Social Psychology: The Power of the Situation

• Kurt Lewin and his two classic statements• Behaviour is a function of the person and the

situation• There is nothing quite so practical as a good

theory• Conformity and Obedience• Bystander Intervention

Conformity and Obedience

• The Sherif Norm Formation Study• Used the autokinetic effect• Consensus formed• Consensus could be manipulated

• Asch Conformity Study• Would people say long was short?• Yes, 70% of the people did

Asch Line Judgment Task

Reactions of Participants in the Asch Study

Effect of One Dissenter in the Asch Paradigm

Conformity and Obedience

• The Sherif Norm Formation Study• Used the autokinetic effect• Consensus formed• Consensus could be manipulated

• Asch Conformity Study• Would people say long was short?• Yes, 70% of the people did

• Milgram Obedience Study• Would people commit acts of cruelty?

Milgram Obedience Study

The Milgram Experiment Results

Bystander Intervention

• Kitty Genovese, Common Sense, and the Power of the Situation

• Darley & Latane’ explanation - the more people you have around the less likely it is that anyone will help

• Smoke Filled Room Study

Bystander Intervention

• Kitty Genovese, Common Sense, and the Power of the Situation

• Darley & Latane’ explanation - the more people you have around the less likely it is that anyone will help

• Smoke Filled Room Study• 55% report smoke within two minutes when

alone • only 12% do when in a group of three

• Seizure Study

Seizure Study Results

Darley & Latane’ Model of Helping

Social Psychology: The Perceiver Shapes Reality and the

Interaction of the Person and the Situation

• The Perceiver Shapes Reality• Fundamental Attribution Error• Stereotyping• Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

• The Interaction of the Person and the Situation• The Two Factor Theory of Emotion• Cognitive Dissonance

• The Origin of Attribution Theory and the prediction of the fundamental attribution error

• The Jones & Harris (1967) Essay Study

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Jones & Harris (1967) - Essay Study

• The Origin of Attribution Theory and the prediction of the fundamental attribution error

• The Jones & Harris (1967) Essay Study• The Ross, Amabile, & Steinmetz (1977) Game

show study

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Ross, Amabile, & Steinmetz (1977) - Game Show Study

• The Origin of Attribution Theory and the prediction of the fundamental attribution error

• The Jones & Harris (1967) Essay Study• The Ross, Amabile, & Steinmetz (1977) Game

show study• The role of culture in the fundamental

attribution error

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Culture and the Fundamental Attribution Error

• The effect of stereotypes on the evaluation of others - Darley & Gross (1983)

Stereotyping

Darley & Gross (1983)

• The effect of stereotypes on the evaluation of others - Darley & Gross (1983)

• The automatic activation of stereotypes affects evaluations - Devine (1989)

Stereotyping

Donald Paragraph

I ran into my old acquaintance Donald the other day, and I decided to go over and visit him, since by coincidence we took our vacations at the same time. Soon after I arrived, a salesman knocked at the door, but Donald refused to let him enter. He also told me that he was refusing to pay his rent until the landlord repaints his apartment. We talked for a while, had lunch, and then went out for a ride. We used my car, since Donald’s car had broken down that morning, and he told the garage mechanic that he would have to go somewhere else if he couldn’t fix his car that same day. We went to the park for about an hour and then stopped at a hardware store. I was sort of preoccupied, but Donald bought some gadget, and then I heard him demand his money back from the sales clerk. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so we left and walked a few blocks to another store. The Red Cross had set up a stand by the door and asked us to donate blood. Donald lied by saying he had diabetes and therefore could not give blood. . .

• The effect of stereotypes on the evaluation of others - Darley & Gross (1983)

• The automatic activation of stereotypes affects evaluations - Devine (1989)

• We often use stereotypes to achieve a desired conclusion - Sinclair & Kunda (1999)

Stereotyping

Sinclair & Kunda (1999)

Social Psychology:The Interaction of the Person and the

Situation

• Self-fulfilling Prophecies• Stereotype Threat• The Two-Factor Theory of Emotion• Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

• What is a self-fulfilling prophecy• The Pygmalion effect in the classroom -

Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968)

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

• What is a self-fulfilling prophecy• The Pygmalion effect in the classroom -

Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968)• Stereotypes as self-fulfilling prophecies - Word,

Zanna, & Cooper (1974)• Stereotype Threat - Spencer, Steele, & Quinn

(1999)

Spencer, Steele, & Quinn (1999)

The Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

• Early Models of Emotion• Williams James• Cannon & Baird

• The Two-Factor Theory• Arousal • Cognitive Label

• Anger and your mother study - Schacter & Singer (1962)

• Attraction and the Bridge - Dutton & Aron (1974)

Dutton & Aron (1974)

Where Interview was Conducted

Perc

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• How much would it take to get you to lie? - Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)

• How much would it take to get you to lie? - Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)

• The role of arousal in cognitive dissonance - Zanna & Cooper (1974)

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Zanna & Cooper (1974)

Focus on University of Waterloo Research - How Focussing on Prevention

leads to Risky DecisionsScholer, Zou, Fujita, Stroessner, &

Higgins (2010)

• We normally think that focussing on prevention would make us cautious

• Under certain conditions, however, focussing on prevention might make us more risky• specifically when we are experiencing losses

and only risky decisions can prevent the loss• Measured whether people focus on prevention

or promotion• Had everyone play a stock buying game• Examined how risky they were in buying stocks• People high in prevention got more risky when

they were losing money

Scholer et al. (2010) - Study 2“P

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