SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (txtbk defs) (w.i.p)

study of your mind and behavior with other people.

ATTRIBUTIONS: Internal and External

Inferences that people draw about the causes of events and behaviors

Internal: ascribe the causes of behavior to personal traits, abilities, and feelings - personal

External: ascribe causes of behavior to situational demands and environmental factors - situational

Actor vs Observer

Actor: person performing the behavior

Observer: person watching/judging the actor’s behavior

Biases

Fundamental attribution error: observer’s bias favoring internal attributions when explaining other’s behaviour

→ actors favor external attributions when explaining OTHER’S behaviour

→ observers favor internal

Self-serving bias: tendency to explain successes with INTERNAL and failures with EXTERNAL

Stereotypes

Widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics and ways of behaving due to them being part of a certain group

Illusionary correlation: occurs when people estimate that they have encountered more confirmation of an association between social traits than they have actually seen

Evolutionary perspective:

• ingroup: group that one belongs to and identifies with

• outgroup: opp of ingroup

Individualism vs. Collectivism 

Cultures vary in this aspect

Individualism: personal goals above group goals

Collectivism: group goals above personal goals

→ collectivist cultures less prone to fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias

Attraction (Factors)

Matching hypothesis: people of about the same physical attractiveness are likely to be together 

Attraction (perspectives)

• passionate vs companionate love

• The adult attachment process mimics that of infancy

• traits sought transcend culture - societies vary in emphasis on romantic love as a factor needed for marriage

Evolution: mating, offspring etc.

Attitudes (components)

Cognitive component: beliefs that people hold about an object

Affective component: emotional feelings stimulated by an object of thought

Behavioral component: predispositions to behave in certain ways towards an object

Attitudes (dimensions)

Attitude strength: how strongly attitudes are held - resistant to change and durable over time

Attitude accessibility: how often + quickly an attitude is thought of

Attitude ambivalence: the level of conflict one feels about a certain attitudes

Explicit: attitudes that are held consciously and can be readily described

Implicit: attitudes that are ‘beneath the surface’ and are expressed subtly automatically. little conscious control.

Attitudes (trying to change)

Persuasion and likeability (source)

Two-sided arguments, fear appeal and repetition (message)

Forewarning and strong attitudes (receiver)

Conformity and Obedience 

Both are terms when thinking about ‘yielding to others’.

Group Behaviour

Bystander effect: due to the diffusion of responsibility, people in groups are less likely to help.

Productivity ↓ when in groups - lose of coordination and social loafing

Group polarization: group shifts

Prejudice

Negative attitude towards a group

• attributional bias: assuming someone's actions are because of their disposition can contribute to prejudice

• often gained from OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING and maintained through OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Realistic Group Conflict Theory states groups have to compete for limited resources (like jobs or money), and hence creates prejudice.

Discrimination

The actual treatment of other groups unfairly

• Blatant racial stereotypes are less common now, but they still show up as more automatic, subtle racism.

• Discrimination comes from both putting down other groups (outgroup derogation) and favoring your own (ingroup favouritism).