Social Psychology Flashcards
(35 cards)
Define social psychology
study of how our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the people around us
Distinguish between social cognition, social perception and social interaction
- Social cognition = select, interpret and remember social information
- Social perception = understand and categorise social information
- Social interaction = how people interact with each other
What is attribution theory and distinguish between internal and external attribution
attribution theory = causal explanation for behaviours which are either influenced by internal or external factors
- internal = dispositional factors
- external = situational factors
Explain what the Covariation Model determines and how it works
Determines whether a behaviour is due to an internal or external attribution
CCD:
1. Consistency = do they act the same toward the stimuli in different situations
2. Consensus = do other people act the same toward the same stimuli
3. Distinctiveness = do they act the same toward different stimuli
high, high, high = external
high, low, low = internal
Explain both Correspondence Bias and Fundamental Attribution Error
Correspondence Bias = tendency to infer that traits correspond to behaviour
FAE = tendency to over attribute behaviour to internal factors rather than external/situational
Explain the Actor-Observer Effect and how attributions can be shifted
people (ACTOR) tend to explain their own behaviour in terms of external factors, but explain other people’s behaviour in terms of internal factors (WHEN OBSERVING)
- shifts depending on whether you are the actor or observer in a certain situation
What is an attitude and its components (ABC)
Attitude = one’s stable belief, feeling, behaviour toward an object
Affective (A) = feelings/emotions
Behavioural (B) = behaviour/action
Cognitive (C) = beliefs/thoughts
Distinguish between implicit and explicit attitude
Explicit = conscious and deliberate
Implicit = unconscious and automatic
*implicit association test
Compare the Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behaviour as an explanation for when attitudes predict behaviour
both models recognise the importance of BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION
- Theory of reasoned action
- behaviour influenced by attitude and subjective norms - Theory of planned behaviour
- adds perceived behavioural control = how much control a person has over a behaviour
e.g. a person may believe exercise is good and have support from friends, however, if they don’t have access to a gym it is not possible
What is Cognitive Dissonance and how does it relate to attitude shifts?
Cognitive dissonance = tension/discomfort experienced after being exposed to information that goes against prior beliefs/feelings
Attitude shifts because people are either:
1. motivated to reduce this discomfort by changing their attitude e.g. $1 or $20 study
- Purely Cognitive = reflect on own behaviour
Cultural Differences in Cognitive Dissonance
western = dispositional, therefore, when more threatened when dissonance is trait related
eastern = situational, therefore, not threatened when dissonance is situational related
What is persuasive communication and explain the Elaboration Likelihood Model
Persuasive Communication = deliberate effort to change someone’s attitude
Elaboration Likelihood Model explains two routes to persuasion
1. central route = high motivation -> QUALITY of arguments -> STRONG change
2. peripheral route = low motivation -> emotional appeals -> WEAK change
Define stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
Stereotypes = fixed, over-generalised belief about a group
Prejudice = attitude/opinion towards a group without evidence
Discrimination = unjustified negative/harmful treatment towards a group
Identify the origins of stereotypes
- social categorization into in-groups “us” and out-groups “them”
- sociocultural learning transmitted through culture and society
Identify the causes of prejudice
- social categorisation
- competition
- in-group bias
- out-group homogeneity
- subtle racism
- benevolent sexism
Compare Social Norms and Social Roles
social norms = rules/expectations of how one should behaviour in a group/society
social roles = patterns of behaviour expected of a person in a a particular position in society e.g. teacher, guard
Distinguish between the three forms of social influence: compliance, conformity and obedience
Compliance = changing behaviour in response to a DIRECT REQUEST from someone e.g. donate after being approached by volunteer
Conformity = changing one’s behaviour to match those of a group’s
Obedience = following a direct order from an authority figure e.g. follow a teacher’s instructions
Contrast Informational Social Influence and Normative Social Influence
Informational Social Influence
- desire to be right
- conform because you think others have more accurate information
Normative Social Influence
- desire to fit in
- often leads to compliance (public agreement only)
Evaluate research on informational and normative social influence
Asch Line Study
- demand characteristics
- low ecological validity
Auto-kinetic White Dot Study
- low ecological validity
List some factors affecting conformity
- ambiguity
- crisis/emergency
- need to be accurate
- status and attractiveness of the group
- group size - starts to plateau when increasing number of people
- unanimity -
Define minority influence and the conversion effect
minority influence = small group/individual persuades the majority to adopt their beliefs/attitudes/behaviours
conversion effect = when minority influence brings about long-term private change in attitudes of a majority
Describe and evaluate research on minority influence
in the consistent minority condition where all confederates said all green for blue slides = increased minority influence
*consistency is important and leads to conversion effect
Contrast majority influence and minority influence
majority influence -
1. leads to compliance (more public than private)
2. desire to be correct or to be liked
minority influence -
1. leads to genuine belief (private acceptance)
2. requires time (conversion)
Describe and evaluate the Milgram studies on obedience
65% of participants administered the full 450V shock
- people are obedient to authority
- not related to personality
- due to informational social influence and normative social influence
