Social Psychology Flashcards
(47 cards)
Social Psychology
Study of social behavior: how peoples thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others
Components of Attitude
- Cognition or Beliefs
- Feelings
- Behavioral predisposition
*** is expressed in opinion statements
Consistency Theories
People prefer consistency and will change or resist changing attitudes based upon this preference
Balance Theory
- (Fritz Heider)
Three Elements:
- The person whom we’re talking about
- Another person
- thing, idea or another person
When there is not balance, there will be stress and a tendency to remove this stress by achieving balance
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
- (Leon Festinger)
The conflict that you feel when you attitudes are not in sync with your behaviors
Free Choice Dissonance
Person makes a choice between several desirable alternatives
Post-Decisional Dissonance
Dissonance (conflict felt when attitudes are not in sync with your behavior) emerges after a choice has been made
Spreading of Alternatives
The relative worth of two alternatives is spread apart
- one is more positive than the other (better alternative)
- one is more negative than the other (worse alternative)
Forced Compliance Dissonance
Individual is forced into behavior in a manner that is inconsistent with his or her beliefs / attitudes.
The force may come from either anticipated punishment or reward
Minimal Justification Effect
- Behavior can be justified by means of external inducements (ex: money) - then there is no need to change internal cognitions
- When the external justification is minimal, you will reduce your dissonance by changing internal cognitions
Main Principles of Cognitive Dissonance Theory
- If a person is pressured to do or say something contrary to his privately held attitudes - there will be a tendency for him to change those attitudes
- The greater the pressure to comply, the less this attitude change. Ultimately, attitude change generally occurs when the behavior is induced with minimum pressure
Self Justification Theory
- (Daryl Bem)
If attitudes about something are weak or ambiguous, people will infer their attitudes based upon observing their own behavior
Ex: I like wine because i’m always drinking it
Sleeper Effect
- (Carl Hovland)
When communicating a message with the intent to persuade someone:
- Persuasive impact of his credibility source will decrease
- Persuasive impact of the low-credibility source will increase
Analogy of Inoculation
- (William McGuire)
If you expose someone to a “weakened attack,” they prepare refutations or “protection” for stronger arguments later
This strengthens pre-existing attitudes, beliefs and opinions
Cultural Truism
Beliefs that are seldom questioned
Belief Perseverance
People will hold beliefs even after those beliefs have been proven to be false
Social Comparison Theory
- (Leon Festinger)
People drive to gain accurate self-evaluations
Social Comparison Theory Principles
1A. People prefer to evaluate themselves by objective, nonsocial means
1B. If above is not possible, will compare themselves to other people
2. If someone is very different from you (opinions, & abilities), you are less likely to compare yourself to them
3. When there is a discrepancy in opinions & abilities - there is a tendency to change one’s position so as to move it in line with the group.
Reciprocity Hypothesis
We tend to like people who indicate that they like us
We tend to those who dislike us
Gain - Loss Principle
Evaluation that changes will have more of an impact than an evaluation that remains constant
- Liking someone more if their liking for us has increased (gain)
- Disliking someone more for if their liking for us has decreased (loss)
Social Exchange Theory
A person will weigh the rewards and costs of interaction with another.
Maximize Reward ; Minimize cost
Need Complementarity
Opposites Attract: People choose relationships so that their needs are mutually satisfied
Mere Exposure Hypothesis
Mere repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to enhanced liking for it
Batson’s Empathy Altrusim
When faced with situations in which others may need help, people may feel distress (mental pain, anguish) and / or they might feel empathy
