Group Processes
The soccer player would play well. The attention of the audience would increase their arousal, which would trigger their dominant response of playing well (since they are a pro).
If you owned a hotel and wanted to ensure that your guests reused their towels, what would be a good statistic to post in their bathroom?
"The majority of guests who stayed in this exact room reused their bath towels"
You are being chased by an angry, hungry lion. What kind of stressor is this? Name two categories.
Physical and acute
If you were trying to get donations for a children's charity, how might you use the Identifiable Victim Effect to your advantage?
By vividly describing or depicting a single child's struggles and/or explaining how exactly a donation would help that child.
How are empathy and compassion related?
Higher empathy leads to higher compassion; as seen in the Carol and Elaine experiments, those with more similarities to Carol and Elaine were more likely to help them even when escape was easy or the cost of helping was high.
What is the difference between social loafing and deindividuation?
Social loafing is when people fail to contribute equally due to the presence of others in their group, while deindividuation refers to the loss of self-awareness and restraint due to the anonymity of being part of a group.
At what group size does conformity tend to level off?
3-4
Explain the Health Behavior model.
Access to social support increases people's adherence to healthy behaviors, which in turn increases their overall health.
Two people in different places happen to witness an elderly woman fall down. The first person is the only one around, while the second person is in a crowded subway station. Which of them is likelier to help the elderly lady and why?
The first person, because they are less likely to be subject to the bystander non-intervention effect.
Define pluralistic ignorance.
When each individual in a group privately believes something is wrong but assumes that others’ calm behavior means no action is needed.
- Assigning someone to play "devil's advocate"
- Ensure leaders maintain neutrality/only share their views at the end
- Seek outside input from experts
- Ensure clear procedures in place to evaluate information
When a situation is ambiguous or difficult, and/or when our own knowledge is limited
What is the parasympathetic nervous system? What happens to it when we are stressed?
The part of the nervous system that calms us down and is responsible for growth, energy storage, repair. It gets suppressed when we are stressed.
In the Elaine experiment, what differentiated participants in the low and high compassion conditions?
Their perceived similarity to her, based on a questionnaire that she filled out beforehand.
Two different third-grade classes at an elementary school are constantly fighting during recess. The principal decides to foster better relations between the groups by throwing a pizza party where they can mingle and get to know each other. What is the expected outcome of this intervention?
The groups will continue to fight; mere exposure isn't enough to foster cooperation.
True or false: intergroup bias requires rich cultural narratives or long learning histories in order to exist. Explain your answer.
False (Minimal Group Paradigms study)
When can conformity be beneficial?
- When it forces people to follow laws or important social customs
- When it maintains order/harmony
Name at least 1 factor that makes fear appeals effective in changing health behaviors.
- The behavior is a one-time act, rather than a repeated habit
- The fear appeals are paired with actionable strategies/alternatives for the harmful health behavior
Fill in the blank: in the Carol experiment, ________ should diminish when there was a low cost of not helping (e.g. Carol would not be in class).
Name 3 ways that stress can affect the body.
- Stunting growth
- Increasing likelihood of illnesses
- Causing inflammation
- Causing earlier death
- Shortening the lifespan
- Weakening the immune system
Michael feels extremely proud to be the branch manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Based on Social Identity Theory, how might he react to an employee of a different branch insulting the Scranton office?
Because he so strongly identifies with being part of the Scranton branch, Michael will take the insult personally. He might try to boast about Scranton to enhance the esteem of the group, and his own self-esteem in turn.
What have neural studies of informational social influence found?
Changes in preferences following social influence are reflected in neural responses to stimuli, suggesting that conformity in preferences involves private acceptance and not just public compliance.
How do health psychologists account for third variable/causality issues when studying the relationships between social support and health?
By conducting longitudinal studies, and/or controlling for outside variables as much as possible
Name 2 ways to increase altruism.
- Use rational calculations
- Expand the scope of empathy
What's the difference between compliance and obedience?
Compliance occurs out of acknowledgement of existing norms, while obedience occurs out of acknowledgement of authority.