Introduction to Psychology Chapter 12 PDF

Introduction to Psychology Chapter 12 Social Psychology  Social Psychology and Conformity Social psychology – the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social influence - the process t...

Introduction to Psychology Chapter 12 Social Psychology  Social Psychology and Conformity Social psychology – the scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social influence - the process through which the real or implied presence of others can directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an individual.  Social Psychology and Conformity Conformity - changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people.  Groupthink and Compliance Groupthink - kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts of the problem with which the group is concerned. Consumer psychology – branch of psychology that studies the habits of consumers in the marketplace, including compliance.  Groupthink and Compliance LO 12.1 Factors affecting conformity Compliance - changing one’s behavior as a result of other people directing or asking for the change.  Four Ways to Gain Compliance LO 12.2 Four ways to gain compliance Foot-in-the-door technique – asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment.  Four Ways to Gain Compliance LO 12.2 Four ways to gain compliance Door-in-the-face technique – asking for a large commitment and being refused, and then asking for a smaller commitment. – Norm of reciprocity - assumption that if someone does something for a person, that person should do something for the other in return.  Four Ways to Gain Compliance LO 12.2 Four ways to gain compliance Lowball technique – getting a commitment from a person and then raising the cost of that commitment. That’s-not-all technique - a sales technique in which the persuader makes an offer and then adds something extra to make the offer look better before the target person can make a decision.  Obedience LO 12.3 Obedience Obedience - changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure.  Social Loafing and Social Facilitation Group polarization - is the tendency for members involved in a group discussion to take somewhat more extreme positions and suggest riskier actions when compared to individuals who have not participated in a group discussion  Social Loafing and Social Facilitation Social facilitation - the tendency for the presence of other people to have a positive impact on the performance of an easy task. Social loafing - the tendency for people to put less effort into a simple task when working with others on that task.  Attitudes LO 12.4 Components formation and change of an attitude Attitude - a tendency to respond positively or negatively toward a certain person, object, idea, or situation. The three components of an attitude are the affective (emotional) component, the behavioral component, and the cognitive component.  Formation of Attitudes LO 12.4 Components formation and change of an attitude Direct contact with the person, situation, object, or idea. Direct instruction from parents or others. Interacting with other people who hold a certain attitude. Vicarious conditioning - watching the actions and reactions of others to ideas, people, objects, and situations.  Persuasion LO 12.4 Components formation and change of an attitude Persuasion - the process by which one person tries to change the belief, opinion, position, or course of action of another person through argument, pleading, or explanation. – Key elements in persuasion are the source of the message, the message itself, and the target audience.  Persuasion LO 12.4 Components formation and change of an attitude Elaboration likelihood model – Central-route processing - type of information processing that involves attending to the content of the message itself.  Persuasion LO 12.4 Components formation and change of an attitude Elaboration likelihood model – Peripheral-route processing - type of information processing that involves attending to factors not involved in the message, such as the appearance of the source of the message, the length of the message, and other noncontent factors.  Cognitive Dissonance LO 12.5 When attitudes do not match actions Cognitive dissonance - The term cognitive dissonance is used to describe the mental discomfort that results from holding conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. This inconsistency between what people believe and how they behave motivates people to engage in actions that will help minimize feelings of discomfort.  Social Cognition and Impressions LO 12.6 Social categorization and implicit personality theories Social cognition - the mental processes that people use to make sense of the social world around them. Impression formation - forming of the first knowledge a person has about another person. – Primacy effect - the very first impression one has about a person tends to persist even in the face of evidence to the contrary.  Social Cognition and Social Categorization LO 12.6 Social categorization and implicit personality theories Social categorization - the assignment of a person one has just met to a category based on characteristics the new person has in common with other people with whom one has had experience in the past. – Stereotype - a set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a particular social category.  Social Cognition and Social Categorization LO 12.6 Social categorization and implicit personality theories Implicit personality theory - sets of assumptions about how different types of people, personality traits, and actions are related to each other. Schemas - mental patterns that represent what a person believes about certain types of people. Schemas can become stereotypes.  Attributions LO 12.7 How people explain others’ actions Attribution theory - the theory of how people make attributions. – Situational cause- cause of behavior attributed to external factors  Attributions LO 12.7 How people explain others’ actions Attribution theory - the theory of how people make attributions. – Dispositional cause - cause of behavior attributed to internal factors  Prejudice and Discrimination LO 12.8 Prejudice and discrimination Prejudice - negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social group. Discrimination - treating people differently because of prejudice toward the social group to which they belong.  Prejudice and Discrimination LO 12.8 Prejudice and discrimination Forms of prejudice include ageism, sexism, racism, and prejudice toward those who are too fat or too thin. In-groups - social groups with whom a person identifies; "us." Out-groups - social groups with whom a person does not identify; "they."  Prejudice and Discrimination LO 12.8 Prejudice and discrimination Realistic conflict theory - conflict between groups increases prejudice and discrimination. Scapegoating - tendency to direct prejudice and discrimination at out-group members who have little social power or influence.  Stopping Prejudice LO 12.9 Why people are prejudiced and how to stop it Social cognitive theory – views prejudice as an attitude acquired through direct instruction, modeling, and other social influences.  Stopping Prejudice LO 12.9 Why people are prejudiced and how to stop it Social identity theory – theory in which the formation of a person’s identity within a particular social group is explained by social categorization, social identity, and social comparison. – Social identity - the part of the self-concept including one’s view of self as a member of a particular social category. – Social comparison – the comparison of oneself to others in ways that raise one’s self-esteem.  Stopping Prejudice LO 12.9 Why people are prejudiced and how to stop it Stereotype vulnerability - the effect that people’s awareness of the stereotypes associated with their social group has on their behavior. Self-fulfilling prophecy - the tendency of one’s expectations to affect one’s behavior in such a way as to make the expectation more likely to occur.  Attraction LO 12.10 Factors that govern attraction and the different forms of love Interpersonal attraction - liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person. Proximity - physical or geographical nearness. People like people who are similar to themselves OR who are different from themselves (complementary).  Attraction LO 12.10 Factors that govern attraction and the different forms of love Reciprocity of liking - tendency of people to like other people who like them in return.  Love LO 12.10 Factors that govern attraction and the different forms of love Love - a strong affection for another person due to kinship, personal ties, sexual attraction, admiration, or common interests. Sternberg states that the three components of love are intimacy, passion, and commitment. Figure 12.5 Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love This diagram represents the seven different kinds of love that can result from combining the three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Notice that some of these types of love sound less desirable or positive than others. What is the one key element missing from the less positive types of love? Source: Adapted from Sternberg (1986).  Aggression LO 12.11 Biology and learning influences on aggression Aggression - behavior intended to hurt or destroy another person. Biological influences on aggression may include genetics, the amygdala and limbic system, and testosterone and serotonin levels.  Aggression LO 12.11 Biology and learning influences on aggression Social role - the pattern of behavior that is expected of a person who is in a particular social position. – Violent TV, movies, and videos are related to aggression.  Altruism LO 12.12 Altruism and deciding to help others Prosocial behavior - socially desirable behavior that benefits others. Altruism - prosocial behavior that is done with no expectation of reward and may involve the risk of harm to oneself.  Bystander Effect – Kitty Genovese LO 12.12 Altruism and deciding to help others Bystander effect - referring to the effect that the presence of other people has on the decision to help or not help, with help becoming less likely as the number of bystanders increases.  Bystander Effect – Kitty Genovese LO 12.12 Altruism and deciding to help others Diffusion of responsibility - occurring when a person fails to take responsibility for actions or for inaction because of the presence of other people who are seen to share the responsibility.  Diffusion of Responsibility LO 12.12 Altruism and deciding to help others Five Steps in Making a Decision to Help – Noticing – Defining an emergency – Taking responsibility – Planning a course of action – Taking action  Cults LO 12.13 Why people join cults People who join cults tend to be under stress, unhappy, unassertive, gullible, dependent, want to belong, and idealistic. Young people are likelier to join cults than are older people. Cults use love-bombing, isolation, rituals, and activities to keep the new recruits from questions and critical thinking.