Social Psych - JC

Question 1

What is ‘Epistemology’?

Answer 1

A branch of philosophy concerned with theories of knowledge

Question 2

List and describe the five schools of epistemology

Answer 2

1. Empiricism - Knowledge comes from perceptual observation
2. Positivism - All certain knowledge come from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, and can be verified
3. Common Sense - Knowledge comes from the unreflective processes of everyday life
4. Constructivism - Split between cognitive and social constructionism
5. Phenomenology - An approach focusing on structures of experience and consciousness. Values phenomena as distinct from the nature of being.

Question 3

What are the two types of constructivism, and what do they each mean?

Answer 3

Cognitive constructivism - Humans cannot be given knowledge, but must construct it internally (through schemas)
Social constructionism - Humans construct knowledge together (esp. through language)

Question 4

What does ‘postmodernism’ mean, in social psychology context?

Answer 4

A period of general rejection of the notion that rules and structures underlie a ‘real/true’ world.

Question 5

What is social constructionism?

Answer 5

A critical stance toward taken for granted knowledge. Stands in opposition to positivism and empiricism.
It is what we know, and how we understand the world, depends upon when and where we live within the world.

Question 6

What has social cognitivism been accused of?

Answer 6

• Adopting the mantle of scientific authority
• Arrogance in claiming the universal applicability of their methods and the scientific separation from their subject
• Naivete in claiming political neutrality

Question 7

What has social constructionism been accused of?

Answer 7

• Being unempirical
• Being gratuitously adversarial
• Being inappropriately political

Question 8

What is a very basic explanation of thematic analysis?

Answer 8

Line by line analysis of transcribed data, then clustering the data into meaningful units (themes).

Question 9

What is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)?

Answer 9

Researcher tries to understand the person behind the data.
Reads the transcript and produces unfocused notes, researcher identifies themes that characterise each section of the text (line by line), cluster the themes. Then create a summary table and integration into ‘master themes’.

Question 10

Define rigour?

Answer 10

Scientific rigour is the strict application of the scientific method to ensure unbiased and well-controlled experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation and reporting of results. (NHI, 2011)

Question 11

What four things can be used to determine trustworthiness of data?

Answer 11

Credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability.

Question 12

What is the difference between a person, a dyad and a group?

Answer 12

Person = an individual
Dyad = Two individuals
Group = More than two individuals with a shared identity

Question 13

Human social behaviour can range across which two fundamental dimensions?

Answer 13

Interpersonal behaviour and Intergroup behaviour.

Question 14

Define social identity

Answer 14

That part of an individuals self concept which derives from his or her knowledge of his or her membership of a social group (or groups) which fit together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership.
Cognitive component - Self categorization
Affective component - Feeling of belonging, attachment etc

Question 15

Define group identification

Answer 15

Extent to which the in group is included as part of the self; how strongly attached you feel toward the group.

Question 16

CHANGE !! Groups influence us via norms because…?

Answer 16

Because… when we’re unsure about the universe, we look to those around us to reduce the uncertainty.

Question 17

Define norms

Answer 17

Norms are shared understandings in group members feelings, behaviours and thought. Most meaningful are proximal social group norms.

Question 18

What is the difference between a descriptive norm and a prescriptive norm?

Answer 18

Descriptive - the way typical group members feel, behave and think.
Prescriptive (injunctive) - The way group members should feel, behave, and think.

Question 19

Briefly explain Asch’s line study

Answer 19

(1951-1956)
Showed participants a standard line, and three other lines (one being same length) and asked them to say which line matched the standard line. Used confederates to see if participants would conform to a clearly incorrect answer about which line is the same as standard line. 75% participants yielded to majority on at least one trial. Majority of 3/4 confederates produces maximum conformity (more confederates does not increase likelehood of conformity).

Question 20

What are the five types of needs on Maslows (1943) hierarchy of needs?

Answer 20

Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness and love needs, Esteem needs, Self-actualisation.

Question 21

What are the two types of influence (not maj/min)?

Answer 21

Informational social influence and normative social influence

Question 22

What is the difference between informational social influence and normative social influence?

Answer 22

Informational - Motivation to be correct; tendency to rely upon social definitions of reality, especially based on social consensus.
Normative - Motivation to create a good impression, rewards and punishments controlled by the group.

Question 23

Groups influence us via norms because… (KP 2)

Answer 23

Because … we have a tendency to do what everyone else is doing, even when we know its incorrect.

Question 24

What is Moscivi’s critique of the focus on Majority influence?

Answer 24

• Overestimation of majority and conformity
• Passive minorities?
• What about new ideas and thinking?
• The minority also exerts influence

Question 25

What is the definition of collective action?

Answer 25

Any action intended to improve the position of a social group, rather than its individual members.

Question 26

What is meant by ‘impermeability of group boundaries’?

Answer 26

Cannot leave group for another higher status/more advantaged group

Question 27

What is meant by ‘illegitimacy of intergroup relations’?

Answer 27

Intergroup status differential is percieved to be illegitimate; percieve cognitive alternatives

Question 28

What is meant by ‘instability of intergroup relations’?

Answer 28

Intergroup status differential is percieved to be unstable; percieve practical alternatives

Question 29

Hornsey and Hogg (1999) performed a study testing the hypothesis that an ingroup that was too inclusive would produce a push for optimal distinctiveness, briefly explain this study and the findings.

Answer 29

• 280 Psych undergrads in an Australian uni
• Four part measures of ‘inclusiveness vs distinctiveness’
• Among participants reporting higher perceptions of inclusiveness, there was greater bias towards a different subgroup (math-science vs humanities)

Question 30

Define ‘prejudice’

Answer 30

A feeling towards an individual based on their group membership (affect) or attitudes towards a social group

Question 31

Define ‘discrimination’

Answer 31

An action relevant to an individual based on their group membership (behaviour)

Question 32

Define ‘stereotyping’

Answer 32

The belief that individuals are different based on their group membership (cognition)

Question 33

Tajfel (1970) performed a minimal group paradigm experiment, briefly explain this and the results

Answer 33

• P’s (from same UK school and year) enter the lab and are arbitrarily assigned to one of two groups by whether they ‘overestimated’ or ‘underestimated’ the number of dots.
• Ps asked to give two other anonymous Ps money according to a ‘reward matrix’. The other two were either both ingroup, or one ingroup, one outgroup.
• Majority of Ps gave more money to ingroup than outgroup.

Question 34

Brody (1945) performed a survey study of social attitudes in the US military, what were the results?

What simple (4 word) sentence sums up this result?

Answer 34

Noted that prejudice was lower among White seamen who had experienced enemy fire while serving with Black crewmates.

Negative interdependence increases prejudice.

Question 35

Campbell (1965) created the Realistic Group Conflict Theory, briefly explain this

Answer 35

• Perceieved scarcity of a limited and important resource creates a zero sum perception, that is a realistic group conflict
• In other words, when groups are negatively interdependent, prejudice is likely to develop.

Question 36

Sherif (1966) ran the Robbers Cave experiment, briefly explain this.

Answer 36

12yo boys taken to a summer camp and split into two groups (eagles and rattlers). Groups were seperately nurtured to get along with other group members, form attachments, create group norms and culture. Each group stencilled their symbol onto their shirts and made a flag. Behaviour observed. Groups brought together for competitive activities (6 days) - No consolation prizes.
Rattlers immediately acted hostile to Eagles, Eagles retaliated in kind. Groups became so aggressive they had to be seperated by the researchers.

Question 37

What did Campbell (1965) find with regards to Realistic Group Conflict Theory?

Answer 37

• Realistic group conflicts give ingroup a vested interest in failure of the outgroup.
• Outgroup attempts to succeed are interpreted as attempts to make the ingroup fail.
• Realistic threat therefore leads to negative affect stereotyping towards outgroup members involved in the conflict.

Question 38

What is RWA, and what is it characterised by?

Answer 38

Right Wing Authoritarianism (Altemeyer, 1981). Characterised by;
- Adherence to tradition (moral and religious)
- Submission to legitimate authority
- Aggression against those who threaten the status quo.

Question 39

What is SDO and what is it characterised by?

Answer 39

Social Dominance Orientation (Pratto et al, 1994). Characterised by:
- Preference for hierarchies
- Derogation of low-power groups
- Aggression against groups who try to “leave their place”

Question 40

Define social cognition

Answer 40

A sub-topic of social psychology that focuses on how people process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations. It focuses on the role that cognitive processes play in our social interactions”

Question 41

What is one thing our brain is excellent at doing?

Answer 41

Categorisation - and learning how to deal with those categories.

Question 42

What is the difference between implicit and explicit prejudice?

Answer 42

Explicit = The type of prejudice that you are aware of and able to control
Implicit = Characterised by unconscious bias