Social Situations
Introduced| English |
|---|
| Persuasion/pəˈsweɪʒn/ |
| Social norms/ˈsəʊʃl nɔːmz/ |
| roles/rəʊlz/ |
| Social influence theory/ˈsəʊʃl ˈɪnfluːəns ˈθɪəri/ |
| normative/ˈnɔːmətɪv/ |
| informational/ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃənl/ |
| Conformity/kənˈfɔːmɪti/ |
| Obedience/əʊˈbiːdɪəns/ |
| Group polarisation/ɡruːp ˌpəʊləraɪˈzeɪʃn/ |
| Social facilitation/ˈsəʊʃl fəˌsɪlɪˈteɪʃn/ |
| false consensus effect/fɒls kənˈsensəs ɪˈfekt/ |
| Individualism/ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuːəlɪzəm/ |
| collectivism/kəˈlektɪvɪzəm/ |
| multiculturalism/ˌmʌltɪˈkʌltʃərəlɪzəm/ |
| Altruism/ˈɔːltruːɪzəm/ |
| bystander effect/ˈbaɪstændə ɪˈfekt/ |
| superordinate goals/ˌsuːpəˈrɔːdɪnət ɡəʊlz/ |
The same person behaves differently in a crowd
- Personality does not change when someone joins a group; behaviour does.
- That gap is the subject of social psychology.
- The situation is a cause in its own right, not just a backdrop.
Norms, influence and persuasion
- Social norms 社会规范 define a society's expectations and roles 角色.
- Social influence theory 社会影响理论 distinguishes normative 规范性 pressure (to be accepted) from informational 信息性 pressure (to be correct).
- Persuasion 说服 is the set of techniques used to convince oneself or others.
Select all the kinds of social influence the CED distinguishes.
Transduction is a sensation term, not a form of social influence.
Conformity and obedience
- Conformity 从众 is adjusting to an unspoken group standard; research clarifies the conditions that strengthen it.
- Obedience 服从 is complying with a direct instruction from an authority.
- The distinction is the source of pressure: a peer group for conformity, an authority figure for obedience.
Conformity, obedience, or a group effect?
Sort each case by the social process it shows.
Obedience differs from conformity in that the pressure comes from...
Conformity answers a group; obedience answers an authority.
Conformity and obedience are not synonyms. Conformity responds to a group's unspoken standard; obedience responds to an authority's direct instruction. Naming the wrong one changes which research the answer is about.
Group polarisation makes a group's average view more moderate after discussion.
It pushes the average further in the direction it already leaned, not toward the middle.
What groups do to individuals
- Group polarisation 群体极化 pushes a group's average view further in the direction it already leaned.
- Social facilitation 社会助长 is improved performance when others watch — for well-learned tasks.
- The false consensus effect 虚假一致效应 is overestimating how many others agree with you.
The finding that more witnesses makes each less likely to help is the ____ effect.
Situational and attentional variables, not character, predict whether someone helps.
Match each term to what it describes.
The first two describe cultural orientation; the third is a way of reducing conflict between groups.
Culture and helping
- Individualism 个人主义, collectivism 集体主义 and multiculturalism 多元文化主义 shape how a person perceives and behaves in groups.
- Altruism 利他行为 is selfless behaviour, though some researchers argue prosocial acts carry internal rewards.
- The bystander effect 旁观者效应 shows that situational and attentional variables predict whether someone helps — superordinate goals 超级目标 unite separate groups.
A person collapses on a busy street and no one helps; on an empty street a single passer-by helps immediately. The bystander effect predicts exactly this: more witnesses spread responsibility and make each person less likely to act.
Social norms and roles set expectations; influence is normative or informational. Conformity answers a group, obedience an authority. Group polarisation, social facilitation and the false consensus effect are group effects, and the bystander effect shows helping depends on the situation.