MCAT Behaviorial Sciences - Social Interaction

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Social statuses

perceived positions in society that are used to classify individuals; often exist in relation to others

ascribed status

status given involuntarily (usually at birth), due to such factors as race, ethnicity, sex, and family background

achieved status

status that is gained as a result of one’s efforts or choices

master status

status by which a person is most identified; typically the most important status the individual holds; affects all aspects of that person’s life; generally how people view themselves; often holds a symbolic value

status set

all the statuses a person holds

pigeonholing

view individuals only through the lens of their master status, without regard to any other personal characteristics

roles

sets of beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that define expectations for those who hold the status

Role performance

carrying out of behaviors associated with a given role; vary in success; can change depending on the social situation and context of the interaction

role partner

person with whom one is interacting while performing roles

role set

various roles associated with a status

Role conflict

difficulty in satisfying the requirements or expectations of multiple roles

role strain

difficulty in satisfying multiple requirements of the same role

Role exit

dropping of one identity for another

(social) group

consists of two or more people who share any number of similar characteristics as well as a sense of unity; as size increases, trades intimacy for stability; common characteristics shared include values, interests, ethnicity, social background, family ties, and political representation

dyad

social group of two people

triad

social group of three people

conflicts

negative social interactions that sprout from the relationships within and between groups; discrimination, persecution, oppression, and war

in-group

social group with which a person experiences a sense of belonging or identifies as a member

out-group

a social group with which an individual does not identify

group conflict

Out-groups can sometimes compete with or oppose in-groups; caused by out-group dislike or in-group favoritism

peer group

group that consists of self-selected equals associated by similar interests, ages, or statuses

family group

not self-selected but determined by birth, adoption, and marriage; joins members of various ages, genders, and generations through emotional ties; may struggle with cultural gaps and social differences between generations, such as speaking in different languages

reference group

groups that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves

primary group

interactions between members of the group are direct with close bonds; warm, personal, and intimate relationships; often last a long period of time

ex. core circle of friends, a tightly knit family

secondary group

interactions are impersonal and businesslike with few emotional bonds; goal of accomplishing a specific purpose; typically last for a short period of time; form and dissolve without any special significance

ex. students working together on a group project

Gemeinschaft

community; groups unified by feelings of togetherness due to shared beliefs, ancestry, or geography

ex. families, neighbourhoods

Gesellschaft

society; less personal groups that are formed out of mutual self-interests working together toward the same goal

ex. companies, countries

Interaction process analysis

technique for observing, classifying, and measuring the interactions within small groups

system for multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG)

based on the belief that there are three fundamental dimensions of interaction

• dominance vs. submission

• friendliness vs. unfriendliness

• instrumentally controlled vs. emotionally expressive

group conformity

individuals are compliant with the group’s goals, even when the group’s goals may be in direct contrast to the individual’s goal conform in an attempt to fit in and be accepted by the group

Groupthink

related to group conformity and occurs when members focus on reaching a consensus at the cost of critical evaluation of relevant information

network

the observable pattern of social relationships among individuals or groups; determined by mapping the interactions between individual units, the nature of which can be highly variable

network redundancy

overlapping connections with the same individual

Network analysis

gain understanding of the actions of individuals and groups and to study the broader social structure

Immediate networks

dense with strong ties

distant networks

looser and contain weaker ties

organizations

complex secondary groups that are set up to achieve specific goals and are characterized by having a structure and a culture

ex. schools, companies, music groups, sports teams, fraternities and sororities, political organizations, community action committees, and so on

formal organization

explicit goals that guide the members and their activities; developed during the Industrial Revolution as a way to maximize efficiency; enforcement procedures that seek to control the activities of their members; characterized by the hierarchical allotment of formal roles or duties to members

characteristic institution

basic organization of society

prehistoric times = kin, clan, or sib

modern times = bureaucracy

bureaucracy

rational system of political organization, administration, discipline, and control; often slow to change; less efficient than other organizations

1. paid, nonelected officials on a fixed salary

2. officials who are provided rights and privileges as a result of making their careers out of holding office

3. regular salary increases, seniority rights, and promotions upon passing exams or milestones

4. officials who enter the organization by holding an advanced degree or training

5. responsibilities, obligations, privileges, and work procedures rigidly defined by the organization

   1. responsibility for meeting the demands of one’s position

iron law of oligarchy

democratic or bureaucratic systems naturally shi to being ruled by an elite group due to necessity of a core body of individuals to carry out the day-to-day activities of the organization, increased need for specialization, and leadership characteristics of certain members of the group

McDonaldization

shift in focus toward efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control in societal practices

self-presentation

the process of displaying ourselves to society both visually (through clothing, grooming, etc.) and through our actions, oen to make sure others see us in the best possible light

basic model of emotional expression

emotional expression involves a number of components: facial expressions, behaviors, postures, vocal changes, and physiological changes; consistent with theories on evolution and should be similar across cultures; Charles Darwin

appraisal model

biologically predetermined expressions once an emotion is experienced, but that there is a cognitive antecedent to emotional expression

social construction model

assumes that there is no biological basis for emotions. Instead, based on experiences and the situational context alone; certain emotions can only exist within social encounters and that emotions are expressed differently and play different roles across cultures

display rules

Cultural expectations of emotions; govern which emotions can be expressed and to what degree; may differ as a function of the culture, gender, or family background of an individual

emotional expression management

• simulating feelings one does not actually feel

• qualifying, amplifying, or deamplifying feelings

• masking an emotion with another emotion

  • neutralizing any emotional expression whatsoever

cultural syndrome

shared set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, values, and behaviors among members of the same culture that are organized around a central theme; influence the rules for expressing or suppressing emotions and can even influence the ways emotions are experienced

Impression management

our attempts to influence how others perceive us by regulating or controlling information we present about ourselves in social interactions

authentic self

who the person actually is, including both positive and negative attributes

ideal self

who we would like to be under optimal circumstances

tactical self

who we market ourselves to be when we adhere to others’ expectations of us

Self-disclosure

Giving information about oneself to establish an identity

Managing appearances

Using props, appearance, emotional expression, or associations with others to create a positive image

Ingratiation

Using flattery or conforming to expectations to win someone over

Aligning actions

Making questionable behavior acceptable through excuses

Alter-casting

Imposing an identity onto another person

dramaturgical approach

the metaphor of a theatrical performance to describe how individuals create images of themselves in various situations

front stage self

persona they present to an audience; adapt depending on the social situation

back stage self

persona adopted when not in a social situation and there is no concern about upholding the performance of a desired public image

Me

part of self that is developed through interaction with society

I

individual’s own impulses

generalized other

based on a person’s established perceptions of the expectations of society

Communication

ability to convey information by speech, writing, signals, or behavior; foundation of social interaction; used to elicit changes, generate action, create understanding, share a point of view, or inform

Effective communication

when the desired message is received by the recipient

Verbal communication

transmission of information via the use of words, whether spoken, written, or signed

Nonverbal communication

how people communicate, intentionally or unintentionally, without words

ex. facial expressions, tone of voice, body position and movement, touches, and eye positioning

Animal communication

any behavior of one animal that affects the behavior of another; convey information such as emotions, intent, status, health, and the location of resources

ex. body language, rudimentary facial expressions, visual displays, scents, vocalizations

Communication between humans and animals

both verbal and nonverbal communication

ex. pets - vocal commands, tone, look, gesture, body language; Koko - sign language