Social Psychology

Question 1

Social cognition

Answer 1

• Information processing affects social behaviour
• Attribution Theory: explanations of behaviour
• Attitudes: evaluations of people/things
• Cognitive dissonance: attitude/behavioural change

Question 2

Implicit vs Explicit social conventions

Answer 2

Implicit social conventions: eg drinking on the right side; handshake (not written)

Exlplicit rules: eg drinking and driving prohibited (written)
- Norms vary by region and overtime

Question 3

Descriptive norms

Answer 3

defines what is commonly done in a situation (what is done)
ex. binge drinking in universities

Question 4

Injunctive norms

Answer 4

describes what is commonly approved or disapproved in situation (what should be done)
- Proscriptions: Should return favours (should do)
- Prohibitions: Shouldn’t steal (shouldn’t do)
- Reciprocity norm: return the favour

Question 5

Social roles; what are they governed by

Answer 5

Social position governed by norms and expectations
- sex roles, family roles, occupational roles

Question 6

Weiner’s two dimensional attribution model

Answer 6

Dispositional vs Situational: (1st dimension)
Stable vs. Unstable (2nd dimension)
Success vs. Failure

Question 7

Dispositional vs Situational ; sources of behaviour

Answer 7

Internal attributions: individual’s disposition, traits, skills, feelings
External attributions: environmental demands and constraints

Question 8

Stable vs Unstable: sources of behaviour

Answer 8

Temporary causes (change over time)
Permanent causes (do not change overtime)

Question 9

Attributions of high achievers vs low achievers

Answer 9

High achievers: attribute success to internal stable causes and failures to external causes

Low achievers and those suffering from depression do the opposite (success external and failure internal)

Question 10

Fundamental Attribution Bias

Answer 10

Tendency to overestimate internal factors and underestimate external factors when explaining other’s behaviour
- more likely to occur when cognitive load is high

Question 11

Difference between dispositional and situational attributions

Answer 11

dispositional attributions are automatic; situational attributions require effort

Question 12

self-serving bias

Answer 12

Tendency to attribute personal successes to dispositional factors but failures to situation factors
- more likely to occur when cognitive load is high

Question 13

Defensive Bias

Answer 13

belief in “just world”: tendency to believe that people reap what they deserve
- Need for predictability (reduce uncertainty)
- Tendency to blame the victim

• Calamity threatens this belief: “bad things can happen to good people”

Question 14

Cultural differences in attributions: Individualist cultures

Answer 14

personal goals are prioritized; unique identity; emphasize independance, self esteem (North America and Western Europe)

Question 15

Cultural differences in attributions: Collectivist cultures

Answer 15

group goals prioritized; group identity; emphasize shared values, cooperation, and interdependence (Asia, South America, Africa)

Question 16

Cultural differences in attributions: Self-serving bias

Answer 16

is weaker in collectivist cultures
- Self efficacy bias: external attributions of successes (cultural norm)
- Self criticism: Internal attributions of failures

Question 17

Culture and the Self; Independent Self

Answer 17

autonomous and distinct
- defined by distinct traits and preferences (i like soccer, i am honest)
- “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”
- Individualistic insults: “You are a pig”

Question 18

Culture and the Self: Interdependent self

Answer 18

connected and overlapping
- defined by shared traits and preferences; duties and roles (we are japanese, I am a father)
- “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down”
- Relational insults “Your mother is a pig”

Question 19

Components of attitudes

Answer 19

• Cognitive (a thought): People on twitter are deceptive jerks
• Affective (feelings): Twitter makes me angry
• Behavioural (actions): Use twitter as an example for negative attitude

Question 20

Attitudes predict behaviour

Answer 20

Attitudes predict behaviour when attitudes are strong, explicit and there is a vested interest
- Attitudes should be at the same level as behaviour (ex. people who don’t like smoking dont smoke)

Question 21

Dissonance

Answer 21

unpleasant physiological arousal due to inconsistency in cognition/behaviour (motivates change)

Question 22

Counter attitudinal action

Answer 22

behaviour inconsistent with existing attitudes
- changed their attitude to be consistent with their behaviour

Question 23

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 23

the discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not align with their values or beliefs.

Resolved when attitude is consistent with behaviour

Contradicts operational conditioning
Contradict expectations about cause and effect

Question 24

Forbidden Toy experiment

Answer 24

Children given a warning not to play with a favoured toy
- Mild warning: “be annoyed”
- Severe warning: “would be very angry”

Children given the stern warning played with the toy more later than children given the mild warning

When children can finally play: (brings attitude and behaviour together)
- Mild ; less inclined to play
- Severe ; more inclined to play

Question 25

Postdecisional Dissonance

Answer 25

Dissonance arising from the knowledge that one has made a decision and the possibility that they did not choose well

• attitudes towards chosen option improves; attitude towards unchosen option deteriorates

ex. betters feel more confident after placing a bet
Voter feel more strongly in favour of candidates after voting

Question 26

Is arousal experienced when cognition and behaviour are inconsistent

Answer 26

Physiological recordings measured while writing voluntary counter attitudinal essay indicate yes

Question 27

Does arousal motivate changes in cognition

Answer 27

Tranquilizer to eliminate arousal during counter-attitudinal essay writing followed by little or no attitude change

Arousal is important in motivating them to change their attitude

Question 28

Elaboration likelihood Model and its two components

Answer 28

Dual process model of persuasion that predicts whether factual information or other types of information will be most influential
1. Central Route
2. Peripheral Route

Question 29

Central Route of the ELM

Answer 29

• message content (facts, logic, details) is persuasive
• rational: deliberate, conscious processing
• internalizing the message as a belief (strong and long-lasting)
• requires motivation and time

Question 30

Peripheral Route of the ELM

Answer 30

• Features of the message (number of arguements; attractiveness of the messenger) are persuasive
• Quick positive impression: automatic, nonconscious processing
• Motivation/time are lacking
• Even very weak arguments can become persuasive

Question 31

Construal level Theory (central Route of ELM)

Answer 31

Information affects us differently depending on our psychological distance from the information
- Info that is specific, personal, uses concrete details feel closer to us which increase motivation

• Geographic distance, temporal distance, social distance

Question 32

One sided vs two sided messaging (central route)

Answer 32

• more persuasive to acknowledge opposing arguments and counter them (unless they are unlikely to hear opposition)
• Attitude inoculation (straw man arguments): present weak or fabricated arguments that are easily countered
• Sound objective and trustworthy
• Listeners become more resistant to change later when encountering oppsing arguments

Question 33

Attitude Inoculation

Answer 33

Small attacks on attitudes enable one to counter larger subsequent attacks
- Participants first rate attitude towards a set of cultural truisms on a 15 point scale
- Those inoculated with the small attack remained most supportive of the truism

Question 34

Authority (peripheral route)

Answer 34

• Authorities can be a good source of information (central route)
• Authorities can wield influence outside their area of expertise (status over experience)
• Dressing with authority

Question 35

Attractiveness (peripheral route)

Answer 35

Physically attractive messengers are more persuasive
- Halo effect: tendency to perceive physically attractive people as possessing positive traits

Question 36

Norm of reciprocity (peripheral route)

Answer 36

obligation to repay others
ex. free samples, free trials

Question 37

Foot in the door technique and door in the face technique

Answer 37

Foot in the door: asking for something small, then following with a request for something more substantial (cognitive dissonance)

Door in the face technique; asking for something big then following with a request for something more reasonable