social approach

• Key assumptions:

  • behaviours are shaped by social groups and social interactions
  • behaviour varies based on situation or context
  • perceptions of reality are influenced by beliefs, norms and experiences therefore reality is subjective
  • people are social beings with a need to belong
• Jenness (1932)

  experiment = filled a bottle with 811 white beans. 101 psychology students had to guess how many beans were in the bottle individually and then in groups of 3 to see if their answers would change

  results = nearly all participants changed their answers. on average males changed their answer by 256 and women by 382

  analysis: shows the power of conformity in ambiguous situations, this is likely to be the result of informational social influence
• informational social influence = about who has the better or more information. we are often unsure about what is right or wrong so we conform to the views of others. this is a cognitive process that is most common in situations were someone is seen as an expert or ambiguous situations
• normative social influence = in a group setting there are behaviours seen as normal, this alters behaviour and acts as a glue we accept these norms because we want to fit in and avoid rejection. this is an emotional process that is most common in stressful situations
• Kelman (1958):

  1. internalisation = we actually agree with a group and therefore change our public and private behaviour
  2. compliance = we confirm with the majority but we do not change our behaviour when in private
  3. identification = we privately change some of our behaviours but we only conform whilst we are part of the group
• Asch line study (1956)

  123 male students tested individually in a group with 6-8 confederates. all actors gave the wrong answer to see if the participant would conform even though he knew the answer was wrong. participants conformed 36.8% of the time
• Stereotypes

  • a fixed view we hold of a person based on the fact we have placed them into a social category
  • the danger of this is that our assumption may be wrong and unfair
  • we learn stereotypes from sources of social information such as parents, peers and the media. we observe and imitate these sources
  • many stereotypes reflect the norms of behaviour that are rooted in culture
  • positives = simplifies interactions, saves time, saves cognitive processing effort
  • negatives = prejudice, discrimination, self-fulfilling prophecy
• Chatard 2007

  aim: how do stereotypes affect memory?

  procedure: participants were split into two groups. one group were asked to recall their grades in maths and art and then complete a questionnaire that reinforces gender stereotypes. the other group did this the other way around

  results: in group two both boys and girls overestimated their art grade, boys overestimated their maths grade and girls underestimated their maths grades

  conclusion: by reinforcing gender stereotypes their recall of grades was influenced
• social identity theory

  • we get our self esteem from the groups we belong to
  • people make choices that cost them what they need in order to defeat out-groups
  • social identity = the way that peoples self-concept and self-worth are based on the social groups we belong to
• stages of social identity theory

  1. social categorisation = placing people in groups based on shared characteristics
  2. social identification = we identify with a group called our “in-group”
  3. social comparison = we compare ourselves to other groups, viewing our in group as superior and being negative towards out groups
• social roles = the ‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups eg daughter, sibling and student. these roles are accompanied by expectations we have of what behaviour is appropriate in each role.
• racial and ethnic stereotypes

  • black people are often stereotyped as being aggressive more than any other ethnic group
  • Hester & Gray (2018): tall black men are particularly stereotyped as threatening whereas tall white men are perceived as being competent
• desensitisation = people become less sensitive by media violence as a result of exposure

  disinhibition = normal restraints are loosened after repeated exposure to media violence
• stereotypes & prejudice

  • ‘in-groups’ and ‘out-groups’ - negative traits are imputed to ‘out-groups’
  • there then comes the need of individuals to raise self-esteem within the in-group by becoming aggressive, verbally or physically, towards the out-group
• gender role norms & gender stereotypes

  • men conform to a gender role that they are expected to be aggressive
  • stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts or schemas that mediate how we interact with the world
  • men are often stereotyped as physically aggressive whilst women are verbally aggressive
  • these stereotypes often persistent and can lead to acceptance of sexual harassment and intimate partner violence (IPV)
• Egan & Perry (2001): gender identity is just one element of self-identification within groups. children self-select their groups whether they want to be a girl or a boy as early as 3 years old. this is the beginning of gender segregation, as children show preference in playing within their selected groups
• gender non-conformity - the pressure felt by adolescents to conform may cause stress to those who do not conform to gender-role norms or behaviours
• Ngoshi (2014): gender dysphoria can result from this non-conforming identity and may be linked to the psychological ill-health associated with those who develop dysphoria
• gender typicality - gender typicality is the extent to which an individual feels they are like other members of their gender, this appears often in adolescence which in a time of sensitivity to peer influence. the individual therefore assesses their personal qualities against others and then try to reflect how closely they fit a gender category
• culture and third genders - third gender is a term used for people who do not fit the traditional binary classifications of women or man.
• peer pressure is high for boys in western culture. girls are allowed more flexibility because male traits are more valued than feminine traits
• bandwagon effect = people do something because other people are doing it regardless of your own beliefs
• social proof = people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behaviours for a given situation
• social norms = informal rules that define acceptable behaviours