Psych 280 Study guides, Class notes & Summaries

What is conformity? Answer A change in one's behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others. Changes in perceptions, opinions, or behaviors in ways that are consistent with group norms What is informational social influence? Answer The need to understand how to act when we're uncertain of what to do. Making the wrong choice could lead to negative events. What is private acceptance and public compliance? How are they similar and different? Answer Yes=private acceptance. ...

Social norms Answer Unwritten social rules Descriptive norms Answer -How other are actually behaving -No judgement attached to the behavior Injunctive norms Answer -What is acceptable and unacceptable -How people should behave -Includes judgement- behavior is approved or disapproved Social influence Answer -Cues us to what others are doing in order to influence what we do -Ex: Tip jars have "starter" change Informational social influence Answer -conformity from accepting eviden...

Features of the Scientific Method Answer logical - systematic observation repeatable - public verification open to disconfirmation Goals of research Answer Describe behavior (how?), predict behavior (when?), explain behavior (why?) Describing behavior Answer Observing behavior where it occurs - observational study Strengths of observational studies Answer High in external validity, can record what people actually do Limitations of observational studies Answer Hard to analyze deeper...

conformity Answer change in one's behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others informational social influence Answer we see others as a course of info to guide our behavior others will help choose an appropriate course of action normative social influence Answer influence that leads us to conform in order to be liked or accepted by others public compliance norms Answer implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, & beliefs of its members ...

Pro-social behavior Answer any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person Altruisem Answer any act that benefits another person but does not benefit the helper; may even pose risk to helper Why do we help? Answer 1. Kin Selection 2. Reciprocity Norms 3. Cooperative Groups 4. Social Exchange Theory 5. Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis Social Exchange Theory in Relation to Helping Answer Predicts we only help others when benefits outweigh the costs, theory also suggests that a...

Which statement BEST expresses how the understanding of psychopathology has changed over time? Answer Professionals today are more likely than those in the past to view mental disorders as closely related to physical disorders. During any given year, approximately what percentage of Americans experiences a diagnosable mental disorder? Answer 18.9 The relationship between mental illness and gun violence is BEST described as ______. Answer weak The ______ perspective on psychological diso...

Descriptive Norm Answer How others actually behave Prescriptive/Injunctive Norms Answer The socially acceptable way to behave Mimicry Answer When we mimic others actions around us(yawning, laughing, etc) Idomotor Action Answer Just thinking about something is more likely to make us do an action Informational Social Influence Answer When we look to others for the right answer. This is usually when we dont know the answer ourselves Normative social influence Answer Conformity based ...

What is prosocial behavior? What is altruism? Answer Prosocial behavior is any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person. Altruism is any act that benefits another person but doesn't benefit the helper and may even pose some risk the helper. How does evolutionary psychology explain helping behavior? Why do we help people today who aren't our relatives? Answer We are genetically engineered to help others out. Helping gets rewarded and the risks aren't too high What is kin ...

What's the difference between informational and normative influence? Answer o Informational social influence: seeking information, need to understand the world around us when we're uncertain o Normative social influence: seeking acceptance, fear of negative consequences of appearing deviant, social rejection is a very difficult experience for people to go through What is conformity? What are norms? Answer o Conformity: changes in perceptions, opinions or behaviors in ways that are consiste...

The Primary Thesis of Social Psychology Answer human social thought and social behavior is governed heavily by the situation in which the thoughts and behaviors occur Secondary Theses of Social Psychology Answer the power of situational forces is far greater than people think, social thought and social behavior often do not fit into rational theories, peoples perceptions are more important than are objective features of a situation, social thought and behavior are a function of the person and...