Social interaction
60 flashcards covering Social interaction for the MCAT Chem / Phys / Psych / Soc section.
Social interaction refers to the ways people connect and communicate with one another, including verbal exchanges, body language, and shared behaviors. It's a core concept in sociology and psychology, encompassing how individuals form relationships, influence groups, and navigate social norms. This process shapes everything from personal identities to societal structures, making it essential for understanding human behavior in everyday life.
On the MCAT, social interaction appears in the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations section, often through questions on group dynamics, conformity, and social influence. Expect scenario-based multiple-choice items that test your ability to apply theories like those from Asch or Milgram, with common traps including mistaking correlation for causation or overlooking cultural contexts. Focus on key experiments, ethical implications, and how social factors affect health outcomes.
Practice identifying social cues in sample questions to build quick recognition.
Terms (60)
- 01
Social Interaction
Social interaction refers to the ways in which people communicate and influence one another through verbal and nonverbal means, forming the basis of social relationships and group dynamics.
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Socialization
Socialization is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their culture or society, enabling them to function within social groups.
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Agents of Socialization
Agents of socialization are the key institutions and people, such as family, schools, peers, and media, that transmit cultural values and norms to individuals throughout their lives.
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Primary Socialization
Primary socialization occurs during early childhood and involves learning basic skills and values from immediate family members, shaping one's fundamental identity and behavior.
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Secondary Socialization
Secondary socialization happens later in life through institutions like schools and workplaces, where individuals acquire more complex social roles and expectations.
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Resocialization
Resocialization is the process of unlearning old behaviors and adopting new ones, often occurring in institutional settings like prisons or the military to adapt to new social environments.
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Primary Groups
Primary groups are small, intimate social units, such as family or close friends, characterized by strong emotional bonds and frequent interaction that influence personal development.
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Secondary Groups
Secondary groups are larger, more impersonal associations, like coworkers or club members, focused on achieving specific goals rather than deep personal relationships.
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In-Groups
In-groups are social groups to which an individual feels they belong, often leading to favoritism toward members and a sense of shared identity.
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Out-Groups
Out-groups are social groups that an individual perceives as different or opposing, frequently resulting in prejudice or competition between the groups.
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Reference Groups
Reference groups are the groups individuals use as a standard for evaluating their own attitudes and behaviors, whether or not they are members.
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Social Roles
Social roles are the expected patterns of behavior associated with particular positions in society, such as a parent or student, which guide social interactions.
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Status Set
A status set is the collection of all social positions an individual holds, including ascribed statuses like race and achieved statuses like occupation.
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Role Conflict
Role conflict arises when the demands of two or more social roles clash, creating stress as an individual tries to fulfill incompatible expectations.
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Role Strain
Role strain occurs when the demands of a single social role are inconsistent or overwhelming, leading to internal conflict within that role.
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Social Norms
Social norms are the unwritten rules and expectations that guide behavior in a society, helping maintain order and predictability in interactions.
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Folkways
Folkways are informal social norms that govern everyday customs, like table manners, and are enforced through mild social disapproval if violated.
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Mores
Mores are strong social norms tied to moral values, such as prohibitions against theft, with violations often leading to serious sanctions.
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Taboos
Taboos are the most strictly enforced social norms, prohibiting behaviors considered extremely harmful or sacred, like incest, with severe consequences for breaking them.
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Laws
Laws are formal social norms codified by a governing authority, enforced through official penalties to regulate behavior and maintain social order.
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Sanctions
Sanctions are rewards or punishments used to enforce social norms, such as praise for conformity or fines for deviance, shaping group behavior.
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Conformity
Conformity is the act of adjusting one's behavior to match the norms or expectations of a group, often due to social pressure.
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Asch Experiment
The Asch experiment demonstrated how individuals conform to group opinions on unambiguous tasks, even when they know the group is wrong, highlighting social influence.
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Obedience
Obedience is the compliance with commands from an authority figure, which can lead to actions that conflict with personal morals.
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Milgram Experiment
The Milgram experiment showed that ordinary people can obey authority to administer what they believe are harmful electric shocks, illustrating extreme obedience.
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Groupthink
Groupthink is a phenomenon where the desire for harmony in a group leads to irrational decision-making, suppressing dissenting viewpoints.
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Social Facilitation
Social facilitation is the tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks when in the presence of others, due to increased arousal.
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Social Loafing
Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort in a group task than they would alone, believing their contribution is less noticeable.
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Deindividuation
Deindividuation is the loss of self-awareness and personal identity in a group setting, often leading to impulsive or antisocial behavior.
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Bystander Effect
The bystander effect is the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present, due to diffusion of responsibility.
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Diffusion of Responsibility
Diffusion of responsibility is the reduced sense of personal obligation to act in a group, as individuals assume others will intervene.
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Altruism
Altruism is selfless behavior intended to benefit another person without expecting anything in return, often driven by empathy or social norms.
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Reciprocal Altruism
Reciprocal altruism is helping others with the expectation that they will return the favor in the future, promoting long-term social cooperation.
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Aggression
Aggression is behavior intended to harm another person, which can be influenced by factors like frustration, biology, or social learning.
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Frustration-Aggression Theory
Frustration-aggression theory posits that aggression arises from blocked goals or frustration, serving as a direct response to obstacles.
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Attitudes
Attitudes are enduring evaluations of people, objects, or ideas, consisting of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that influence social interactions.
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Components of Attitudes
The components of attitudes include the cognitive element (beliefs), affective element (emotions), and behavioral element (actions), which together shape responses.
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Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable tension from holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors, motivating individuals to resolve the inconsistency.
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Festinger's Theory
Festinger's theory explains that cognitive dissonance drives people to change their attitudes or behaviors to reduce psychological discomfort.
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Persuasion
Persuasion is the process of changing someone's attitudes or behaviors through communication, often using arguments or emotional appeals.
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Central Route Persuasion
Central route persuasion involves careful consideration of arguments, leading to lasting attitude change when the message is strong and relevant.
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Peripheral Route Persuasion
Peripheral route persuasion relies on superficial cues, like attractiveness of the source, resulting in temporary attitude shifts without deep processing.
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Prejudice
Prejudice is a preconceived negative attitude toward a group and its members, often based on stereotypes rather than direct experience.
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Stereotypes
Stereotypes are oversimplified beliefs about the characteristics of a group, which can lead to biased perceptions and discriminatory actions.
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Discrimination
Discrimination is the unfair treatment of individuals based on their group membership, such as race or gender, often stemming from prejudice.
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Scapegoat Theory
Scapegoat theory suggests that prejudice arises when people blame a vulnerable group for their own frustrations or failures.
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Authoritarian Personality
An authoritarian personality is characterized by rigid adherence to authority and hostility toward out-groups, contributing to prejudice.
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Interpersonal Attraction
Interpersonal attraction is the positive feelings that draw people toward one another, influenced by factors like proximity and similarity.
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Proximity Effect
The proximity effect states that people are more likely to form relationships with those who are geographically close, due to frequent interaction.
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Similarity Principle
The similarity principle holds that individuals are attracted to others who share similar attitudes, values, or backgrounds, fostering compatibility.
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Reciprocity of Liking
Reciprocity of liking is the tendency to like those who express liking toward us, creating mutual positive regard in social interactions.
- 52
Social Exchange Theory
Social exchange theory views relationships as based on cost-benefit analyses, where people seek to maximize rewards and minimize costs.
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Equity Theory
Equity theory posits that satisfaction in relationships depends on a fair balance of inputs and outputs between partners.
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Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism is a theory that focuses on how people create meaning through everyday interactions and symbols, shaping social reality.
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Looking-Glass Self
The looking-glass self is the concept that one's self-concept forms through perceptions of how others view and react to us.
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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a belief or expectation that influences behavior in a way that makes the belief come true, affecting social outcomes.
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Labeling Theory
Labeling theory argues that deviance is defined by how society labels individuals, which can lead to further deviant behavior.
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Deviance
Deviance is behavior that violates social norms, which can be positive or negative and is often context-dependent.
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Anomie
Anomie is a state of normlessness in society, often due to rapid social change, leading to confusion and higher rates of deviance.
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Differential Association Theory
Differential association theory explains deviance as learned through interactions with others, particularly in intimate groups.