Unit 3: Social Psychology Notes

 

·         Social Phycology- the study of how we think about influence and relate to each other

·         Social Thinking- how we think of one another

·         Attribution Theory- the idea that we give a casual explanation foe someone’s behavior

·         Fundamental Attribution Error- the tendency to underestimate the impact of personal disposition

·         Attitudes- a belief or  feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to something

·         Do our attributes guide our actions?

Only if…

-External pressure is minimal

-We are aware of our attitudes

- The attitudes is relevant to the behavior

·         Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon- the tendency for people to have first agreed to a small request comply later with a larger request  

·         Door-in-the-face Phenomenon- the tendency for people who say no to a huge request, to comply with a smaller one.

·          Cognitive Dissonance Theory- when our attitudes do not match our actions.

v  Social Influence

·         Conformity-Adjusting ones behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

·         Conditions that strengthen conformity

-One is made to feel incompetent

- The group is at least 3 people

- The group in unanimous

-One admires the group’s status

-One had made no prior commitment

-The person is observed

·         Reasons for conforming

Ø  Normative Social Influence

-          Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disappointment.

Ø  Informal Social Influence

-          Influence resulting from ones willingness to accept others opinions about reality

·         Social Facilitation- improved performance of task in the presence of others

·         Social loafing-the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable.

·         Self-Fulfilling Prophecies- when one person’s belief about other leads one to act in ways that make others appear to conform the belief.

·         Prejudice- An unjustifiable attitude towards a group of people: Usually involves a stereotyped beliefs

 

 

 

·         Social inequalities- principle reason behind prejudice

-In group- “us” people with whom one shares a common identity

-Out group- “Them” those perceived more different than one’s in group

-In group Bias- the tendency to favor one’s own group

·         Scapegoat Theory- theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

·         The Just World Phenomenon- those who suffer deserve their fate

·         Aggression- any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

·         Frustration-Aggression Principle –the blocking of an  attempt to achieve some goal, creates anger which generates aggression

·         Conflict-a perceived incompatibility of actions goals or ideas

·         Mere Exposure- repeated exposure to something breeds attraction

·         Mirror Image Concept- doing like things

·         Reciprocal Liking- you are more likely to like someone who likes you

·         Similarity

-opposites to not always attract

-same people go together

-similarity breeds content

·         Liking Though Association- Liking something because of other

·         The Hot Factor-physically attractiveness predicts dating frequency, there are perceived as healthier happier more honest and successful than less attractive counterparts

·         Love

-Passionate love- an aroused state of intense positive absorption or another

- Compassionate love- the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom you’re lived are intertwined

     -What makes compassionate love work? Equity, self-disclosure

·         Altruism- unselfish regard for the welfare of others

·         Bystander Effect- Less willing to help others if there are others

·         Social Exchange Theory-the idea that our social behavior is an exchange process, which we maximize benefits to minimize cost

·         Peacemaking- Compromise, give people super ordinate(Share) goals that can only be achieved through cooperation

·         Motivation-a need or desire that energizes and direct behavior

·         Instinct Theory- we are motivated by our inborn automated behaviors

·         Dive-Reduction Therapy- the idea that physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

·         Incentives- Positives or negative environment stimulus that motivates behavior  

·         Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- Said we are motivated by needs and all needs are not created equal.  We are driven to satisfy the lower level needs first.

·         Hunger- both physiological and psychological

-Hunger does not come from our stomach, but form our brain (hypothalamus)

 

·         Hypothalamus

Ø  Lateral- when stimulated it makes your hungry

-when lesion (destroyed) you will never be hungry again

Ø  Ventromedial- when stimulated you feel full

-when lesion you never feel full

·         How does the hypothalamus work?

Ø  Two theories

-Lepton- a protein produced by fat cells

-Set Point- Hypothalamus acts like a thermostat, we are meant to be in a certain weight range, when we fall below weight our body will increase hunger and decrease energy.

·         Body Chemistry

-Glucose: the hormone insulin converts glucose to fat, when glucose levels drop- hunger increases

·         Psychology of Hunger

-Externals: people whose eating is triggered more by the persistence of food than internal factors

·         Eating Disorders

-          Bulimia Nervosa- Characterized by bingeing  (eating large amounts of food)  and purging (getting rid of the food)

-          Anorexia Nervosa- starve themselves to below 85% of their normal body weight, see themselves as fat, cast majority are woman.

-          Obesity- Severely over wright to the point where it causes health issues

·         Achievement Motivation

-Intrinsic Motivators- Rewards as we get internally, such as enjoyment or satisfaction

-Extrinsic Motivators- rewards that we get for accomplishing from outside ourselves

·         Management Theory

-Theory X: Managers believe that employees will work only if rewarded with benefits or threatened with punishment. Think employees are extrinsically motivated only interested in lower needs

-Theory Y: Managers believe that employees are internally motivated to do good work and policies should encourage this internal motive. Interested only in Maslow’s higher needs.

·         James-Lang Theory of Emotion experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion arousing stimuli

-Emotion: we feel emotion because of biological charges caused by stress. The body charges and our mind recognizes the feeling

·         Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

-Emotion: arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger physiological responses subjective experience of emotion

·         Shachter’s Two Factor Theory of Emotion

-          To Experience emotion one must be physically aroused, cognitively label the arousal

·         Two Factor Theory of Emotion

-          Biology and cognition interact with each other to increase the experience

·         Emotion- Lie Detectors

-          Polygraph: Machine commonly used in attempts to direct lies, measures several of the physiological responded accompanying emotion

-Perspiration

-cardiovascular

-breathing changes

·         Experienced Emotion

-          Catharsis: Emotional release, catharsis hypothesis ”Releasing” aggressive energy 9though action or fantasy) releases aggressive urges

-          Feel good-do-good Phenomenon: peoples tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

-          Adaptation-Level Phenomenon: Perception that one’s worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself.