Social Psych Ch. 3 - The Self

Describe primary parts of the self

self concept: knowledge, awareness, esteem, deception

public self: reputation, image, presentation, groups, roles

Agent self: control, decision-making, active responding

Describe the ways in which people gain self-knowledge

reflection & introspection

Describe the motives for why people seek self-knowledge

appraisal motive, consistency motive, and self-enhancement

Differentiate false uniqueness and false consensus effect

false uniqueness effect: underestimated commonality of desirable behaviors

false consensus effect: overestimate commonality of undesirable behaviors

What did Nisbett & Wilson (1977) find in their sock study?

participants chose the last sock most often due to a nonconscious preference but explained their choice using incorrect reasons like color or softness.

What did Goldstein & Cialdini (2007) discover about vicarious self-perception?

when people felt a merged identity with someone else (e.g., similar brainwaves), they adopted that person's prosocial behavior as part of their own self-concept—rating themselves as kinder if the other person helped without being paid

In Nussbaum & Dweck (2008), how did beliefs about intelligence influence participants' social comparison behavior after receiving feedback on a test?

participants who believed intelligence is flexible and got negative feedback were more likely to engage in upward social comparisons by choosing to hear from higher-performing peers.

Describe the primary theories of self-esteem

terror management theory protects us from getting anxiety about death

sociometer theory: self-esteem is a “gauge” that tells us if we’re sufficiently being accepted