Psychology Week 4: Introspection and Self-Awareness

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Questions and Answers

What effect does introspection have on our self-evaluation?

It eliminates guilt and enhances self-contentment.

It consistently makes us feel better about ourselves.

It causes us to compare our behavior to our internal standards. (correct)

It leads to a static self-image and prevents growth.

According to the Self-Awareness Theory of Introspection, what happens when individuals exceed their expectations?

They stop evaluating their behaviors.

They feel they have achieved their goals.

They believe they must continue to improve to feel good. (correct)

They experience a sense of permanent satisfaction.

What was a key finding from Diener & Wallbom's 1976 study on introspection and behavior?

Being in front of a mirror led to increased cheating.

Participants cheated more when reflecting on their actions.

Participants who could see themselves were less likely to cheat. (correct)

Cheating was unrelated to self-awareness.

How does low self-awareness and introspection affect cheating behavior?

It increases the likelihood of cheating. Signup and view all the answers

What impact does seeing oneself in a video screen have on online behavior according to Sohn et al. (2019)?

It decreases the likelihood of posting negative comments. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason for engaging in social comparison?

To measure ourselves when no objective standard is available Signup and view all the answers

Which type of social comparison involves comparing ourselves to those we perceive as doing better?

Upward social comparison Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential negative effect of upward social comparison?

Feelings of regret and envy Signup and view all the answers

Why do people often use downward social comparison?

To enhance their self-esteem by contrasting with others doing worse Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes lateral social comparisons?

Comparing with friends or peers at the same skill level Signup and view all the answers

What role does culture play in social comparison motivation?

Culture influences the types of comparisons individuals engage in Signup and view all the answers

What is an effect of upward comparisons according to Gerber et al. (2018)?

Hope and inspiration Signup and view all the answers

How do people with low self-esteem typically utilize downward comparison?

To feel better about their life situation Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary effect of greater introspection on behavior?

Reduced impact of social norms Signup and view all the answers

Which concept emphasizes the idea that we infer our feelings from observing our own behaviors?

Self-Perception Theory Signup and view all the answers

What does the Dutton and Aron study suggest about feelings of arousal?

Arousal can be misattributed to different emotions Signup and view all the answers

What is the likely result of less introspection according to the content?

Higher tendency to conform to bad behaviors Signup and view all the answers

According to the Nisbett & Wilson study, what is a significant limitation of self-awareness?

Individuals struggle to understand their own motivations Signup and view all the answers

How does a calmer voice affect behavior during conflicts according to Costa et al. (2018)?

It decreases heart rate and reactivity Signup and view all the answers

What common misconception is addressed regarding the physiological reactions and emotions?

Physiological states can alter emotional perceptions Signup and view all the answers

What is a key takeaway from the Warm or Cold teacher experiments?

Nicer individuals are often perceived as more attractive Signup and view all the answers

What is one potential positive outcome of upward social comparison?

Individuals engage in more self-improvement behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What action might individuals take if they believe they cannot improve compared to someone more successful?

Create coalitions against the successful individual. Signup and view all the answers

According to Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory, which strategy may help alleviate threat from a friend outperforming you?

Redirect focus to a different task of lower relevance. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic behavior of individuals with high narcissism in relation to friends' success?

They tend to reduce closeness to friends who outperform them. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common response when individuals feel under threat due to a friend excelling in a task they care about?

Sabotage their friend's performance. Signup and view all the answers

Which emotion is likely to be felt when individuals do not achieve a promotion they expected?

Envy towards someone who did achieve it. Signup and view all the answers

What motivation is linked to engaging in altruistic behavior?

To help others. Signup and view all the answers

What can be a consequence of social comparisons across different cultures?

Different cultures might have distinct motivations for social comparisons. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Week 4: Introspection, Observing Our Own Behaviour, and Comparing Ourselves to Others

Introspection: Looking inward to examine thoughts, feelings, and motives. Thinking about the self is uncommon.
Study 1 (Csikszentmihalyi & Figurski, 1982): Lower emotional response when people think about themselves. Negative self-affect (lower mood) is experienced during voluntary activities like watching TV.
Self-Awareness Theory of Introspection: Evaluating and comparing current behavior to internal standards and values. This creates a feeling of guilt. Self-awareness is positive when exceeding internal standards, but this positive feeling isn't long-lasting.

Self-Awareness: Observing Our Own Behaviour

Self-Perception Theory: Inferences about feelings and attitudes are made based on observing our own behaviors.
Anxiety vs. Excitement: The meaning attached to feelings can change when context changes.
Introspection in Assessing Self: We use introspection to determine if we already know something about ourselves. We also observe behaviors in a situation to infer those feelings.

Introspection and Behaviour:

Nisbett & Wilson (1977): People aren't good at determining why they think or feel a certain way or what influences their behaviours. Nice people are perceived as more attractive.
Physiological Reactions: Bodily reactions influence emotions and change how we perceive situations.
Dutton & Aron (1974): Misattribution of arousal (e.g., fear or attraction).

Diener & Wallbom (1976) Study: Participants with a mirror performed less poorly on a timed task and less likely to cheat
Sohn et al. (2019): When people see themselves on video (like on Facebook), they are less likely to write abusive comments. This is because of introspection and social norms.

Social Comparison Theory: Comparing ourselves to other people to determine our own abilities and attitudes.
Types of Social Comparisons: Upward (comparing ourselves to those better), Downward (comparing ourselves to those worse), and Lateral (comparing ourselves to those at the same level).
When do we compare? When there's no objective standard to measure ourselves against.
Who do we compare ourselves to? Friends, family, colleagues, or people in similar situations.
Downward Comparison Theory: Comparing ourselves to those who are worse off in order to boost self-esteem.
Upward Social Comparisons Construal Theory: Comparing to better people to assess if we can improve.

Costa et al. (2018): Voice tone in conflict affects how the other person acts. A calmer voice in a confrontation creates a calmer conversation tone.
Song et al. (2019): Different cultures have different motivations when engaging in social comparisons (e.g., East Asian cultures are more likely to show self-improvement motivations).
Johnson (2012): Response to upward social comparisons can be threats to self-esteem.

Helgeson & Mickelson (1995): Culture impacts motivation (self-enhancement, self-destruction, self-evaluation, self-improvement, altruism).
When people can’t improve, they might sabotage others or interfere with their performance, reduce closeness to other people to alleviate threats

Comparing Ourselves to Others: Specific Situations

Tesser & Smith (1980): When we perceive others as strong threats (e.g., a friend getting better at something we care about), we might sabotage that person or distance ourselves from the situation if that threat is perceived as something that is important to us. This is influenced by closeness or competitiveness.
Nicholls & Stukas (2011): High narcissism is linked to reducing closeness to friends who excel in areas we care about.

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Description

Explore the concepts of introspection, self-awareness, and how we compare ourselves to others in this Week 4 psychology quiz. Delve into theories such as Self-Awareness Theory and Self-Perception Theory, and understand the implications of observing our own behavior on emotional responses and self-evaluation.