Spotlight Effect Flashcards
(27 cards)
Spotlight Effect
The belief that others are paying more attention to us than they actually are. Gilovich et al. (2000) found people overestimated how noticeable their mistakes and clothing were to others.
Illusion of Transparency
The belief that our emotions and thoughts are more obvious to others than they really are. Gilovich et al. also demonstrated people thought their nervousness during speeches was much more visible than it actually was.
Self-Concept and its components
The mental image or idea we have of who we are.
Components:
Self-image: How we see ourselves.
Self-esteem: How we value ourselves.
Ideal self: Who we wish to be.
Tesser’s Research on Self-Esteem
Abraham Tesser proposed the Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory (1988): We protect our self-esteem by distancing ourselves from people who outperform us in important areas. Or we bask in reflected glory when it’s a non-threatening domain.
Strategies to Maintain Positive Self-Esteem
Comparing ourselves to those worse off (downward social comparison)
Attributing success to internal factors and failure to external ones
Setting achievable goals
Seeking supportive relationships
Reframing negative thoughts
Self-Complexity and Its Link to Mental Wellbeing
Self-complexity: The number of different roles and identities a person has (e.g. student, sister, athlete).
Relationship to Mental Wellbeing:
High self-complexity: More buffers against stress — if one area is challenged, others remain intact.
Low self-complexity: Negative events have a bigger impact on overall wellbeing.
Effects of High/Low Self-Esteem
High: Confidence, resilience, better relationships.
Low: Anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, poor decision-making.
Too high: Can lead to arrogance and aggression if threatened (fragile self-esteem).
Pros & Cons of Self-Schemas
Self-schemas: Beliefs and ideas we hold about ourselves.
Pros: Organise information about ourselves, influence behaviour, predict how we act.
Cons: Can be rigid, lead to biased memory, and reinforce negative beliefs if based on poor self-esteem.
Major Influences in Human Development
Continuous development: Gradual changes (e.g. height).
Discontinuous development: Sudden changes in stages (e.g. Piaget’s cognitive stages).
Sequential development: Predictable order (e.g. crawling before walking).
Maturation: Biological growth processes.
Developmental norms: Average age behaviours appear.
Areas: Physical, cognitive, emotional, social.
Qualitative change: New kinds of thinking/behaving (e.g. abstract thinking in adolescence).
Quantitative change: Increase in amount (e.g. vocabulary size).
Compare/Contrast Developmental Change
Compare: Continuous growth in height vs. sudden cognitive shifts in adolescence.
Contrast: A child’s language gradually increases (continuous), but moral reasoning may leap from concrete to abstract at a certain age (discontinuous).
Analyse Data About Developmental Norms
Identify age ranges for milestones (e.g. walking by 12–15 months).
Compare sample data to norms.
Draw conclusions about typical or delayed development.
Apply Developmental Influences to Own Life
Example: “I experienced a continuous increase in independence throughout primary school, but a discontinuous shift in social identity when I moved to high school.”
Assimilation & Accommodation (Piaget)
Assimilation: Adding new info into existing schemas.
E.g. calling a zebra a “horse.”
Accommodation: Changing schemas to fit new info.
E.g. learning a zebra is a different animal.
Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor (0–2): Learn through senses. Object permanence develops.
Preoperational (2–7): Use symbols, egocentric, struggle with conservation.
Concrete Operational (7–12): Logical about concrete events, understand conservation.
Formal Operational (12+): Abstract, hypothetical thinking.
Real-life examples:
A 3-year-old hiding their eyes and thinking you can’t see them (egocentrism).
Interpret Data on Development
Examine graphs or tables of developmental milestones.
Compare to norms and analyse trends.
Evaluate Piaget’s Contributions
Contributions: Groundbreaking theory of stages, focus on active learning.
Criticisms: Underestimated children’s abilities, ignored cultural/social factors.
Four Major Parenting Styles
Authoritative: High warmth, high control.
Authoritarian: Low warmth, high control.
Permissive: High warmth, low control.
Neglectful: Low warmth, low control.
How Parenting Styles Affect Development
Authoritative: Best outcomes — confident, resilient kids.
Authoritarian: Obedient but anxious, less happy.
Permissive: Impulsive, poor self-control.
Neglectful: Low self-esteem, poor social skills.
Analyse Research on Parenting Outcomes
Research shows authoritative parenting leads to highest academic, emotional, and social success (Baumrind, 1971).
Apply Parenting Styles to Real-Life
E.g. A permissive parent may let a child stay up late with no rules, leading to poor school performance.
Puberty Timing & Psychosocial Development
Typical puberty: Girls (8–13), boys (9–14).
Early onset: Risk-taking, low self-esteem (especially for girls).
Late onset: Anxiety about body image.
Brain Development in Adolescence
Prefrontal cortex: Decision-making, develops last.
Amygdala: Emotions, matures earlier.
Result: Teens are emotional, impulsive, take risks.
Adolescent Risk-Taking & Real-World Links
Examples:
Peer pressure and driving accidents.
Early substance use linked to amygdala-driven impulsivity.
Erikson’s Identity vs. Role Confusion
Adolescents explore identity.
Success: Stable sense of self.
Failure: Role confusion, insecurity.
