes a psychological disorder?

1. Does it cause a lot of personal suffering

2. Does it prevent you from performing everyday activities (Ex. cannot hold a job due to it)

David Rosenhan’s “On Being Sane in Insane Places”

study of how people are treated after a diagnosis—mentally healthy people sent to institutions saying they are hearing voices and after being diagnosed with schizophrenia they stop all symptoms

What were the results of the “On being Sane in Insane Places”

staff did not notice the change in behavior but patients did, staff saw the people as their diagnosis rather than what they were actually—all released with “schizophrenia in remission”, after an average of 19 days

Specific phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific thing

Ex. fear of spiders, snakes, or heights

Illness anxiety disorder

a disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease—-formally called hypochondriasis

Ex. “My fingers are tingling, I’m having a heart attack!”

major depressive disorder

when a person experiences five or more symptoms and at least one of which must be depressed mood or loss of interest for 2+ weeks

bipolar disorders

group of disorders where a person alternates between hopelessness of depression to the overexcited state of mania

mania

a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common

Rumination

compulsive fretting, or overthinking

Schizophrenia

a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression.

Psychotic disorders

group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality

Delusion

a false belief that may accompany psychotic disorders

Chronic Schizophrenia

a form of the disorder where symptoms usually appear by late adolescence/early adulthood—-as people with this disorder age the episodes may last longer and recovery periods may shorten

Acute Schizophrenia

a form of this disorder that can begin at any age (usually happening after a traumatic event) and recovery is much more likely

Dissociative disorders

controversial, rare disorders where conscious awareness becomes separated from pervious memories, thoughts, and feelings

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

a rare disorder where a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities

Personality disorders

inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

Antisocial personality disorder

a disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lock of conscience for doing wrong even towards them close to themselves

Anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder where a person (usually adolescent females) starves themselves despite being underweight, may have inaccurate self-perception

Bulimia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating is followed by inappropriate weight-loss-promoting behavior (vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise)

Binge-eating disorder

significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt without the behavior that follows bulimia nervosa

Neurodevelopmental disorders

central nervous system abnormalities that start in childhood and alter thinking and behavior

Intellectual disability

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an IQ test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life

Autism Spectrum disorder

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by limitations in communication/social interaction, and by fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD)

a disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

Psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

biomedical therapy

prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology

eclectic approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

Resistance

in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material

Interpretation

in psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting of supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight