Exam 3 Review – Fall 2010
Ch 7 - Conformity
· Types of Social Influence – conformity, compliance, & obedience (definitions & how does each differ from the others?)
· Effects of mimicking others – automatic process? Social functions of mimicking?
· Classic Conformity studies (Sherif & Asch)
o Sherif’s study – autokinetic effect
§ How was the study done?
§ What was found?
o Asch’s study – line judgments
§ How was the study done?
§ What was found?
o Why do people conform?
§ Information purposes
§ Norm purposes
§ Public vs. private conformity – what is the distinction?
o Majority influences on conformity
§ What is the influence of group size on conformity?
§ What is pluralistic ignorance?
§ What is the effect of seeing other nonconformists?
· What if the other nonconformists agree or disagree with you?
§ Gender effects on conformity – do they exist?
o Minority influences on conformity –
§ Influence based on style – what works best?
§ Are there personality predictors of conformity/nonconformity?
· Compliance
o Langer’s experiment – Xerox machine & requests to cut in line; what was found?
o Strategies for compliance –
§ Reciprocity norm – are there immediate or delayed responses?
§ Foot-in-the door technique – how does it work? Example? Role of self-perception
§ Lowballing technique – how does it work? Example?
§ Door-in-the-face technique – how does it work? Example? Role of contrast effect
· Obedience
o Milgram’s research:
§ Original experiment – what was the procedure? What was found regarding % of participants who obey?
§ Impact of the situation on obedience: how did each affect obedience?
· Location of the experiment –
· Experimenter characteristics
· Closeness to victim
· Disobedient others
o Burger’s replication of Milgram
§ Results?
o How does the Fundamental Attribution Error relate to Milgram’s study?
o Ethics of Milgram’s research –
§ What were the concerns here?
§ What effects did participants report and how did Milgram respond?
· Jonestown – cults and mass suicide
o Relate this example to obedience and conformity
o How did the situation play a role in the mass suicide?
Ch 8 – Groups
· Group definition
· Functions of groups
o Social interaction need
o Roles within groups – instrumental vs. emotional
o Group cohesiveness
· How does the presence of others affect us?
o Social facilitation – what is it?
o Triplett experiment with kids & fishing line – results?
o Different results for easy versus difficult tasks –
§ Zajonc’s research – concept of dominant response (how does it help explain the different results?)
· Animal research and social facilitation – what is found?
o What is evaluation apprehension? How does it impact social facilitation?
· Social loafing – what is it? Why does it occur?
o What is the best solution to reduce social loafing?
o Gender & cultural differences in social loafing – who loafs the most?
· Deindividuation –what is it? Why does it occur?
o Diener’s Halloween study – how did the kids behave depending on anonymity?
· Group performance
o What is process loss and how does it impact performance?
§ Brainstorming example – individuals vs. groups
· Group polarization – what is it?
o Risky shift effect – how does it work?
§ Pooling ideas
§ Social comparison
· Groupthink – what is it? Why does it occur?
o 8 symptoms – what are each of these?
§ Illusion of Invulnerability
§ Belief in Group’s Moral Superiority
§ Rationalization
§ Stereotypes of Opponents
§ Pressure to Conform
§ Self-Censoring
§ Illusion of Unanimity
§ Mindguarding
o How do various ‘symptoms’ above combine to have effects?
o How to reduce groupthink?
§ Focus on leadership, decision making, or group members (how?)
· Improving Group Performance
o Goal setting effects – what works best?
o Technology effects – how can computerized groups be used (what techniques work well?)
o Diversity – what are short-term vs. long-term effects of diverse groups?
· Conflict Management Strategies
o Bargaining vs. Mediation vs. Arbitration
§ Win-win (integrative) agreements work best
§ How do mediation and arbitration differ?
§ Differences between conventional & final offer arbitration?
§ What effects does arbitration have on relationships?
Ch 9 – Attraction (note that this material may change slightly depending on how far we progress in class through the topics below – check your class notes)
· Need for affiliation – as individual difference
o Compare to loneliness – when does this often occur?
· Attraction to friendships –
o Proximity – how does this predict our friendships?
o Mere exposure effect – how does this work?
§ Perceptions of ourselves (actual vs. mirror images)
o Physical attractiveness
§ Matching phenomenon – how does this work? What effects?
§ Adults’ judgments of kids – teacher study, employee salaries
§ ‘What is beautiful is good’ stereotype – any truth to this?
§ Standards of beauty – women vs. men
· Evolutionary explanation for such standards?
o Liking and similarity
§ Which influences which? 2-step process?
§ Any evidence of liking those who complement or are opposite to us?
· Liking & self-fulfilling prophecy
o Gain-loss effect of liking
o Playing hard-to-get? What does research indicate here?
· Introductions & Social Proximity
o On-line meeting – what does research indicate?
o Flirting & opening lines in open settings
· Predictors of attraction & partner preferences
o Mate selection research
· Exchange perspective to mate selection
o Rewards & costs
o Comparison levels
· Attachment & love
o How is attachment studied (infant research)
o What are 3 attachment styles?
o Links to commitment and satisfaction for each style –
· Theories of love
o Passionate/Companionate love – definitions of each
§ Self-disclosure – 3 roles
§ Excitation transfer – what is it? Effects?
§ Changes over time in passionate & companionate love
o Sternberg’s Theory of Love
§ Passion, intimacy, & commitment
§ How do those 3 combine to form various types of love?
· Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus video – main points?
· Sexual Orientation research
o Theories to explain orientation differences
· Patterns of Marriage
o Marital communication
§ Negative affect reciprocity
§ Role of interactions
§ Role of attributions
· Predictors of divorce