A social group is two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Contrast the social cohesion-based concept of a social group with the social identity concept
A primary group is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships. List at least three defining characteristics of a primary group
Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal oriented; their relationships are temporary. Outline the main distinctions between primary and secondary groups
In-groups are social groups to which an individual feels he or she belongs, while an individual doesn't identify with the out-group. Recall two of the key features of in-group biases toward out-groups
The out-group homogeneity effect is one's perception of out-group members as more similar to one another than are in-group members, e.g. "they are alike; we are diverse. " The out-group homogeneity effect has been found using a wide variety of different social groups, from political and racial groups to age and gender groups. Perceivers tend to have impressions about the diversity or variability of group members around those central tendencies or typical attributes of those group members. Thus, out-group stereotypicality judgments are overestimated, supporting the view that out-group stereotypes are over-generalizations In an experiment testing out-group homogeneity, researchers revealed that people of other races are perceived to look more alike than members of one's own race. When white students were shown faces of a few white and a few black individuals, they later more accurately recognized white faces they had seen and often falsely recognized black faces not seen before. The opposite results were found when subjects consisted of black individuals. Prejudice is a hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinct group, based solely on their membership within that group. There are three components. The first is the affective component, representing both the type of emotion linked with the attitude and the severity of the attitude. The second is a cognitive component, involving beliefs and thoughts that make up the attitude. The third is a behavioral component, relating to one's actions – people do not just hold attitudes, they act on them as well. Prejudice primarily refers to a negative attitude about others, although one can also have a positive prejudice in favor of something. Prejudice is similar to stereotype in that a stereotype is a generalization about a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members. Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior a reference group. Explain the purpose of a reference group
A social network is a social structure between actors, connecting them through various social familiarities. Diagram, in miniature, your social networks using nodes and ties
On the Internet, social interactions can occur in online communities that preclude the need to be face-to-face. Discuss at least three central features of online communities
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