Social Psychology and Psychological Disorders: Study Guide Guidance

Q1. What factors influence people or groups to conform to the actions of others?

Background

Topic: Social Influence and Conformity

This question explores the psychological and social factors that lead individuals or groups to align their behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs with those of others.

Key Terms and Concepts:

• Conformity: Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match those of a group or social norm.

• Normative Social Influence: Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

• Informational Social Influence: Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

• Group Size, Unanimity, Cohesion, Status, Public Response: Factors that can affect the likelihood of conformity.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Consider how group size impacts conformity. Larger groups can exert more pressure to conform, but the effect plateaus after a certain point.

2. Think about the role of unanimity. If everyone else in the group agrees, an individual is more likely to conform.

3. Reflect on the influence of group cohesion and status. People are more likely to conform to groups they value or see as having higher status.

4. Examine how public versus private responses affect conformity. Public responses tend to increase conformity due to social pressure.

Try identifying examples of these factors before checking the answer!

Q2. How is our behavior impacted by the presence of others?

Background

Topic: Social Facilitation, Social Loafing, and Deindividuation

This question examines how the mere presence of others can change individual behavior, sometimes enhancing or diminishing performance.

Key Terms and Concepts:

• Social Facilitation: Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

• Social Loafing: The tendency for people to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

• Deindividuation: The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Identify situations where the presence of others enhances performance (social facilitation), especially for tasks that are simple or well-practiced.

2. Consider how group settings can lead to reduced effort (social loafing), particularly when individual contributions are not identifiable.

3. Think about how anonymity in groups can lead to behaviors that individuals might not engage in alone (deindividuation).

Try to think of real-life examples for each effect before revealing the answer!

Q3. Compare and contrast three compliance techniques.

Background

Topic: Compliance Techniques in Social Psychology

This question asks you to identify and differentiate between common strategies used to get others to comply with requests.

Key Terms and Concepts:

• Foot-in-the-door Technique: Getting a person to agree to a small request to increase the likelihood of agreeing to a larger request later.

• Door-in-the-face Technique: Making a large request that is refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request.

• Lowball Technique: Getting someone to commit to a deal and then raising the cost or changing the terms.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Define each compliance technique and note the sequence of requests involved.

2. Compare how each technique manipulates the target's sense of obligation or commitment.

3. Contrast the initial request size and the psychological principles behind each technique (e.g., consistency, reciprocity).

Try outlining the differences and similarities before checking the answer!

Q4. What factors make obedience more likely?

Background

Topic: Obedience to Authority

This question explores the conditions under which individuals are more likely to follow orders from authority figures, as studied in classic experiments like Milgram's.

Key Terms and Concepts:

• Obedience: Following direct commands, usually from an authority figure.

• Authority Proximity, Legitimacy, Group Influence: Factors that can increase obedience.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Identify how the physical or psychological closeness of the authority figure affects obedience.

2. Consider the perceived legitimacy of the authority (e.g., lab coat, institutional backing).

3. Think about the role of group influence—whether others are obeying or dissenting.

List as many factors as you can before revealing the answer!

Q5. What are the three components of an attitude and how are attitudes formed?

Background

Topic: Attitudes and Attitude Formation

This question focuses on the structure of attitudes and the processes by which they develop.

Key Terms and Concepts:

• Affective Component: Emotional response toward the object.

• Behavioral Component: How one acts toward the object.

• Cognitive Component: Beliefs or thoughts about the object.

• Attitude Formation: Learning, direct experience, social influences.

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Identify and define each component of an attitude (affective, behavioral, cognitive).

2. Consider how attitudes can be formed through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, and direct experience.

3. Think of examples that illustrate each component and formation process.

Try to come up with your own examples before checking the answer!