Social Psychology Quiz

attribution theory

attribution theory

theory that we tend to give a casual explanation for someone’s behavior, often creating either the situation or the person’s disposition (character)

situational attribution

the context around their behavior (ex: the person who cut you off in traffic is in a rush)

dispositional attribution

this is who they are / personality (ex: the person who cut you off in traffic doesn’t care about other people)

fundamental attribution error

when observing others, we tend to overestimate the role of dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors

actor-observer bias

the tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational causes but that of others to internal ones (how we view ourselves)

what is the difference between the FAE and the AOB

FAE is what we do to other people

AOB is what we do to ourselves

self-serving bias

readiness to perceive oneself favorably (people accept responsibility for good behaviors and successes while attributing bad behaviors and failures to situations)

third person effect

the belief that others are more easily influenced than yourself (effects of advertising upon our peers, yet denying that they affect us)

central route persuasion

one way we change attitudes or beliefs by creating an argument that is directly related to the argument itself —> creates durable change in opinions for others

(difficult to do, yet more worthwhile)

peripheral route persuasion

another way we change attitudes or beliefs by creating an argument that is NOT central to the argument itself —> quick results but not durable

(easy, but less worthwhile)

foot in the door phenomenon

getting someone to agree to a smaller task then they are more likely to agree to a larger request

door in the face phenomenon

making a large request that will likely be declined, but then get them to agree to a smaller thing

conformity (Solomon Asch)

adjusting our behavior to coincide with a group standard (CONSCIOUS act)

changing behavior to fit the standard

the chameleon effect / automatic mimicry

UNCONSCIOUS mirroring or mimicking postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, and other behaviors to match the people we’re with

what is the difference between conformity and the chameleon effect?

conformity = conscious

chameleon effect = unconscious

what did Solomon Asch study?

conformity - Asch Line Test

what are the things that strengthen conformity?

• the group is unanimous

• participant feels insecure or incompetent

• the group is at least three people

• one admires the group’s status

• one had made no prior commitment to a previous answer

• know that they will be observed

• culture values respect for social standards

obedience (Stanley Milgram)

conformity that requires someone telling you what to do - a form of social influence that involves acting on the orders of an authority figure

what did Milgram study?

obedience - Electrical Shock Test

normative social influence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval / fit in or avoid disappointment in order to be liked and accepted by a group

informational social influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality. people assume actions of other in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation.

false consensus effect

an attributional type of cognitive bias where people tend to overestimate the extent to which their opinions, beliefs, preferences, values, and habits are normal and typical to those of others (you believe that more people agree with you than the actual number)

cognitive dissonance (Leon Festinger)

the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs (discomfort caused when your actions and beliefs do NOT match up)

what did festinger study?

cognitive dissonance - paid different amounts to lie about something

ethnocentrism

tendency to see one’s own culture as ‘right’

cultural relativism

cultural practices must are understood in their own historical contexts and terms, as opposed to right or wrong

overt discrimination

open and done in plain sight. EXPLICIT

Covert discrimination

hidden and done undercover. IMPLICIT (can’t place in words)

institutional discrimination (systemic discrimination)

form of discrimination that is typically implicit as it is often overlooked. occurs on a group level and is the collective failure of an organization to provide service to certain groups of people (institution / system upholds certain values that maintain a problem for certain people and not others)

scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone else to blame

other-race effect

tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than the faces of other races (connects to outgrip homogeneity but this is specific to race)

availability heuristic

tendency to form a judgement based on the first thing that comes to mind, usually based on vividness of memories

just world phenomenon

belief that they get what they deserve

(the world is just and therefore people get what they deserve and they deserve what they get)

social exchange theory

idea that our social behavior is an exchange process, which we try to maximize benefits and minimize cost

norms of reciprocity

expectation that people will respond to others depending on how others treat them (can be good or bad behavior)

treat others how you would like to be treated - returning benefits for benefits

social responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those who need their help

social loafing

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable

social facilitation

if you are really good at something… or it is an easy task… you will perform BETTER in front of a group

social impairment

if it is a difficult task or you are not very good at it… you will perform WORSE in front of a group

deindividuation

feel a SENSE of anonymity and become aroused using the sympathetic nervous system - people get swept in a group and lose sense of self

stereotype

a generalized belief about a group of people

prejudice

an unjustifiable, and usually negative attitude, towards a group of people and its members

ingroup

“us”; people with whom we share a common identity

ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own group

outgroup

“them”; people we perceive as different or apart from our group

outgroup homogeneity

the belief that all members of other groups are similar, while members of their in-group are more diverse

discrimination

an unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group and its members (behavior or lack thereof towards a group of people)

mirror image perception

mutual views help by opposing groups where each group sees themselves as the rational, ethical side and the other side as evil, unethical, and aggressive (think of the Spiderman photo)

bystander effect (bystander apathy)

a phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present

what decreases the bystander effect?

• presence of examples helping

• not in a hurry

• victim appears to need / deserve help

• victim is similar to observer

• small town / rural area

• feelings of guilt

• focused on others / not preoccupied

• participants are in a good mood

diffusion of responsibility

whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when others are present because they believe someone else will take responsibility, or has already done so.

(this facilitates the bystander effect AND social loafing)

group polarization

groups tend to make more EXTREME decisions than the individual after speaking with members of their in-group as it strengthens common beliefs

group think

group members suppress their reservations about the ideas supported by the group. they are more concerned with group HARMONY (works in highly cohesive groups)

what increases group think?

• group is very cohesive

• group considers only a few options

• group is insulted from information coming from outside the group

• there is much stress because of great time pressure

• group is dominated by a very directive leader

• group feels invulnerable and immune to criticism

pluralistic ignorance

a phenomenon which occurs when people mistakenly believe that everyone else holds a different opinion than their own. most people in a group may go along with a view they do not agree with, because they incorrectly think that most other people in the group agree with it

(EX: homecoming dinner at a country club)

contact theory

the belief that prejudices can be lessened or eliminated by direct contact between groups

what makes contact theory work best?

both groups have:

• equal standing

• personal interaction

• support of other laws and authority

• superordinate goals

superordinate goals (Muzafer Sherif)

shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation

what did Muzafer Sherif study?

superordinate goals —- summer camp experiment

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases liking of them

self-fulfilling prophecy

a positive / negative prediction that is so powerful that it directly or indirectly leads to the fulfillment of the prediction due to the positive feedback between the belief and the following behavior

stereotype threat (Claude Steele)

when individuals feel they are at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group and subsequently do so

GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction)

strategy designed to decrease international tensions by having one group recognize and admit mutual interests and intent to reduce tensions. this is followed by a small reconciliation gesture which is then reciprocated

social traps

a situation in which the conflicting groups can achieve the best outcome if they put aside their self-interests and pursue what is best for the group. however, most individuals will rarely do this because they will have to burden a small negative effect while the whole group receives all the benefit

equality

the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities

equity

the quality of being fair and impartial

what did Bandura study?

learned behaviors — Bobo Doll experiment

what did Zimbardo study?

situational variables in a person’s behaviors — Stanford Prison Experiment

frustration-aggression principle

due to a blocking of an attempted goal, a person or group will get frustrated and angry, eventually causing aggression

realistic conflict theory

conflict arises when two or more groups are seeking the same scarce resource. this is especially problematic when there is a zero-sum situation or what one side gains, the other side loses (its a win-lose situation)