PSYCH 10 - Social Thinking

Interpersonal Attraction

liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person

golden ratio

1.618:1

self-disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

reciprocal liking

people like others better when they believe the other person likes them

proximity

closeness; can play a factor in attraction to a person

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

amygdala

brain part responsible for assoiating stimuli and their corresponding rewards or punishments

Cognitive neoassociation model

states that we are more likely to respond to others aggressively whenever we are feeling negative emotions, such as being tired, sick, frustrated, or in pain

attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

secure attachment

attachments rooted in trust and marked by intimacy; child is able to go out and explore

insecure attachment

attachments marked by anxiety or ambivalence; can lead to deficits in social skills

avoidant attachment

attachments marked by discomfort over, or resistance to, being close to others

ambivalent attachment

occurs when a caregiver has an inconsistent response to a child's distress, sometimes responding appropriately, sometimes neglectfully; very distressed when caregiver leaves, but mixed response upon their return

disorganized attachment

a type of attachment that is marked by an infant's inconsistent reactions to the caregiver's departure and return

social support

perception or reality that one is cared for by a social network

emotional support

listening, affirming, and empathizing with someone's feelings

esteem support

affirms the qualities and skills of the person

material support; another name?

providing physical or monetary resources to aid a person; tangible support

informational support

providing information that will help someone

network support

providing a sense of belonging to a person

foraging

searching for food

lateral hypothalamus (role in hunger)

promotes hunger

ventromedial hypothalamus (role in hunger)

promotes satiety

mating system

behavior patterns related to how animals mate

polygyny

relationships w/ multiple females

polyandry

relationships w/ multiple males

mate choice

the intersexual selection of a mate based on attraction and traits

mate bias

how choosy members of the species are while choosing a mate

direct benefits

food, nest sites, or protection

indirect benefits

promoting better survival in offspring

5 recognized mechanisms of mate choice

1. phenotypic benefits

2. sensory bias

3. fisherian or runaway selection

4. indicator traits

5. genetic compatibility

phenotypic benefits

observable traits which make someone more attractive

sensory bias

development of a trait to match a preexisting preference that exists in the population

Fisherian/runaway selection

a positive feedback mechanism in which a particular trait that has no effect on survival becomes more and more exaggerated over time

indicator traits

traits that signify overall good health and well-being of an organism, increasing its attractiveness to mates

genetic compatibility

the creation of mate pairs that, when combined, have complementary genetics

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

empathy-altruism hypothesis

the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain

game theory

Evaluates alternate strategies when outcome depends not only on each individual's strategy but also that of others.

evolutionary stable strategy (ESS)

A genetically distinctive set of rules for behavior that when adopted by a certain proportion of the population cannot be replaced by any alternative strategy.

Hawk-Dove game

A game theory model of aggression with one strategy of escalation until it wins or is injuried (Hawk) and another strategy of bluff escalation until it wins or it retreats (Dove).

Hawk-Dove alternatives (describe (-/+) for donor and then recipient)

Altruism: (-/+)

Cooperation: (+/+)

Spite: (-/-)

Selfishness: (+/-)

inclusive fitness

The sum of an individual's own reproductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others.

social perception; another name?

provides the tools to make judgements and impressions regarding other people; social cognition

attributions

people's explanations for why events or actions occur

perceiver

influenced by experience, motives, and emotional state

primacy effect (how it deals w/ social perception)

first impressions are often more important than subsequent impressions

recency effect (how it deals w/ social perception)

opposite of primacy effect

reliance on central traits

the tendency to organize the perception of others based on traits and personal characteristics that matter to the perceiver

implicit personality theory

A type of schema people use to group various kinds of personality traits together

stereotyping

creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people, usually by assuming that all members of the group are alike

halo effect

judgements about a specific aspect of an individual can be affected by one's overall impression of the individual

just-word hypothesis

the assumption that the world is just and that people get what they deserve

self-serving bias

the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors

self-enhancement

the desire to maintain, increase, or protect one's positive self-views

self-verification

the tendency to seek companionship to confirm the self-concept

in-group bias

the tendency to favor one's own group

out-group bias

opposite of in-group bias

attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition

2 types of attribution

dispositional & situational

dispositional (internal) attributions

relate to the features of the person who is being considered

situational (external) attributions

relate to features of the surroundings, such as threats, money, social norms, and peer pressure

consistency cues

refer to the consistent behavior of a person over time

consensus cues

relate to the extent to which a person's behavior differs from others

distinctiveness cues

the extent to which a person engages in similar behavior across a series of scenarios

correspondent interference theory

A theory that states that people pay closer attention to intentional behavior than accidental behavior when making attributions, especially if the behavior is unexpected.

fundamental attribution error

general bias to make dispositional attributions rather than situational attributions when judging others

attribute substitution

individuals must make judgements that are complex, but instead substitute a simpler solution (or apply a heuristic)

stereotypes

A generalized belief about a group of people; occur when attitudes and impressions are based on limited and superficial information

stereotype content model

attempts to classify stereotypes based on two binary criteria, warmth and competence

4 classifications of stereotypes (high/low in terms of warmth/competence)

4 categories:

Paternalistic - high/low

Admiration stereotype - high/high

Contemptuous stereotype - low/low

Envious stereotype - low/high

self-fulfilling prophecy

expectations can create conditions that then cause the expectations to become reality

stereotype threat

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype; unfortunately can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy

prejudice

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members; generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

power

the rate at which work is done

prestige

level of respect shown to a person by others

class

socioeconomic status

ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

cultural relativism

recognition that social groups & cultures should be studied on their own terms

discrimination

occurs when prejudicial attitudes cause individuals of a particular group to be treated differently from others

individual discrimination

discrimination carried out by one person against another

institutional discrimination

discrimination against a particular person or group