Social Situations
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Persuasion/pəˈsweɪʒn/ | Trying to change another person's attitudes or behaviour. |
| Social norms/ˈsəʊʃl nɔːmz/ | Shared expectations about acceptable behaviour within a group or society. |
| roles/rəʊlz/ | The functions, responsibilities or expected patterns of behaviour associated with particular positions in a group or organisation. |
| Social influence theory/ˈsəʊʃl ˈɪnfluːəns ˈθɪəri/ | Social influence theory |
| normative/ˈnɔːmətɪv/ | normative |
| informational/ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃənl/ | informational |
| Conformity/kənˈfɔːmɪti/ | Changing one's behaviour or expressed beliefs to align with a group or its perceived expectations. |
| Obedience/əʊˈbiːdɪəns/ | Changing behaviour in response to a command from an authority figure. |
| Group polarisation/ɡruːp ˌpəʊləraɪˈzeɪʃn/ | Group polarisation |
| Social facilitation/ˈsəʊʃl fəˌsɪlɪˈteɪʃn/ | Improved performance on familiar or simple tasks in the presence of other people. |
| false consensus effect/fɒls kənˈsensəs ɪˈfekt/ | The tendency to overestimate how widely other people share one's beliefs or behaviour. |
| Individualism/ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuːəlɪzəm/ | An orientation emphasising personal autonomy, individual goals and the rights or responsibilities of individuals. |
| collectivism/kəˈlektɪvɪzəm/ | An emphasis on group relationships, shared responsibilities and collective goals. |
| multiculturalism/ˌmʌltɪˈkʌltʃərəlɪzəm/ | Recognition and support of different cultural traditions within a society. |
| Altruism/ˈɔːltruːɪzəm/ | Behaviour intended to benefit another person without an expected personal reward. |
| bystander effect/ˈbaɪstændə ɪˈfekt/ | A reduced likelihood that an individual will help when other observers are present. |
| superordinate goals/ˌsuːpəˈrɔːdɪnət ɡəʊlz/ | superordinate goals |
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.
Conditions that can affect conformity 从众 and obedience 服从
Select all the kinds of social influence the CED distinguishes.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Transduction is a sensation term, not a form of social influence.
Conformity and obedience
- Conformity is adjusting to an unspoken group standard; research clarifies the conditions that strengthen it.
- Obedience 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...
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
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.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
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.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Situational and attentional variables, not character, predict whether someone helps.
Match each term to what it describes.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
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.
Write from a shift from 3 to 5
- Six people rate a plan at 3 on a 7-point scale. After discussion the group choice is 5.
- Name the group effect. Say why it is not obedience.
Six people start at an average rating of 3. After discussion the group choice is 5. What effect is this, and why is it not obedience?
Discussion moved the group further in the direction it already leaned. That is polarisation.
What is the shift from 3 to 5?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The group moved from 3 to a more extreme 5. Nobody issued an order.