Self
What is the subjective evaluation of our self's worth called?
Self-esteem
What is cognitive dissonance?
Mismatch between behavior and cognition. Unpleasant. Induces attempts to reduce gap.
What are the three types of self described by Higgins' self-discrepancy theory
actual, ideal, and ought
What did Linville (1985) find about self-complexity?
Greater self-complexity is related with lower emotional volatility
At a networking event, Sarah is careful to dress professionally, speak confidently, and emphasize her achievements when introducing herself. Even though she’s a bit nervous, she wants others to see her as competent and successful, so she actively manages how she appears. What is this called?
Self-presentation. Also known as impression management.
Imagine someone spends hours preparing for a challenging cooking competition. They face long, exhausting practice sessions and even burn a few dishes along the way. In the end, even if they don’t win, they tell themselves it was a valuable experience and that they learned a lot. How would you call this kind of dissonance?
effort justification
Frank has a long-term goal of improving his health and fitness. He knows this requires regular exercise and a balanced diet, so he skips going out for dessert with friends and opts for a home workout instead. Although it’s tempting to indulge in treats and skip exercise, Frank prioritizes his long-term fitness goal over these short-term pleasures. This is an example of...
Self-regulation
What is the Pique technique? Is it effective? Why?
Pique interest by making unusual requests.
Emma cares a lot about her athletic performance. This week, she performed poorly in a race and also got a lower grade on a quiz. While she shrugs off the quiz result, the race outcome really bothers her, and she spends hours training afterward to make sure she improves. What is this an example of?
Contingencies of self-worth
A child loves reading books. Their teacher starts giving them “gold star” stickers each time they finish a book. Soon, the child starts reading mainly for the stickers. When the teacher stops giving stickers, the child’s interest in reading declines, even though they originally enjoyed it. What's this an example of?
Overjustification effect
Jake just started a new job and wants to understand how he’s doing. He regularly chats with a coworker who joined around the same time and has a similar role. By comparing their experiences and progress, Jake gauges his own performance, using a comparison with someone in a similar position. What kind of social comparison is this?
Lateral (as opposed to downward or upward)
Petty, Cacioppo, and Goldman (1981) explored how different factors influence attitude change, focusing on how personal involvement impacts the way people process persuasive messages. How did they find that involvement impacted persuasiveness?
They found that people with high involvement in an issue tend to focus more on the strength of the arguments presented, while those with low involvement are more influenced by cues like the speaker’s expertise.
Jordan views himself as a “manager,” “parent,” and “hiker.” He often finds himself applying skills and mindsets from one role to another, such as using problem-solving techniques from work when planning family outings.
Sam identifies as a “writer,” “cyclist,” and “researcher”. He approaches each with a distinct mindset, keeping his creative, athletic, and professional lives separate.
Who has greater self-complexity?
Sam
You’re at a café, and they offer you a choice between paper and plastic straws. You don’t have a strong opinion about straws—it’s not something you think about much. You end up choosing the paper straw without much thought. Later, you notice you keep choosing paper straws when given the option and think, “Maybe I actually prefer paper straws, or maybe I care a bit about sustainability.”
Is this a better example of dissonance or self-perception? Why?
Self-perception. Attitude was not important beforehand.
You go on a first date with someone you're really attracted to. You focus on bringing your best qualities forward, like being funny, attentive and kind, to make sure that you have a great time. What kind of 'focus' is this according to Higgins' self-discrepancy theory?
Promotion: regulate in favor of ideal standards. Focus on presence or absence of positive outcomes.
Also know:
Prevention: regulate in favor of 'ought' standards. Focus presence or absence of negative outcomes.
According to Midgley et al. (2021),what is the most frequent type of social comparison?
Upward
Before an important presentation at work, Alex volunteers to take on extra tasks, which makes him busier than usual. When the presentation doesn’t go as well as he hoped, he mentions to colleagues, “I was juggling a lot of things this week.”
What is this an example of?
Self-handicapping
Which situation is likely to create more cognitive dissonance?
Example 1: Alex decides to help a friend cheat on a test even though he feels cheating is wrong. He wasn’t pressured, and he realizes later that his friend’s grade improved because of it.
Example 2: Alex accidentally gives a friend a wrong answer on homework, leading to a lower grade. He didn’t intend to mislead, and he realizes that his friend's grade worsened because of it.
Example 1
►The behavior was freely chosen
►The behavior wasn’t sufficiently justified
►The behavior had negative consequences
►The negative consequences were foreseeable
What are the motives for why we engage in self-evaluation?
Enhancement
Accuracy
Improvement
Consistency
In Milgram’s famous obedience experiment, participants were instructed to deliver increasingly intense electric shocks to a “learner” when they answered questions incorrectly. Results showed that obedience to authority was higher when the experimenter (authority figure) was physically present in the room and when the shocks were increased in small increments. According to persuasion theory, what route do these effects take, according to the elaboration likelihood model?
Peripheral. Central would be arguments.