Psychology: Attitudes, Conformity, Social Influence, and Group Dynamics

Attitude

Affective- emotional, Behavioral- your action, Cognitive- what you think or believe.

Explicit attitudes

Conscious.

Implicit attitudes

Unconscious, automatic attitudes.

Classical Conditioning

Learning by association.

Operant conditioning

Behavior- reward or punishment- shapes your attitude.

Theory of planned behavior

Attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (how easy it feels to do).

Cognitive dissonance

When your thoughts and behaviors don't match up.

External justification

Outside reason for behavior (money).

Internal justification

Changing your own belief to match your behavior when external reason is weak.

Festinger and Carlsmith study

1 dollar group changes their attitude (maybe it was fun) which is internal justification; 20 dollars group didn't- external justification was enough.

Self perception theory

We form attitudes by observing our own behavior, especially when unsure.

Justification of Effort

Working hard for something making you like it more.

Counterattitudinal Behavior

Acting against your private beliefs creates dissonance.

Insufficient Punishment

When mild punishment isn't enough to justify not doing something- you convince yourself you didn't want to anyway.

Self affirmation theory

We reduce dissonance by affirming ourselves in another area.

Self evaluation maintenance theory

We feel tension when someone close to us outperforms us in something we care about.

Elaboration likelihood model

Persuasion.

Central route

Logic, facts, deep thinking, working when people are motivated and able.

Peripheral Route

Superficial cues, works when people are tired or uninterested, temporary change.

Heuristic Systematic Model

Systematic: deep thinking; Heuristics: mental shortcuts.

Attitude Inoculation

Expose people to weak opposing arguments which builds resistance later.

Reactance Theory

When you feel your freedom is threatened, you do the opposite.

Cultural truisms

Widely accepted beliefs few question.

Conformity

Changing behavior or beliefs to match others.

Information social influence

You conform because you think others know better.

Normative social influence

You conform to be liked or accepted.

Private Acceptance

You truly believe the group is right.

Public compliance

You go along publicly but don't privately agree.

Sherifs Autokinetic study

That people conform when they're uncertain — they use others as a source of information to decide what's right.

Asch Line Study

Obvious answer, but people still conformed to group (NSI wanting to fit in)

Milgram Obedience Study

Obedience increased when authors present, gradual escalation, diffused responsibility. Decreased when: others disobeyed, authority not nearby.

Social Impact Theory

Conformity depends on importance of group, closeness, and number of people in group.

Foot in the Door

Start small, get agreement, then ask for more.

Door in the Face

Start big, get rejected, ask for smaller thing.

Social Facilitation

Presence of others improves performance on easy tasks, but hurts performance on difficult tasks. Arousal increases.

Social Loafing

People put in less effort when there is no accountability or individual performance isn't measured.

Deindividuation

Losing self-awareness and restraint in groups; more mentality, online hate, riots.

Groupthink

Desire for harmony overrides critical thinking, leading to bad decisions.

Group Polarization

Group discussion leads to stronger or more extreme positions.

Tragedy of the Commons

Everyone overuses a shared resource, leading to loss for everyone.

Public Goods Dilemma

Everyone benefits, but not everyone contributes; e.g., I don't recycle, but I still get clean air.

Prisoner's Dilemma

Two people choose to cooperate or betray; lack of trust results in both losing.

Robbers Cave Experiment

Boys split into rival groups; hostility grew. Shared goals reduced conflict.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that require cooperation from both sides.

Stereotype

A belief about a group.

Prejudice

Negative feeling toward a group.

Discrimination

Unfair behavior toward a group.

Implicit Bias

Automatic, unconscious prejudice measured by implicit association test.

Explicit Bias

Conscious, openly expressed prejudice.

In-group vs Out-group

In-group is your group; out-group is others (them).

In-group Bias

We favor our group.

Scapegoat Theory

Blaming others when things go wrong.

Realistic Conflict Theory

Limited resources lead to competition and prejudice.

Social Learning of Prejudice

Children learn bias by observing family, culture, and media.

Contact Hypothesis

Prejudice decreases when groups have equal status, share common goals, cooperate, and interact meaningfully.

Symbolic Racism

People deny being racist but express bias in non-racist ways.

Benevolent Sexism

Positive stereotypes that still reinforce inequality.

Modern Prejudice

Subtle, disguised prejudice that appears socially acceptable.

Self Concept

Who you believe you are.

Self Awareness

Focusing attention on yourself.

Self Esteem

How much you value yourself.

Self Regulation

Managing behavior to meet goals.

Self Control

Resisting temptation.

Self Monitoring

Adjusting to fit situations.

Self Presentation

Managing how others see you.

Self Affirmation

Protecting ego after failure.

Self Perception

Learning beliefs from your own behavior.

Self Discrepancy

Gap between actual, ideal, and ought selves.

Self Serving Bias

Credit success and blame failure.

Self Evaluation Maintenance

Dissonance when a friend outperforms you.

Ego Depletion

Overworked so you give up easily.