Behavioral Sciences 8: Social Processes, Attitudes, and Behavior

Question 1

social action

Answer 1

actions and behaviors that individuals are conscious of and performing because others are around

Question 2

social facilitation

Answer 2

people tend to perform better on simple tasks when in the presence of others

people naturally exhibit a performance response when they know they are being watched

Question 3

Yerkes-Dodson law of social facilitation

Answer 3

being in the presence of others will enhance the ability to perform tasks that one is already good at (simple tasks) and will hinder the performance of less familiar tasks (complex tasks)

Question 4

deindividuation

Answer 4

a loss of self-awareness in large groups, which can lead to drastic changes in behavior (antinormative behavior)

Question 5

bystander effect

Answer 5

when in a group, individuals are less likely to respond to a person in need

Question 6

social loafing

Answer 6

the tendency of individuals to put in less effort when in a group setting than individually

Question 7

peer pressure

Answer 7

social influence placed on an individual by a group of people or another individual

Question 8

peers

Answer 8

individuals who are equals within a social group

Question 9

identity shift effect

Answer 9

• individual’s state of harmony disrupted by a threat of social rejection, and individual conforms to group norms
• individual will begin to experience internal conflict because the behavior is outside the normal character of the individual
• individual adopts the standards of the group as her own

Question 10

cognitive dissonance

Answer 10

the simultaneous presence of two opposing thoughts or opinions

Question 11

social interaction

Answer 11

how two or more individuals can both shape each other’s behavior

Question 12

group polarization

Answer 12

the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas and inclinations of the members within that group

individuals in group situations will form opinions that are more extreme than they would if making the decision alone (choice shift - doesn’t always have to be negative)

Question 13

groupthink

Answer 13

desire for harmony or conformity results in a group of people coming to an incorrect or decision

consensus decisions are reached without discussions of alternatives

Question 14

illusion of invulnerability

Answer 14

factor indicative of groupthink

the creation of optimisim and encouragement of risk-taking

Question 15

collective rationalization

Answer 15

factor indicative of groupthink

ignoring warnings against the ideas of the group

Question 16

illusion of morality

Answer 16

factor indicative of groupthink

the belief that the group’s decisions are morally correct

Question 17

excessive stereotyping

Answer 17

factor indicative of groupthink

the construction of stereotypes against outside opinions

Question 18

pressure for conformity

Answer 18

factor indicative of groupthink

the pressure put on anyone in the group who expresses opinions against the group

viewing the opposition as disloyal

Question 19

self-censorship

Answer 19

factor indicative of groupthink

the withholding of opposing views

Question 20

illusion of unanimity

Answer 20

factor indicative of groupthink

the false sense of agreement within the group

Question 21

mindguards

Answer 21

factor indicative of groupthink

the appointment of members to the role of protecting against opposing views

Question 22

fad

Answer 22

behavior transiently (briefly) seen viewed as popular and desirable by a large commmunity

Question 23

mass hysteria

Answer 23

a shared, intense concern about the threats to society

Question 24

culture

Answer 24

the beliefs, behaviors, actions, and characteristics of a group or society of people

• learned by living in the society and adopting their practices
• passed on between generations

Question 25

culture shock

Answer 25

cultural differences seen when traveling outside of one's own society

Question 26

assimilation

Answer 26

process by which an individual's or group's behavior and culture begin to resemble that of another group blending of new aspects of a society with old ones, changing the culture itself - *melting pot*

Question 27

multiculturalism

Answer 27

communities or societies containing multiple cultures - *cultural mosaic*

Question 28

subcultures

Answer 28

groups of people within a culture that distinguish themselves from the primary culture to which they belong

Question 29

counterculture

Answer 29

subcultures that subvert the majority culture's definitions of normalcy

Question 30

socialization

Answer 30

the process of developing, inheriting, and spreading norms, customs, and beliefs individuals gain the knowledge, skills, habits, and behaviors that are necessary for inclusion in society

Question 31

cultural transmission / cultural learning

Answer 31

the manner in which a society socializes its members

Question 32

cultural diffusion

Answer 32

the spread of norms, customs, and beliefs through the culture

Question 33

primary socialization

Answer 33

socialization that occurs during childhood when we initially learn acceptable actions and attitudes in our society provides foundation for creating personal opinions

Question 34

secondary socialization

Answer 34

the process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society occurs outside of the home includes smaller changes and refinements to behavior already established

Question 35

anticipatory socialization

Answer 35

the process by which a person prepares for future changes in occupations, living situations, or relationships

Question 36

resocialization

Answer 36

process by which one discards old behaviors in favor of new ones to make a life change (can have positive or negative connotations)

Question 37

norms

Answer 37

societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior provide a mechanism for regulating the behavior of individuals and groups (serve as **social control**)

Question 38

mores

Answer 38

widely observed social norms

Question 39

sanctions

Answer 39

penalities for misconduct or rewards for appropriate behaviors

Question 40

taboo

Answer 40

behaviors that are socially unacceptable, disgusting, or reprehensible

Question 41

folkways

Answer 41

norms that refer to behavior that is conseidered polite in particulat social interactions

Question 42

stigma

Answer 42

the extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences from the rest of society

Question 43

deviance

Answer 43

**any** violation of norms, rules, or expectations within a society (not just negative)

Question 44

labeling theory

Answer 44

theory which posits that labels given to people affect not only how others respond to that person but also the person's self image can lead to channeling behavior into deviance or conformity

Question 45

differential association theory

Answer 45

theory which posits that deviance can be learned through interactions with others when associations with others engaging in deviant behavior are more numerous/intense than those engaging in normative behavior, the individual begins to gravitate toward deviant behavior herself

Question 46

strain theory

Answer 46

theory that attempts to explain deviance as a natural reaction to the disconnect between social goals and social structure

Question 47

conformity

Answer 47

matching one's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to societal norms also known as **majority influence**

Question 48

internalization

Answer 48

a type of conformity changing one's behavior to fit with a group while also privately agreeing with the ideas of the group

Question 49

identification

Answer 49

a type of conformity the outward acceptance of others' ideas without personally taking on these ideas

Question 50

compliance

Answer 50

a change in behavior based on a direct request usually not accompanied with any authority -- just a simply request

Question 51

foot-in-the-door technique

Answer 51

technique to gain compliance a small request is made, and after gaining compliance, a larger request is made

Question 52

door-in-the-face technique

Answer 52

technique to gain compliance large request is made at first and if refused, a smaller request more reasonable request is made

Question 53

lowball technique

Answer 53

technique to gain compliance requestor gets an initial commitment from an individual and then raises the cost of the commitment

Question 54

that's-not-all technique

Answer 54

technique to gain compliance an individual is made an offer, but before making a decision, is told the deal is even better than expected

Question 55

obedience

Answer 55

changing one's behavior in response to a direct order from an authority figure

Question 56

social cognition

Answer 56

focuses on the ways in which people think about others and how these ideas impact behavior

Question 57

attitude

Answer 57

the expression of positive or negative feelings toward a person, place, thing, or scenario * develop from experiences and information form others

Question 58

three components of attitude

Answer 58

**A**ffective **B**ehavioral **C**ognitive

Question 59

affective component of attitude

Answer 59

the way a person feels toward something the **emotional** component of attitude

Question 60

behavioral component of attitude

Answer 60

the way a person **acts** with respect to something

Question 61

cognitive component of attitude

Answer 61

the way an individual **thinks** about something usually provides justification for other two components

Question 62

functional attitudes theory

Answer 62

theory which states that attitudes serve four functions: **knowledge**, **ego expression**, **adaption**, and **ego defense**

Question 63

knowledge function of attitudes

Answer 63

attitudes help provide organization to thoughts and experiences, and knowing the attitudes of others helps to predict their behavior provides consistency and stability

Question 64

ego-expressive function of attitudes

Answer 64

attitudes allow us to communicate and solidify our self-identity

Question 65

adaptive function of attitudes

Answer 65

if socially acceptable attitudes are expressed, one will be accepted

Question 66

ego-defensive function of attitudes

Answer 66

attitudes protect our self-esteem or justify actions that we know are wrong

Question 67

learning theory of attitudes

Answer 67

theory that posits that attitudes are developed through different forms of learning ex. direct contact, direct instruction, other's attitudes, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, or observational learning

Question 68

elaboration likelihood model

Answer 68

model which separates individuals on a continuum based on their processing of persuasive information at one extreme is **central route processing**, while at the other extreme is **peripheral route processing**

Question 69

central route processing

Answer 69

thinking deeply about information, scrutinizing its meaning and purpose, and drawing conclusions or making decisions

Question 70

peripheral route processing

Answer 70

focusing only on **superficial details** such as the appearance of the person delivering the argument, catchphrases, and credibility

Question 71

social cognitive theory

Answer 71

theory which postulates that people learn how to behave and share attitudes by observing the behaviors of others behavior develops through direct observation and replication, personal factors, and the environment ***behavior -- personal factors -- environment** influence each other*