Psychology Chapter 14 Flashcards

Social Facilitation and Related Concepts

• Social Facilitation: Performance on simple or well-learned tasks improves in the presence of others.
• Example: Athletes often perform better when being observed compared to when alone.
• Alternate Name: Also referred to as the Hawthorne Effect or Observer Effect, indicating that awareness of observation influences behavior.
• Hawthorne Effect: Individuals modify behavior due to the awareness of being watched.

Group Dynamics

• Social Loafing: Tendency to exert less effort in a group compared to when working alone, often due to reduced accountability.
• Reason for Social Loafing: Individuals may view their contributions as less critical and thus may slack off unless highly motivated.
• Cultural Differences: More common in non-Western cultures, which typically emphasize collectivism compared to the individualistic nature of Western cultures.

Psychological Phenomena in Groups

• Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in groups, heightened by anonymity and group arousal.
• Example of Deindividuation: KKK members demonstrated increased aggression when masked, delivering more shocks to victims.
• Group Polarization: Discussion within a group can strengthen the group's prevailing attitudes.
• Groupthink: A mode of thinking in cohesive groups where dissenting opinions are suppressed in favor of harmony, often leading to poor decisions.

Cultural Influences

• Culture: Consists of behaviors, ideas, values, and traditions shared over generations within a group.
• Also Known As: Social norms that guide behavior within societies.
• Personal Space: Refers to the buffer zone maintained around individuals, varies by culture (e.g., handshakes vs. kisses in greetings).
• Cultural Perceptions: Different cultures perceive traits differently; e.g., Mediterranean cultures seen as warm yet inefficient, while Northern Europeans viewed as cold but efficient.

Individual Influence on Society

• Power of Individuals: Highlights the contrast between social control, influenced by situation, and personal control, driven by individual actions.
• Historical Examples: Individuals like Rosa Parks have shown how personal agency can influence societal change.

Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination

• Prejudice: Pre-judgment involving negative beliefs or attitudes towards a group.
• Discrimination: Actions that exhibit negative behavior towards individuals based on prejudiced views.
• Stereotypes: Oversimplified beliefs about a group; may contain some truth yet often based on ignorance.
• Schema: Cognitive framework that organizes and interprets information, accommodating new experiences by adjusting existing frameworks.
• Cognitive Dissonance: Occurs when individuals face contradictions between their stereotypes and real-life experiences.

Modern Prejudices and Social Issues

• Examples of Modern Prejudice: Includes profiling, sexism, and discrimination based on sexual preferences.
• Victim-Blaming: Individuals who face discrimination may experience self-blame or anger as a byproduct of victimization.