Final Flashcards
Describe Social Contagion
Process by which information, such as attitudes, emotions, or behaviors, rapidly spreads throughout a group from one member to another without rational thought and reason
Give examples of Social Contagion through History
Dancing Plague of 1518, Increase in Tics because of COVID, Superbowl (Riots in Boston after victory)
What is Wisdom of Crowds
Taking the average of many people’s judgments would get you closer to the truth than any individual was
When is Wisdom of Crowds smart?
Diverse Information, Independent Opinions, No Systematic Bias, Many People
When is Wisdom of Crowds harmful/bad?
Bias is amplified in crowd, Following crowd behavior (local rule: do what you see others doing), Conformity, Crystallization Phenomenon (When crowds of people look in a certain direction, causing everyone else to look the same way too)
Describe Werther Effect
A phenomenon that people copy suicidal behavior after a celebrity dies, using the same method. Copycats tend to be similar in age, and gender to models
Describe Information Conformity
When you believe you don’t have the complete information, and other people might know better
Describe Normative Conformity
Conformity to get along with others
Describe Stress’ relation to conformity
Stress increases conformity - it draws people together
List the Principles of Compliance
Social Validation, Authority, Consistency, Reciprocity, Friendship, and Scarcity
Describe “Click-Where” (fixed action patterns)
“Click-Where” (fixed action patterns): There’s a certain way, biologically and culturally, that humans get designed to respond to social situations
Describe “Foot in the door” effect
If you have a big ask, it can be useful to start with a relatively small ask - you exploit desire for consistency
Describe Exploiting Reciprocity
People like to return favors and make up for things that they do that feel awkward or wrong
Describe Exploiting Reciprocity
People like to return favors and make up for things that they do that feel awkward or wrong
Describe Cognitive Niche
Giraffe’s niche are the Savanna. Our niche isn’t a physical environment, but the stuff we can do because of our brains
Describe Cultural Niche
Humans have not evolved to be smarter than other animals, we’ve evolved to copy each other better than other animals
Describe Cultural Evolution
What we teach and learn, and culturally inherent
If culture makes us smart, but mere imitation isn’t enough, what’s the key?
- Biased Transmission: This occurs when one trait is more likely to be copied than another trait because of prestige and similarity (age, gender, etc.)
~ Useful filter on copying - Guided Variation
Describe Prisoner’s Dilemma
A situation where individual decision-makers always have an incentive to choose in a way that creates a less than optimal outcome for the individuals as a group
Why does Group Selection help cooperation
Group selection works because it motivates people to work together as there is a shared fate. You need low migration rates and strong selection pressure
How does Punishment help cooperation
If you are in a cooperative group, if a defector joins, the rational may be to set up punishments to deter negative behavior
Punishment does not always work as their is personal cost and risk. If you punish other people, you are susceptible to getting harmed, while everyone else free rides
How does Reciprocity help cooperation
Because we engage with one another repeatedly, we are motivated to cooperate with one another
How does Kin and “Cultural Kin” help cooperation
People want groups with shared values that are identifiable. We cooperate with ourselves
Describe Extended Phenotype
Kind of regular consequences of your behavior that natural selection intends. Natural selection might intend for us to change the behavior of people around us
Using punishment and reward as a way to change the behavior of somebody else
