Social Processes, Attitudes, and Behaviour Flashcards
(57 cards)
Michelangelo effect
Concept of the self is made from the intrapersonal self (ideas the individual has about themselves) and the interpersonal self (manner in which others influence the creation of the ideal self)
Social action
Defined by Max Weber as actions and behaviours that individuals are conscious of and are performing because others are around
Social facilitation
The observed phenomenon where people perform better on simpler tasks when in the presence of others
Yerkes-Dodson law of social facilitation
Being in the presence of others raises arousal significantly, which enhances the ability to perform tasks one is already good at (simple tasks) but hinders one’s ability to perform less familiar (complex) tasks
Deindividualization
Individual behaviour can be dramatically different in social environments
- presence of the group provides anonymity and causes a loss of individual identity
- can lead to antinormative behaviour
Antinormative behaviour
Behaviour that is against the norm for an individual
-explains why violent behaviour is seen in crowds and riots
Bystander effect
Phenomenon observed in social groups where individuals are less likely to intervene and help a victim if other people are present
- in a group people are less likely to notice something is wrong
- people also take cues from other people
- in low danger scenarios people are less likely to intervene than in high danger scenarios
- if the people in the group know each other they are more likely to act
Social loafing
Tendency for individuals to put in less effort when a group setting than individually
Peer pressure
Social influence place on an individual by a group of people or another person
Peers
sociologically they are considered individuals who are equals within a social group
Identity shift effect
When an individuals state of harmony is disrupted by a threat of social rejection, the individual will often conform to the norms of the group
- causes internal conflict
- the individual then adopts the norm of the group as their own to eliminate the sense of conflict
Cognitive dissonance
Simultaneous presence of two opposing thought or opinions
-usually leads to an internal state of discomfort
Social interaction
explores the way in which two or more individuals can both shape each other’s behaviour
Group polarization
Tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas of the group members
- either more risky or more cautious
- initial ideas tend not to be extreme but they become so by discussion within the group
also called choice shift
Groupthink
Social phenomenon in which desire for harmony or conformity results in a group of people coming to an incorrect or poor decision
- consensus is reached without alternate ideas being considered
- loss of independent critical thinking
8 factors that are indicative of groupthink
- Illusion of invulnerability - encouragement of risk taking
- Collective rationalization - ignoring warnings that oppose the ideas of the group
- Illusion of morality - belief that the ideas are morally correct
- Excessive stereotyping
- Pressure for conformity - opposition is disloyalty
- Self-censorship - withholding of opposite views
- Illusion of unanimity
- Mindguards - appointment of members to the role of protecting against opposing views
Fad
Behaviour that is transiently viewed as popular/desirable by a large community
Mass hysteria
shared, intense concern about the threats to society
-shows many features of groupthink
Cultural assimilation
Process by which an individual’s or group’s behaviour and culture begin to resemble that of another group
-generally one group hold more power and influence
-4 primary factors that determine level of assimilation:
•language attainment
•intermarriage
•socioeconomic status
•geographic distribution
ethnic enclaves
locations (neighbourhoods) with a high concentration of one specific ethnicity \
- helps slow the progress of assimilation
- more common in urban areas
Multiculturalism
Communities or societies containing multiple cultures
-encourages, respects, and celebrates cultural differences
Subcultures
Groups of people within a culture that distinguish themselves from the primary culture to which they belong
-can be perceived as negative when they subvert the majority culture’s definition of normalcy (counterculture)
Socialization
process of developing, inheriting, and spreading norms, customs, and beliefs
Cultural transmission/cultural learning
The way in which a society socializes its members
