KA 300 page psych document (pages 176-250)

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

informative influence

the tendency for people to conform when they assume that the behavior of others represents the correct way to respond

normative influence

even if you know what's right, do what group does to avoid social rejection

privately conform

change behaviors and opinions to align with group

publically conform

you're outwardly changing but inside you maintain core beliefs. You only outwardly agree with the group.

group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

obedience

A form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority

Social anomie

Mismatch between personal or group standards and wider social standards (lack of social ethic and absence of legitimate aspirations)

compliance

Conforming to a request or demand

Robert Cialdini

studied psychology of persuasion, concluded that fear tactics are unsucessful in persuasion

identification

the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

internalization

private acceptance of a proposition, orientation, or ideology

normative social influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

informative social influence

influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality

Soloman Asch Experiment

this experiment asked which line was identical to X. They found that the participant was confident in his answer until his peers chose a different answer which made the participant conform to the group

Gestalt psychologists

a group of psychologists who proposed principles governing perception, such as laws of organization, and a perceptual approach to problem solving involving restructuring

Perceptual error

truly believed answer given by others were correct.

ecological validity

the idea that cognition should be measured in settings that are as realistic as possible and that the abilities measured should be those needed in real life

demand characteristics

those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

Milgram Studies

Done in 1960s. Subjects administered shocks of increasing voltage for wrong answers. Milgram predicted that most people would stop giving shocks once the "learner" started feeling pain. Predictions were wrong and 65% of the subjects delivered full course of shocks.

just-world phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

self-serving bias

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

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo's study of the effect of roles on behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to play either prisoners or guards in a mock prison. The study was ended early because of the "guards'" role-induced cruelty.

Zimbardo

Stanford Prison Experiment

situational attribution

attribution to factors external to an actor, such as the task, other people, or luck

dispositional attribution

assuming that another's behavior is due to personality factors, not situational ones

Deindividuation

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

cognitive dissonance

an unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes the inconsistency of his or her actions, attitudes, or beliefs

Internalization

process by which a norm becomes a part of an individual's personality, thereby conditioning the individual to conform to society's expectations

demand characteristics

those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

selection bias

in an experiment, unintended differences between the participants in different groups

Factors that influence conformity

1) Group size (the larger, the better)

2) Unanimity

3) Cohesion

4) Status

5) Accountability

6) No prior commitment

group status

the esteem in which the group is held by people not in the group

group cohesion

the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong

Public Response

people conform more when they must respond in front of others rather than writing their answers privately

institutional authority

less obedience at lower status institution

victim distance

If you can't actually see the victim, you're more likely to conform

Depersonalization

feelings of detachment from one's mental processes or body

Role models for defiance

more likely to obey when we see others doing the same

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

diffusion of responsibility theory

says that, in the presence of others, individuals feel less personal responsibility and are less likely to take action in a situation where help is required

Kitty Genovese

Murdered outside apartment- prompted to investigate bystander effect due to diffusion of responsibility

social facillitation

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

dominant response

in a person's hierarchy of possible responses in any context, the response he or she is most likely to make

arousal

a general level of activation that is reflected in several physiological systems

nervous energy

arousal

simple tasks

performance improves with arousal

complex tasks

performance improves at first, but then becomes impaired with arousal

Yerkes-Dodson Law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Hawthorne effect

the alteration of behavior by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed.

agents of socialization

social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values

socialization

the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture

hidden curriculum

the informal and unofficial aspects of culture that children are taught in school

norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members

sanctions

something that forces obedience with a law or rule

positive sanction

a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a material reward

negative sanction

a punishment or the threat of punishment used to enforce conformity

formal sanctions

sanctions imposed by persons given special authority

informal sanctions

rewards or punishments that can be applied by most members of a group

formal norms

established, written rules

informal norms

casual behaviors that are generally and widely conformed to

Folkways

norms that are not strictly enforced

mores

norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance

laws

a norm that is formally defined and enforced by officials

taboos

mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable

deviance

the recognized violation of cultural norms

Symbolic Interactionism

a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions

Theory of Differential Association

Deviance is a learned behavior that results from continuous exposure to others whom violate norms and laws

labeling theory

the idea that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to those actions

primary deviance

deviance involving occasional breaking of norms that is not a part of a person's lifestyle or self-concept

secondary deviance

in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant

strain theory

Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals

collective behavior

-Happens when large numbers of individuals rapidly behave in ways that are not in line with societal norms

-Time limited

-Involves short social interactions

-Have loose norms

fad

a temporary period of unusually high sales driven by consumer enthusiasm and immediate product or brand popularity

mass hysteria

outbreak of irrational behavior that is spread by social contagion

riots

characterized by large # of people who engage in dangerous behavior, such as vandalism, violence, or other crimes

mass psychogenic illness

the occurrence in a group of people of similar physical symptoms with no known physical cause

Epidemic Hysteria

mass psychogenic illness

mob

a group of angry people

non-associative learning

Occurs when an organism is repeatedly exposed to one type of stimulus

habituation

an organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

sensitization

an increase in behavioral response after exposure to a stimulus

Dishabituation

recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation

associative learning

linking two stimuli, or events, that occur together

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Pavlov

Classical conditioning: dogs

Respondent Conditioning

Classical Conditioning, Pavlovian Conditioning, S-S (stimulus-stimulus) Pairing, Conditioned Stimulus-Conditioned Response (CS-CR)

unconditioned stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response.

unconditioned response

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

neutral stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

trial

In classical conditioning, any presentation of a stimulus or pair of stimuli.

conditioned stimulus

a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place

conditioned response

a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

generalization

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses