Social

• Assumptions

  • Behaviour occurs in a social contest (induced try people around us)
  • Culture and society influence people's behaviour
• Conformity

  When a person changes their opinion/behaviour because they are pressured (or believe they are pressured) by another person or a group
• Normative social influence

  Group norms - In any group of people there are behaviours and beliefs that are considered to be "normal" or typical. Norms guide the behaviour of the individuals in the group and are part of what glues the group together, which is why we pay attention to them. We accept the norms of the group because we want to be liked by the other members and to avoid being rejected by them.
• Emotional process

  Is about how you feel. It may be stronger in stressful situations where people have a greater need for social support.
• Informational social influence

  Information - About who has better information, you or others. Often makes people unsure about what behaviours beliefs are right or wrong. Many conform to others' views because they want to be right.
• Cognitive processes

  About what you think. Most likely to happen in situations which are new to you or situations where it isn't clear what is right. Occurs when one person is regarded as an expert.
• Solomon Asch (1951) experiment

  In groups of 6-7, participants were asked to identify which line out of three was the same length as line X. Only one participant was a genuine participant who didn't know what the task was really about. The confederates were told to give the same wrong answer. The participant agreed with the wrong answers. Asch believed the participants conformed in order to avoid rejection by the group (NSI).
• Internalisation


  The individual goes along with the group opinion because they genuinely believe it is correct, so private views are changed. Publicly change our views. Continue to conform with the group even when other members are not physically present. Most likely to occur because of ISI.
• Compliance


  The individual privately disagrees with the group but goes along with it anyway, usually because they do not want to be rejected. Most likely to occur because of NSI.
• Identification


  The individual temporarily goes along with the norms and roles of the group because they see membership as part of their identity. We conform because we identify with the members of the group. Privately some views may change but we still conform when a part of the group.
• In-groups and Out-groups


  Social groups we perceive ourselves to be members of (in-groups) and not members of (out-groups). By drawing boundaries between categories, it exaggerates the differences and minimalises similarities with the out-group. Means we stereotype people in the out-group.
• Social categorisation


  Putting people into social groupings based on their shared characteristics. Increases the distance between the in and out groups.
• Social learning theory


  Argues that we learn stereotypes by observing sources of social information (role models). Eg if a parent makes a racist joke, the child may enjoy the reaction and makes them more likely to repeat it to gain the same reaction.
• Positive effects of stereotypes


  Simplify interactions with other people in a complex social world. We assume people we meet share the stereotyped characteristics of a social category, which saves time and cognitive processing effort.
• Negative effects of stereotypes

  Stereotypes influence our behaviour as they are self fulfilling. We tend to remember positive information about the in-group and negative information about the out-group. They distort and bias our social judgments, which can lead to prejudice and discrimination.
• Discrimination


  Often the outcome of prejudice towards an out-group. People are excluded because they share a characteristic. Also faced by people in less obvious 'everyday' ways.
• Group cohesion


  The extent to which group members are psychologically bonded. Members stick together to pursue common goals-enjoy being in a group. Positive: Can lead to greater communication and trust. Negative: Can lead to groupthink.
• Groupthink


  The tendency of cohesive groups to strive for agreement, which overrides the need to analyse decisions realistically and to consider criticisms and alternatives.
• Task roles


  Focus on getting the work done.
• Social roles


  Focus on creating harmony in group relationships.
• Procedural roles


  Focus on keeping the group on track.
• Individualist roles


  Seek to undermine the group.
• Common goals


  The outcomes of group activity that all members share and work towards. Increases group cohesiveness and motivation to increase their efforts. Provide direction and meaning to tasks. Provide a standard against which to measure progress, evaluate performance and resolve conflicts.
• Group cohesion


  The extent to which group members are strongly bonded
• Members stick together to pursue common goals-enjoy being in a group
• Positive of group cohesion


  • Can lead to greater communication and trust
• Negative of group cohesion

  • Can lead to groupthink
• Groupthink


  The tendency of cohesive groups to strive for agreement, which overrides the need to analyse decisions realistically and to consider criticisms and alternatives
• Group roles


  • Task roles (focus on getting the work done)
  • Social roles (focus on creating harmony in group relationships)
  • Procedural roles (focus on keeping the group on track)
  • Individualist roles (seek to undermine the group)
• Common goals


  The outcomes of group activity that all members share and work towards
• Benefits of common goals

  • Increases group cohesiveness and motivation to increase their efforts
  • Provide direction and meaning to tasks
  • Provide a standard against which to measure progress, evaluate performance and resolve conflicts
• Social facilitation


  The tendency for individuals to perform better on a task when other people are present
• Zajonc's theory of social facilitation


  If people believe others are observing our task performance, we become physiologically and psychologically aroused, which enhances performance of single, well-learned responses but is unhelpful in complex tasks
• Evaluation of social facilitation research shows practical applications, research support, but also limitations in the evidence and vagueness of some concepts
• Self-concept


  How a person perceives themselves and thinks about themselves, and values themselves and their attributes
• Self-esteem


  How a person values themselves and the extent to which they accept and like themselves
• Characteristics of people with high self-esteem


  • Positive self-image, accept themselves, have confidence in their own abilities
• Sources of self-esteem (Argyle)


  • Others' reactions to us
  • Comparing ourselves to others
  • The social roles we play
• Self-image


  A person's awareness of their mental and physical characteristics, based on positive and negative beliefs about themselves
• Self-efficacy


  A person's confidence in their ability to achieve success