Social Psychology Exam 2

Components of attitudes

Affective (emotions)

behavioral

cognitive (thoughts)

Cognitive component of attitude

based on knowledge and beliefs about a person, object, or idea

Affective component of attitude

evaluation based on emotions (not rational, can arise from sensory or aesthetic reaction)

affective component of attitude can arise from this

classical conditioning

classical conditioning

the feeling you have toward an emotional stimulus will transfer to a previously neutral stimulus if the two are repeatedly paired

emotions and attitudes over time

more emotional an attitude → more persistent/stubborn the attitude

attitudes more stubborn when they are

negative

do people overestimate or underestimate the role of emotions in attitude stability?

underestimate

attitude and behavior study

attitude: beliefs about personality

behavior: confronting an instance of prejudice

explicit attitudes

evaluations that we consciously endorse (awareness) and can easily report

implicit attitudes

evaluations that are outside of conscious awareness

inferring attitudes based on stimuli

association w positive stimuli → infer positive attitude

association w negative stimuli → infer negative attitude

LaPlere 1934

expect expressions of anti-Asian prejudice/discrimination against the group but in reality only 1 or 251 establishments displayed discriminatory behaviors. Afterward, a survey found that 90% of these establishments said they would not serve a Chinese customer.

Shows that the prejudice is there but that behavior was inconsistent w attitudes.

motivations behind self-reported attitudes

self-image concern → i dont want this other person to think im racist

core value concern → it is really important for me not to be a racist person

factors that help us predict behavior

strength of the attitude

subjective norms

perceived ability to perform the behavior

more extreme attitudes have what effect on predicting behavior?

more likely to predict behavior

norms

beliefs about how others will view the behavior

if i believe others will see the behavior positively, i am more likely to do it

if i believe others will see the behavior negatively, i am less likely to do it

Tropp et al

correlation between peer norms and personal interest in cross-race relationships

the more likely friends were to want to engage in cross-race friendships, the more likely the individuals were to want to engage in cross-race friendships themselves

ability to perform a behavior

if it is easier, we are more likely to do it

are implicit attitudes fixed or dynamic?

dynamic

are implicit or explicit attitudes more persuasive for an individual?

explicit attitudes more persuasive - often override implicit attitudes

why are implicit attitudes important?

they may influence behavior unconsciously

attitudes and behavior

implicit attitudes → nonverbal behavior

explicit attitudes → verbal behavior

Elaboration Likelihood Model

2 ways persuasive messages can cause attitude change (central route, peripheral route)

central route

based on the quality of the arguments (high elaboration/thought)

peripheral route

based on the factors other than the issue at hand (low elaboration/thought)

central route requires ______ and __________ in order for people to pay attention to the arguments

motivation and ability to pay attention

Motivation to pay attention to an argument depends on…

how relevant to the self an issue is

Speech study

found that when arguments were stronger and more personally relevant, students tended to agree with them more

Distraction study

found that distraction interferes with the systematic processing of an argument. because participants could not pay attention to what they were reading, they were more likely to just agree with what was being said

peripheral factors that influence persuasion

attractiveness of the presenter

length of communication

how they are feeling in the moment

persuasion through the __________ route is more likely to last

central

when motivation or attention is low, ___________ route works best for persuasion

peripheral

Ads and PSAs often use _____ as a persuasion tactic

fear

Fear increases _________ and ________________________

motivation and relevance to the self

heuristic

a mental shortcut that helps us make judgments quickly and efficiently

Emotions may act as __________ by putting us in good/bad moods prior to decision making

heuristics

In a positive mood, people are more likely to…

believe a claim that may or may not be true

incorporate misleading info into their memory of an event

Goal

maintain existing attitude and/or resist adopting a new attitude

Goal pursuit requires _____________

self-control

Polar bear study

limited resources → less self control → higher agreement with policy

attitude inoculation

small attacks on people’s beliefs enable them to counteract subsequent larger attacks and thus resist persuasion

conformity

a change in behavior to more closely align with other’s behavior that happens in response to real or imagined influence from others

informational social influence

aligning our behavior with others’ because we are unsure of the “right” behavior in a situation

normative social influence

aligning our behavior with others’ because we want to be liked or accepted by them

private acceptance

conforming because you genuinely believe that what others are doing/saying is right

public compliance

conforming without believing that what others are doing/saying is right (going with the flow)

accuracy motive relates to which kind of conforming?

informational social influence

the more important the decision is…

the more we will look to others for information

eyewitness study results

people conformed their memories more with policemen than electricians - shows that expertise increases persuasion

normative social influence

aligning our behavior with others’ because we want to be liked or accepted by them

conforming according to self-esteem motive is due to which kind of influence?

normative social influence

why do people seek approval from others

to gain acceptance and avoid rejection, ridicule, or punishment

asch line judgement studies

unambiguous situation, obvious what the correct answer is

shows public compliance - when no one else gave the right answer, the participant was likely to conform to not look dumb

when another person gave the right answer, participant was less likely to comply to the wrong answer because someone else agreed so there is less risk of rejection

external validity - asch line study

suffers because the study takes place in a highly controlled environment - lacks psychological realism

social norms

rules that a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members

more likely to comply to normative social when…

the group is important to us

we do not have allies in the group

injunctive norms

behavior we think other people approve or disapprove of

we think we will be rewarded for performing normative behaviors

we think we will be punished when we perform non-normative behavior

descriptive norms

how we think other people actually behave, regardless of whether the behavior is approved or disapproved by others

helps us learn which behaviors are effective/useful/adaptive in a context

foot in the door technique

getting people to first agree to a small request makes them more likely to agree later to a second, larger request

effective because it avoids dissonance and demonstrates agreeability

door in the face technique

first asking people for a large request that they will probably refuse makes them more likely to agree later to a second, smaller request

second request seems more trivial than initial request, reciprocity

milgrim study - why did people obey?

normative social influence - experimenter would disapprove & no allies present

informational social influence - confusing/crisis situation, the experimenter is an expert

milgrim study - why do people keep obeying?

sticking to the “obey authority” norm

foot in the door: incremental shocks

not feeling responsible for their own behavior because someone else is guiding it

loneliness associated with risk of…

physical decline among older adults

strong social relationships…

improves health and increases longevity

does physical attractiveness matter?

yes - more for men than women

halo effect

we tend to assume that an individual with one positive characteristic also possesses other positive characteristics

“what is beautiful is good” stereotype

we associate attractiveness with positive qualities that have nothing to do with looks

cultural norms and attractive qualities

individualist cultures value those qualities and are more likely to associate it with attractiveness, whereas collectivist cultures will associate qualities associated with collectivism with attractive people

what is most important to men vs women when forced to answer

men - physical attractiveness

women - social status

why do men value physical attractiveness?

cues to fertility

why do women value social status?

compensating for lower status relative to men

similarity and attraction

people who are similar tend to develop romantic relationships with each other

speed dating results

not usually an alignment between what participants thought they wanted and who they actually preferred

with romantic partners, people prefer those who are picky

with platonic partners, people prefer those who like everybody

association between actual similarity and romantic liking

r = 0.005 → indicates that it is not a good predictor of romantic liking

association between perceived similarity and romantic liking

r = 0.75 → indicates that it is a better predictor of romantic liking

which factors do we tend to be most similar with our partners?

cognitive (education level, IQ)

social attitudes (political preferences, religion)

substance use

on which dimensions do we tend to be less similar to our partners?

personality (extraversion)

physical (BMI)

importance of similarity

lower likelihood of conflict

our views/opinions are validated

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to something leads to a greater liking of that thing (leads to comfort, predictability)

communal relationship norms

feeling responsible for meeting each others’ needs

sharing common identity

give and receive according to who has greater need in the moment

exchange relationship norms

feel little responsibility for the other person

equity - the more you give, the more you get

reciprocity - what you receive is about equal to what you give

theories relating to relationship satisfaction

social exchange theory and equity theory

social exchange theory

weighing the costs and benefits of a relationship to decide what gives us the most value

rewards people might experience in a relationship

social connection, enjoying partner’s personality, expanded social network

costs people might experience in relationships

partner’s annoying habits, compromising on how you spend time/resources

comparisons that take place in social exchange theory

compare your relationship to previous/other people’s relationships, compare your relationship with one person to a relationship with another person

equity theory

the rewards and costs that I experience in a relationship should match the rewards and costs my partner experiences in the relationship

without equity…

one person over-benefits, one person under-benefits

what determines who we become friends with?

similarity AND proximity

interdependence

extent to which one person’s behavior and characteristics influences another’s

selectivity in friendships

friendships are less selective than romantic partnerships in terms of status, intelligence, and physical attractiveness

maintaining friendships

self-disclosure → allows you to build trust

giving and receiving support → deepens connection

inclusion of other in the self

how much do we feel like someone else is close to us/a part of us

companionate love

feelings of intimacy and affection we have for someone that are not accompanied by passion or arousal

passionate love

intense longing we feel for a person accompanied by arousal

Sternberg’s triangular theory of love includes…

intimacy

passion

commitment

intimacy

closeness and connectedness

passion

physical attraction

commitment

dedication over time