Transcript AOS 1 REVISION - PsychAtRuthven2010

Test: Multiple choice and short answer
 Double period Wednesday – PART A and
PART B
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Tri-component of attitudes:
A= Affective component (Feelings)
B= Behavioural component (actions)
C = Cognitive component (beliefs)

Limitation: Behavioural component is not
always in sync with A and C components
FACTOR
EXPLANATION
Classical Conditioning
Repeated associations with a stimulus
and a response.
Operant Conditioning
Repeat attitudes with a desirable
outcome. Based on rewards and
punishments
Modelling
We repeat attitudes modelled by others
Repeated exposure
The more exposure to an attitude the
more likely formation will occur
Stereotype: A collection of beliefs about
a group of people, ignoring individual
differences.
 Prejudice: A negative attitude towards
members of a group, based only on the
membership of that group.
 Discrimination: Positive or negative
behaviour that is directed towards a
social group and its members

 Stereotypes
lead to
Prejudice
 Prejudice
leads to
Discrimination
Attitude
Behaviour
FACTOR
EXPLANATION
In-group and Out-group
In-group: A group you belong to or identify
with.
Out-group: A group you do not belong to or
identify with
Intergroup conflict
Member of different groups are in competition
with one another
Attributions
Explaining an observed behaviour in terms of
a cause. EG) The assumption a blonde failed
a test cause she is a dumb blonde.
FACTOR
EXPLANATION
Sustained contact
The more contact you have with the prejudiced
group more likely these prejudices will break down
Mutual
interdependence
Two prejudiced groups are placed in a situation
where they must dependent on one another
Superordinate goals
Two prejudiced groups are confronted with a goal
they need to achieve that they can not achieve
independently.
Equality of status
Two prejudiced groups must have equal status,
that is equal importance.
Cognitive
interventions
Changing the way someone thinks (cognition)
about a particular prejudiced group
Observational studies:
=> Qualitative data
 Self report measures:
=> Are not always an accurate reflection
of true attitudes.
=> Questionnaires, surveys and interviews
 Rating Scales
=> Likert Scale
=> Only measure strength
or direction of data
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Group characteristics:
- Must have more than one
person present
- People must be interacting
-People must have some
influence over one another
- People must share a
common goal.
Status: The importance of an
individual’s position in the group
 Power: The individual’s ability to
control or influence the thoughts,
feelings or behaviour of another
person.
 Role: The behaviour adopted by
an individual or assigned to them
that influences the way in which
they function or act in different
situations and life in general.

Prison Guards were given
power and status with
their role as a guard
 Prisoners were given little
or no power and status
with their role as prisoner.
 Ethical considerations
breached: No lasting
harm, withdrawal rights.

Obedience: occurs when we follow the
commands of someone with authority, or
the rules or laws of our society.
 A ‘teacher’ was instructed by the
experimenter to illicit an electrical shock
to a ‘student’ who was answering
questions incorrectly.
 Ethical considerations breached:
No lasting harm, withdrawal rights.

FACTOR
EXPLANATION
Social Proximity
The closeness between two or more people.
Milgrim found the closer the learner and
teacher the less likely the teacher was
obedient.
Legitimacy of Authority
Figure
An individual is more likely to be obedient if
the authority figure is perceived as being
legitimate and having power.
Group Pressure
If others in a group are not resisting the
authority figure an individual is more likely to
be obedient.
Conformity: the tendency to adjust one’s
thoughts, feelings or behaviour in ways that
are in agreement with those of a particular
individual or group, or with accepted
standards about how one should behave in
a certain situation.
 Asch presented a series of lines to see if the
participant agree with the groups incorrect
responses.

FACTOR
EXPLANATION
Group Size
The larger the group size the more likely to conform
but only up to 4.
Unanimity
A complete agreement amongst all other group
members.
Informational influence
Conformity increases when one needs a direction
for a correct response on a particular situation.
Normative influence
When our response in a group situation is guided by
one ore more social norms.
Culture
People from individualist cultures are less likely to
conform then people from collectivist cultures
Social Loafing
Tendency of an individual to make less effort when
in a group
Deindividuation
Loss of individuality or sense of anonymity when in a
group.

Behaviour that has potential negative
consequences.
Thrill-seeking
 Reckless
 Rebellious
 Anti-Social


Pro-Social Behaviour : Positive social
behaviour where there is an intention to
help another person or group of people.

Anti-Social Behaviour: Negative social
behaviour that is disruptive or harmful to
the well being of others, or disruptive to
the property of others or the functioning
of a group or society.
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
PERSONAL FACTORS
SOCIAL NORMS
Noticing the situation: Be
aware of a person in
need of help.
Empathy: The more
empathetic the person
the more likely they will
help.
Reciprocity norm: Do to
others what you would
want done for yourself.
Interpreting the situation:
Be sure not to
misinterpret the situation
for something.
Mood: People in a good
mood tend to help,
people in a bad mood
generally not as much.
Social Responsibility
norm: It is our social
responsibility to act in a
situation.
Taking responsibility for
the situation: Analyse
whether or not it is your
responsibility to act in the
situation
Competence: The more
comptent the person is
to assist with the situation
the more likely they will
help.
FACTOR
EXPLANATION
Diffusion of
responsibility
In a situation where help is
required and others are
present , someone else, will or
should take responsibility.
Audience
inhibition
The presence of others
provides an audience and
increases the chance of
feeling embarrassed therefore
inhibiting the chance of
helping.
Cost- benefit
analysis.
Weighing up the cost and
benefits of helping. If costs out
weigh benefits helping
behaviour is reduced.

Altruism refers to prosocial behaviour
focused on the
wellbeing or benefit
of others without any
thought to personal
gain or reward

Aggression is often defined as any
behaviour intended to cause physical or
psychological harm to a person (including
self), animal or object.
Psychodynamic perspective: aggression is an inner
urge or ‘force’ that builds up within us until it needs
to be released
 Ethological perspective: aggression is instinctive and
has adaptive and survival functions
 Biological perspective: aggression has a biological
basis and is therefore influenced by our genes,
biochemistry, brain and nervous system
 Social learning perspective: aggression is a learned
behaviour and most of the learning occurs through
observing aggressive behaviour and copying what
we see.

Direct physical bullying e.g. hitting, tripping
and pushing, or damaging a person's
property.
 Direct verbal bullying e.g. name calling,
insults, rude remarks, verbal abuse.
 Indirect bullying. This form of bullying is
harder to recognise and often carried out
behind the bullied person's back. It is
designed to harm someone's social
reputation and/or cause humiliation.


Operational Hypothesis example:

“Year 11 VCE students who continuously
listen to loud rock music when solving
previously unseen written problems will
solve fewer problems during a one hour
session than do Year 11 VCE students
who do not listen to loud rock music”

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The IV is described in operationalised terms:
continuously listening to loud rock music throughout
a one hour session
The DV is described in operationalised terms: the
number of previously unseen written problems that
are solved
The population from which the sample is drawn is
stated: Year 11 VCE students
How the experiment will be conducted is stated:
one group will listen to loud rock music when
problem-solving (experimental group) and another
group will not listen to loud rock music when
problem-solving (control group).
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An extraneous variable is a variable other
than the IV that can cause a change in
the DV.
SITUATIONAL VARIABLES
EXPERIMENTER
VARIABLES
PARTICIPANT VARIABLES
Any variable
associated with the
experimental situation
itself that may affect
the results of an
experiment. Eg) Testing
conditions, time or day,
background noise.
Variables associated
with the personality
characteristics of the
experimenter or the
experimenter's
behaviour during the
experiment which may
affect the results of an
experiment.
The individual
characteristics that
participants involved in
research bring with
them to the experiment
The measure of central tendency, is a
descriptive statistic that indicates the
‘central’ or ‘average’ value of a set of
scores. When a measure of central
tendency is calculated, it often provides
a ‘typical’ score for a set of scores
 Mean, Median, Mode.

Mean is the arithmetical average of all
the individual scores (or measures) in a
set of scores.
 The median is the middle score (or midpoint) of a set of scores.
 The mode is the most frequently
occurring score in a set of scores.
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26, 17, 21, 18, 12, 17, 18, 24, 25, 17