Psych 100 1H Focus Questions Chapter 14 pp 511 524 Class 29 11 1 2013 1 Define social pressure social facilitation and social interference Describe Zajonc s theory providing evidence in your response What is the working memory explanation for social interference Social pressure entire sets of psychological forces that are exerted on us by others judgments Social facilitation enhancing effect of an audience on task performance Social interference decline in performance when observers are present a Zanjonc s theory i Presence of others facilitates performance of dominant actions and interferes with performance of non dominant actions Zajonc 1965 Develop arguments opposing views of classical philosophers ii Audience increases person s level of arousal Heightened drive increases effort which facilitates dominant tasks interferes with controlled conscious thought iii Also depends on skill Michaels 1982 pool players that were experienced performed better but novice performed worse in front of people b Working memory explanation for social interference i Choking on academic tests 1 Zeidner 1998 a Distracting and disturbing thoughts flood minds and interfere with performance on important tests b Occurs specifically with test items that make the highest demands on working memory 2 Beilock 2004 a Math test two groups low high pressure High did worse on unpracticed which needed more from working memory 2 What is stereotype threat and how can it affect test performance Provide evidence in your response How is this a type of choking Stereotype threat threat that test takers experience when they are reminded of the stereotypical belief that the group which they belong is not expected to do well on the test a Affect Test Performance i African American college students but not white performed worse on tests if they were refereed to t as intelligence tests than other labels Even greater if reminded of race right before ii Other stigmatized groups women perform worse on problem solving tests described as math tests Especially if attention is drawn to that women have less aptitude for math than do men b Type of choking i Produce its effects by increasing anxiety and mental distraction Undermine confidence increasing motivation to do well results in increased anxiety ii 3 What is impression management and how is this demonstrated in actors and politicians How does impression management differ for acquaintances and close friends Impression management entire set of ways by which people consciously and unconsciously modify their behavior to influence other s impressions of them a Humans as Actors and Politicians i Shakespeare all the world s a stage men merely players 1 Presentation of Self in Everyday Life says that we are actors playing at different times on different stages to different audiences always trying to convince our current audience we are whom we are playing Intuitive politicians ii 1 Perform to achieve real life ends because we need the approval and cooperation of other people Perform and compromise in various ways b Differ for acquaintances and close friends i More concerned with impression management with new acquaintances than close friends 1 First impressions can have long lasting effects 2 Less need to manage impressions with close friends because they already know us well slip will not so seriously harm our reputation with friends as it will with strangers and friends may see through act no matter how clever the performance 3 Dating partners much more concerned with making good impressions on each other than are married partners a Dating better relationship when good impression b Married better relationship when true impression ii 4 Distinguish between normative and informational influence Describe Asch s conformity experiments and what they tell us about these influences Normative influence social influence that works through the persons desire to be a part of a group or be approved by others Informational influence social influence that works through providing clues about the objective nature about an event of situation a Asch s conformity experiments i People conform to others judgments when objective evidence is ambiguous Expected when evidence clear cut that they would not conform ii Participant with confederates 75 swayed by confederates on at least 1 of 12 critical trials a little over a third of the time they will conform iii Mostly normative influence didn t want to look different but also using informational using others as judgments to base from iv The liberating and thought provoking influence of a non conformist 1 Single confederate gave different answer than others Amount of conformity dropped to one fourth of previous 5 Provide an overview of how norms can help or hurt others including a discussion of the broken windows theory of crime implicit norms in public service messages and the passive bystander effect in your response a Norms can help or hurt others i Broken windows 1 Broken windows litter graffiti signals disrespect for law order and rights of residents 2 Cleaning up subways streets vacant buildings and cracking down on petty crime created social environment where breaking law was abnormal 3 People motivated to behave as they see normal 4 Netherlands experiment of two conditions 5 Euro note out of mail box and official sign telling not to walk ii Implicit norms 1 Showing that other people steal wood from parks increases instead of decreases Smoking drunk driving littering implicitly want to fit majority iii Passive bystander effect 1 Person is much more likely to help if only witness a 70 helped if alone only 20 if with person i More people less feel responsible to contribute ii Alone decide emergency yourself with group inaction normative and informational influences 6 Describe group polarization What causes this phenomenon What is groupthink and how does it relate to making good and bad decisions a Group Polarization i If group is evenly split result is compromise If not evenly split majority becomes more extreme in their initial view 1 Traffic violation cases controversial issues like strengthening the military b Causes i Informational 1 pooling of arguments that occurs during group discussion 2 vigorously put forth arguments in favor disregard others 3 disproportionate number of arguments on the side of their initial learning ii Normative 4 hearing others repeat own arguments validating effect 1 People s concerns about being approved by other group