PSY 202 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Social Comparison Theory, Cognitive Dissonance, Ultimate Attribution Error
8 Apr 2015
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Document Summary
Humans as a social species: we evolved in relatively small and tight social bands, most of us naturally gravitate to small groups, by extension we exclude others. 150 approximate size of most human social groups: our brain places limits on how many people with whom we can closely associate, brains are predisposed to forming intimate interpersonal networks that are large. Why we form groups: roy baumeister and mark leary"s: need-to-belong theory, humans have a biologically based need for interpersonal connections, threat of social isolation can lead us to behave in self-destructive ways and even impair our mental functioning. Evolution and social behavior: social influence processed are adaptive under most circumstances and help to regulate cultural practices, conformity, obedience, and many other forms of social influence become maladaptive only when they"re blind or unquestioning. Mass hysteria: outbreak of irrational behavior that is spread by social contagion.
