APSY-UE 20 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Social Comparison Theory, Fundamental Attribution Error, Urban Legend
15 Nov 2016
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Social psychology: study of how people influence others" behavior, beliefs, and attitudes (good & bad), helps us understand why we act the way we do in certain situations. 150 is the approximate size of most human social groups, average number of people we know reasonably well. Need-to-belong theory: humans have a biologically based need for interpersonal connections. Social behavior leads to one crucial conclusion: conformity, obedience, and other forms of social influence become maladaptive only when they"re blind or unquestioning. Social comparison theory: evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them w those of others. Upward: compare ourselves w people who seem superior to us. Downward: compare ourselves w others who seem inferior to us in some way. Turn to others in an ambiguous situation. Mass hysteria: contagious outbreak of irrational behavior spread by social contagion. Collective delusions: many people simultaneously come to be convinced of bizarre things that are false. Power of social contagion in urban legend.
