Unit 4 Psych Notes

social psychology

The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts, examining how social influences affect interactions and group dynamics.

social cognition

The processes by which people understand and make sense of others and themselves in social situations.

social influence

how we are influenced and how we change because of others in social situations

social behavior

the way that we act in certain situations

attribution theory

A concept in social psychology that explains how individuals infer the causes of their own and others' behavior, typically ascribing them to internal dispositions or external situations.

dispositional attribution

a judgment that attributes behavior to internal characteristics or traits, such as personality or attitude.

they failed because they were lazy and didn’t study

situational attribution

a judgment that attributes behavior to external factors or circumstances, such as the environment or social context.

they failed because the test was hard

fundamental attribution error

The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behaviors.

when you do bad in class and your teacher assumes you are lazy but you have a loved one battling a disease

attitude

a learned tendency to evaluate things in a certain way, which can affect behavior and responses.

first impressions affect the way you view the person the next time

peripheral route persuasion

A method of persuasion that relies on superficial cues and emotional appeals rather than logical arguments or the strength of the message.

watching Nixon v. Kennedy debates and assuming Kennedy won because he looked better

central route persuasion

A method of persuasion that involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the true merits of the information presented, often leading to more enduring attitude change.

listening to Nixon v. Kennedy and assuming Nixon won because he had more convincing arguments

foot-in-the-door phenomnon

a persuasive technique that involves getting a person to agree to a small request first, which increases the likelihood of them agreeing to a larger request later.

ask to go to the store and get eggs and then you go out and get food because you are already out

door-in-the face phenomenon

a persuasive technique that involves making a large request that is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request.

ask someone to buy you a cake and when they say no you ask for a cookie and they are more likely to say yes

cognitive dissonance theory

a psychological phenomenon where individuals experience discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes, prompting them to change one of the beliefs to reduce the dissonance

Leon Festinger

someone who knows smoking is bad for them so they say they only do it in social setting

zimbardo’s prison experiment

A psychological study conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971, which investigated the effects of perceived power and authority in a simulated prison environment, leading to surprising and unethical behaviors from participants

Stanford, dorm was a prison and the guards began to take their jobs too seriously, Zimbardo took his job as warden too seriously

some were kind, some were tough but fair, some were cruel

prisoners were cracking had to end experiment after 6 days

This study revealed how situational forces can influence behavior, demonstrating the ease with which ordinary people can engage in cruelty when given power.

conformity

the tendency to alter one's behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs to match those of others, often in response to real or imagined social pressures.

normative social influence

conforming for acceptance

informational social influence

conforming because you believe all of the other people are right

solomon asch line study

A series of experiments led by Solomon Asch in the 1950s, demonstrating the impact of group pressure on individual judgment and conformity. Participants were asked to match line lengths while being influenced by incorrect answers from others.

milgram’s experiment

• The “learners” would attempt to remember a series of paired words. The “teachers” would provide electric shocks to the “learners” when they did not correctly matched pairs

  • Milgram walked the teacher through the details of the shock generator and gave them a sample shock

• key- learners were actors there was no shock given to the learner

  • Milgram told them to keep administering the shock 

• The teachers would continue to listen to Milgrim even if the learners screamed and begged them to stop

  • we listen to authority

  • The teachers suffered a lot of emotional damage, this was not an ethical experiment 

social facilitation

stronger responses on simple or well learned task in presence of authority

social loafing

tendency for people in group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal bc they are not accountable

deindividuation

loss of self awareness and self restraint when in a group

after Eagles win whole fan base goes crazy on the towng

group polarization

enhancement of group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the groups

if you are more right wing and you live in Pburg it will enhance your views

groupthink

mode of thinking that occurs when desire for harmony in decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

NASA Challanger

prejudice

unjustifiable and negative attitude toward a group and its members, generally involves stereotypes, negative feelings, and predisposition to be discriminatory

people assume kid with rec specs is bad at sport

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Coach not picking someone for team bc of their rec specss

stereotype

generalized (sometimes accurate) belief about a group of people

belief that Jewish people are good at finance

ingroup

“Us” the people you share a common identity

outgroup

them- those who are different or not in our in group

ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own group

scapegoat theory

prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany’s problems

just-world phenomenon

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

karma

aggression

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

frustration-aggression principle

the principle that frustration (the blocking of an attempt to achieve a goal) creates anger which will generate the aggression

conflict

perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social trap

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

coal mines ruin your health and the environment but are pursued by workers and owners for money

mere exposure effect

the phenomenon the repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases the idea of liking them

passionate love

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

companionate love

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

equity

a condition in which people receive what they put into the relationship

self disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of yourself to others

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

tendency for a bystander to be less likely to give aid the more that there are other bystanders present

Kitty Genovese was attacked, raped, stabbed, with 37 witnesses and no one helped or called the police

social exchange theory

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

you help those who help you, don’t lend money to those you know won’t give it back

reciprocity norm

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

social responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those who need their help

superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation

graduated and reciprocated initiatives in Tension-Reduction (GRIT)

a strategy designed to decrease international tensions

negotiations being made for ceasefire in Ukraine

instinct theory

motivated by inborn automated behavior

motivated by food, sleep

drive reduction theory

motivated by biological needs

want to maintain homeostasis, have a drive to get it if you don’t have it

primary drive

survival, shelter, warmth

secondary drive

fame, wealth, acceptance

arousal threat

motivated to seek optimal level of arousal

yerkes-dodson law

performance increases with arousal but only up to a point

• some stress of anxiety is good but after a certain point it causes burnout

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

pyramid for our needs from most essential at bottom to highest level of needs

order of hierarchy of needs

psychological (hunger and thirst), safety needs (predictable, safe), belongingness and love (need love and need acceptance), esteem needs (achievement, competence, respect for others), self actualization (live to the fullest potential)

motivation of hunger

things in our body make us hunger and our stomach contracts

where do hunger signals come from

hypothalamus

lateral hypothalamus

stimulated makes you hungry, if it was lesioned you might never be hungry again

ventromedial hypothalamus

when stimulated you feel, if lesioned you might always be hungry

insulin

decreases appetite, controls blood glucose and a lack causes Type 1 Diabetes

leptin

decreases appetite, when abundant increases metabolism, decreases hunger

PYY

decreases appetite, sends I’m not hungry signals to the brain

what hormones decrease appetite

insulin, leptin, PYY

ahrelin

increases appetite, sends “I’m hungry” to the brain

orexin

increases appetitewh, produced by hypothalamus

what hormones increase appetite?

ahrelin, orexin

set point theory

hypothalamus acts like thermostat, wants to maintain a stable weight (can only gain/lose so much)

internal aspects of hunger

eating because you are hungry

external

eating for special occasion

Garcia Effect

taste aversion

culture and hunger

culture plays a role in what we eat

bulimia nervosa

binging and purging

anorexa nervousa

starve to 85% of normal weight

obesity

severely overweight

Kinsey

interviews individuals on sexuality in 50s

Masters and Johnson

watched people have sex to explore physiology

sexual responses cycle

initial excitement, plateau, and resolution/refractory phrase

theory x

work only if rewarded with benefits or threatened with punishments

Theory Y

internally motivated to do good work

approach-approach conflict

outcomes desirable

avoidance-avoidance

two bad outcomes

approach-avoidance

good things and bad things, trade offs

• becoming a doctor has pros and cons

ego

reality principle, negotiations between ID and environment

superego

conscience, difference between right and wrong

ID

pleasure, avoid pain, seek instant gratification

repression

pushing thoughts in unconscious

denial

not accepting threatening truth

displacement

redirecting feelings towards another person or object

bullying

projection

if you hold uncomfy feelings you believe other person is the one who feels that way

in love with ex believe they are still in love w you

reaction formation

express opposite of how you feel

regression

returning to earlier form of self

rationalization

coming up with beneficial result of desirable outcome

intellectualization

unemotional study of the topic

sublimation

channeling frustration towards goal, can be healthy

projective tests

dive into unconsciousness, TAT and inkblot

Inkblot test

most widely used, 10 inkblots

TAT

Thematic Apperception Test

Inferiority complex

Alfred Adler, said childhood is important to personality

behavior driven by efforts to conquer inferiority and feel superior