Week 7 Flashcards

Question

discuss BIRG-ing and CORF-ing

Answer 1

BIRG-ing Basking in Reflected Glory Cutting Off Reflected Failure Others’ success becomes our success CORF-ing Align ourselves publicly with successful others Wearing team clothing, saying “we” (Cialdini et al., 1976) Others’ failure becomes our failure, unless… We distance ourselves publicly from those others Motive for enhancement: we want to feel good Taking down signs of support (Boen et al., 2002) Motive for protection: we want to avoid feeling bad

Answer 2

Social Comparisons The Better-Than-Average Effect (Alicke & Govorun, 2005; Taylor & Brown, 1988) * Most of us tend to view ourselves positively * So much so that people think they are above average on a wide range of positive dimensions * Most drivers said their driving skill was closer to “expert” than “poor”…while hospitalised for being in a car accident (Preston & Harris, 1965) * Does not differ when comparing a general or similar other

Answer 3

We can be apart from others in more ways than physical distance. * Psychological distance: Loneliness * Social distance: Social network centrality * Induced distance: Rejection and discrimination

Answer 4

Subjective feeling of distress when social relations are not going how we would like * Discrepancy between the level of connectedness we want to have and what we currently have * We can be surrounded by others and still be lonely or can be alone but not feel lonely * Loneliness is affected by lack of relationship quantity (e.g., number of friends) * But is more affected by lack of relationship quality - feeling misunderstood or that relationships are not meaningful Different from social isolation, which is a state of having minimal contact with others

Answer 5

Loneliness Worse physical health Worse life satisfaction Fewer social interactions Greater social anxiety Greater depression More negative emotions

Answer 6

Loneliness increases the likelihood of experiencing depression by 15.2% Being depressed increases the likelihood of being lonely by 10.6% Loneliness increases the likelihood of experiencing social interaction anxiety by 13.1% Being anxious about social interactions increases the likelihood of being lonely by 8.6%

Answer 7

A way of quantifying social structures * Characterises networked structures in terms of nodes (individuals within the network) and the ties that link them * Yields several measures - who knows whom in a network, popularity within a network, closeness between people in a network etc Given the importance of connectedness with others, lack of inclusion in a social network is detrimental for health

Answer 8

Greater social integration is associated with lower mortality. * Berkman and Syme (1979) reported the results of a 9-year prospective study of 6,928 adults in Alameda County, California * Assessed social ties in the form of marriage, friends, relatives, organisational and church membership * The fewer social ties people had, the more likely they were to die over the next 9 years * Same pattern for men and women and across age groups

Answer 9

Loneliness is catching * Cacioppo and colleagues (2009) found people directly connected to a lonely person in a social network were 52% more likely to be lonely * Loneliness grows in networks over time - extends up to a friend of a friend of a friend * Growth is particularly strong when the lonely tie is close - a friend or family member * Three explanations for this: * Induction: Emotion contagion within a network * Homophily: Similar people are connected (like with like) * Shared environment: Exposure to the same social challenges and upheavals

Answer 10

A procedure from Ancient Greece in which a citizen was expelled from the city-state for 10 years * In modern terms, refers to social shunning * “Any act of ignoring and excluding of an individual or group by an individual or a group” (Williams, 2001) Why do we ostracise? * Group reasons * Strengthen the group: make the group cohesive * Protect the group: correct unacceptable behaviour * Individual reasons * Individuals who ostracise feel more powerful and in control Ostracism Hurts From an evolutionary perspective, ostracism signals danger (no access to social resources) As a result, being excluded or ostracised harms basic psychological needs and makes us feel bad In fact, we’re so sensitive to social feedback that ostracism hurts no matter who does it! (KKK e.g.)

Answer 11

Online version of a ball-tossing game Participants are instructed to throw a ball with other players - when included, participants receive the ball 1/3rd of the time; when excluded they receive the ball once or twice and then never receive it again Still used regularly in studies today, despite the laughably simple rendering Effects of being excluded in cyberball are similar to “in person” ostracism - it’s a very effective method of inducing ostracism That said, some modern paradigms seek to incorporate more ecological validity in the exclusion process o-Cam A modern experimental paradigm that increases the realism of the ostracism experience

Answer 12

How others treat us on the basis of our group membership impacts on our mental and physical health Discrimination can lead to ill-health through: * Stress and emotional reactions with detrimental impacts on mental health * Negative coping responses (e.g., smoking, drug use) * Reduced access to resources (e.g., education, employment, housing, medical care) * Physical injury via racially-motivated assault How others treat us on the basis of our group membership impacts on our health Discrimination can lead to ill-health through: * Stress and emotional reactions with detrimental impacts on mental health * Negative coping responses (e.g., smoking, drug use) * Reduced access to resources (e.g., education, employment, housing, medical care) * Physical injury via racially-motivated assault

Week 7 Flashcards

(37 cards)