Social Psych Final

Bystander effect

The tendency for people to be less likely to help when other people are present.

Bystander apathy

Another term for the bystander effect; when people fail to help in emergencies because others are around.

Bystander intervention

When a person notices an emergency, interprets it as serious, takes responsibility, knows how to help, and then acts.

Who studied the bystander effect?

Bibb Latane and John Darley.

Darley and Latane seizure experiment

Participants were less likely to help someone having a seizure when they believed other bystanders were also present, showing diffusion of responsibility.

Diffusion of responsibility

The reduction in personal responsibility that occurs when other people are present.

Pluralistic ignorance

When people look to others for cues and assume there is no emergency because no one else is reacting.

Audience inhibition

Hesitation to help because of fear of embarrassment or fear of doing the wrong thing in front of others.

3 steps that affect bystander helping

Notice the event; interpret it as an emergency; assume personal responsibility.

Why do bystanders fail to help?

Because of diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, and audience inhibition.

When are people more likely to help?

When they are alone, in a good mood, not rushed, feel responsible, clearly see an emergency, or know how to help.

When are people less likely to help?

When many bystanders are present, the situation is ambiguous, they are rushed, distracted, or think someone else will help.

Altruism

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Helping behavior

Any act intended to benefit another person.

Why do people help?

Social exchange theory, social norms, and empathy-altruism.

Social exchange theory

The theory that human interactions aim to maximize rewards and minimize costs; people help when benefits outweigh costs.

Example of social exchange theory

Helping a friend study because it strengthens the friendship and makes you feel good.

Social norms theory

The idea that we help because society teaches moral rules and expectations.

Reciprocity norm

The expectation that we should help those who help us.

Social responsibility norm

The expectation that people should help those who need help, even if they cannot repay us.

Who created the empathy-altruism hypothesis?

C. Daniel Batson.

Empathy-altruism hypothesis

The idea that feelings of empathy for another person can motivate genuinely selfless helping.

What increases helping behavior?

Good mood, guilt, empathy, feeling responsible, similarity, seeing others help, and having time.

Why is helping behavior important?

It strengthens social bonds, promotes cooperation, reduces suffering, and creates a more compassionate society.

Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone.

Hostile aggression

Aggression driven by anger with the goal of hurting someone.

Instrumental aggression

Aggression used as a means to achieve another goal.

Bullying

Repeated aggressive behavior involving a power imbalance where a stronger person intentionally harms a weaker person.

Types of bullying

Physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational/social bullying, and cyberbullying.

Biological theory of aggression

The view that aggression is influenced by genetics, brain processes, hormones, and biochemical factors such as alcohol.

Genes and aggression

Some aggression may be partly inherited through genetic influences.

Neural influences on aggression

Brain systems involved in impulse control and emotion can contribute to aggression.

Biochemical influences on aggression

Hormones like testosterone and substances like alcohol can increase aggression.

Freud's theory of aggression

Freud believed aggression comes from an innate destructive instinct.

What did Freud call the destructive instinct?

Thanatos, or the death instinct.

Problem with Freud's aggression theory

Modern social psychology sees pure instinct theory as too limited to fully explain aggression.

Who created social learning theory?

Albert Bandura.

Bandura's social learning theory

Aggression is learned through observing others, imitating them, and being rewarded for aggressive behavior.

Bobo doll experiment

Children who observed an adult act aggressively toward a Bobo doll were more likely to imitate that aggression.

What does the Bobo doll experiment show?

That aggressive behavior can be learned through observation and modeling.

Evolutionary theory of aggression

Aggression may have evolved because it helped humans compete for resources, defend territory, gain status, and increase reproductive success.

Frustration-aggression theory

The theory that frustration from being blocked from a goal creates anger and can lead to aggression.

Example of frustration-aggression theory

A person who is cut off in traffic becomes angry and yells or drives aggressively.

Who studied obedience to authority?

Stanley Milgram.

Milgram electroshock experiment

Participants believed they were giving electric shocks to a learner when instructed by an authority figure, showing strong obedience to authority.

What did Milgram's study show?

Ordinary people may obey authority figures even when the actions seem harmful.

Main concept of Milgram's study

Obedience to authority.

Who conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Philip Zimbardo.

Zimbardo prison experiment

College students were randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners in a mock prison, showing how social roles and situational power can shape behavior.

What did the Stanford Prison Experiment show?

Social roles, deindividuation, and situational pressure can lead to abusive or submissive behavior.

Main concept of Zimbardo's study

The power of social roles and the situation.

Availability heuristic

A mental shortcut in which people judge how likely something is based on how easily examples come to mind.

Example of availability heuristic

After hearing about plane crashes on the news, people may think flying is more dangerous than it really is.

Schema

A mental framework that organizes and interprets information.

Cognitive schema

A knowledge structure that helps people process and understand social information.

Example of schema

A teacher schema includes expectations that teachers are organized, knowledgeable, and give instructions.

Who created cognitive dissonance theory?

Leon Festinger.

Cognitive dissonance theory

The theory that when attitudes and behaviors conflict, people feel discomfort and are motivated to reduce that discomfort.

Example of cognitive dissonance

A person who knows smoking is unhealthy but continues to smoke may change their attitude to justify the behavior.

Festinger and Carlsmith experiment

Participants did a boring task and were paid either $1 or $20 to say it was interesting; the $1 group later reported liking it more because they had insufficient justification.

What did Festinger and Carlsmith show?

People may change their attitudes to match their behavior when they lack enough external justification.

Attitude

A favorable or unfavorable evaluative reaction toward something or someone.

Behavior

An observable action.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute successes to oneself and failures to outside factors.

Example of self-serving bias

"I got an A because I studied hard, but I failed because the test was unfair."

Self-schema

Beliefs about oneself that organize and guide the processing of self-relevant information.

Self-social schema

A mental framework about the self that influences how we interpret experiences and information.

Example of self-schema

If a person sees themselves as hardworking, they notice information that supports that belief.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A belief that leads to behavior that causes the belief to come true.

Example of self-fulfilling prophecy

If a teacher expects a student to succeed, they may encourage them more, which helps the student actually perform better.

The self

In social psychology, the self is the center of a person's thoughts, feelings, and actions; personal identity.

Ups and downs of love

Social psychology distinguishes between passionate love and companionate love.

Passionate love

An intense emotional state with strong longing, arousal, and attraction, often common early in relationships.

Companionate love

A deep, affectionate attachment based on trust, intimacy, and long-term commitment.

Difference between passionate and companionate love

Passionate love is intense and emotional, while companionate love is stable, trusting, and enduring.

What are the two major helping norms?

Reciprocity norm and social responsibility norm.

Who is more likely to help?

People who are alone, in a good mood, not rushed, empathetic, and who clearly recognize an emergency.

Who is less likely to help?

People in large groups, people who are uncertain, distracted, rushed, or afraid of embarrassment.

Who is Leon Festinger?

The social psychologist who developed cognitive dissonance theory.

Who is Stanley Milgram?

The social psychologist known for the obedience/electroshock experiment.

Who is Philip Zimbardo?

The social psychologist who conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment.

Who is Albert Bandura?

The social psychologist who developed social learning theory and conducted the Bobo doll experiment.

Who are Darley and Latane?

The social psychologists who studied the bystander effect.

Who is C. Daniel Batson?

The social psychologist known for the empathy-altruism hypothesis.

What is the most likely short essay on bystander effect?

Define the bystander effect, explain diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, and audience inhibition, mention Darley and Latane, and give a real-life example.

What is the most likely short essay on altruism?

Define altruism, explain social exchange theory, reciprocity norm, social responsibility norm, and Batson's empathy-altruism hypothesis, then give an example.

What is the most likely short essay on aggression?

Define aggression, distinguish hostile vs instrumental aggression, explain biological, Freudian, Bandura social learning, and evolutionary theories, then connect to bullying.

Short essay structure for social psychology

Define the concept; explain the theory; name the researcher; describe the classic experiment; give a real-life example; conclude why it matters.

Example of bystander effect in real life

If a student collapses in a crowded hallway, people may hesitate because they think someone else will help.

Example of altruism in real life

A student helps a classmate pick up dropped books with no expectation of reward.

Example of aggression in real life

A person insults another after becoming frustrated and angry.

What should you include in a short essay if unsure?

A definition, a researcher name, a classic study, and a real-life example.

What is the "obvious answer" for why bystanders do not help?

Diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, and audience inhibition.

What is the "obvious answer" for why people help?

Social exchange theory, social norms, and empathy-altruism.

What is the "obvious answer" for what causes aggression?

Biological influences, learned behavior through Bandura, frustration, and social/situational influences.

High-yield helping concepts

Altruism, helping behavior, bystander effect, diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, reciprocity norm, social responsibility norm, social exchange theory, empathy-altruism.

High-yield aggression concepts

Aggression, hostile aggression, instrumental aggression, bullying, biological theory, Freud's instinct theory, Bandura's social learning theory, evolutionary theory, frustration-aggression.

High-yield classic studies

Milgram obedience study, Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment, Bandura Bobo doll experiment, Darley and Latane bystander studies, Festinger and Carlsmith cognitive dissonance study.