Unit Fourteen: Social

PsychologyMyers-Chapter 18: Social Psychology

"We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives

are connected by a thousand invisible

threads…”~Herman Melville

What is social psychology?

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Social Thinkingattribution, actions and attitudes

How do we explain others' behaviors?

attribution theory- suggests how we explain someone’s behavior, by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

fundamental attribution error-tendency to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate personal disposition

Fritz Heider (1896-1988)

How do you explain these situations?

The Fundamental Attribution Error

The observer:

The violently destructive message that The Who and other rock groups deliver leaves me little surprised that they attract a mob that will trample human beings to death to gain better seats. Of greater concern is a respected news magazine’s adulation of this sick phemomenon.

The actor:

While standing in the crowd at Riverfront Coliseum, I distinctly remember feeling that I was being punished for being a rock fan. My sister and I joked about this, unaware of the horror happening around us. Later, those jokeds came back to us grimly as we watched the news. How many lives will be lost before the punitive and inhuman policy of festival seating at rock concerts is outlawed?

Compared to people in Western countries, those in East Asian cultures

are more sensitive to situational influences on behavior.

TRUE

Who is to blame?Husband

WifeLover #1Lover #2Ferryboat CaptainHighwayman

"Just-World Phenomenon"tendency of people to believe the world is

just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

attitude- feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events

attitudes

attitudes

actions

actions

lead to

sometimes

but, more commonly…

lead to

FALSE

In order to change people’s racist behaviors, we first need to change

their racist attitudes.

attitudes follow behaviorand

doing becomes believing

foot-in-the-door phenomenonthe tendency for people who have first

agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger one

How does role-playing affect attitudes?

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” Nathaniel Hawthorne

Why do we act this way?

cognitive dissonance theory- theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Prisoner's DilemmaTwo burglars, Bob and Al, are captured near the scene of a burglary and are given the “third degree” separately by the police. Each has to choose whether or not to confess and implicate the other. If neither man confesses, then both will serve one year on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. If each confesses and implicates the other, both will go to prison for 10 years. However, if one burglar confesses and implicates the other, and the other burglar does not confess, the one who has collaborated with the police will go free, while the other burglar will go to prison for 20 years on the maximum charge.

What should they do?

“Bonus Point Ballot”•If less than 4 people select 15 bonus points, those people will receive the 15 points and everyone else will receive 5 points.

•If more than 4 people select 15 bonus points, no students will receive bonus points.

•How many points would you like to receive? Choose one.

15 points

5 points

Social Influenceconformity,obedience and

group influence

Behavior is contagious.

chameleon effect- we unconsciously mimic others’ expressions, postures, voice, tones, etc.; helps us feel what they are feeling

Chimps are more likely to yawn after observing another chimp yawn.

TRUE

Solomon Asch and Conformityconformity- adjusting one’s behavior or

thinking to coincide with a group standard

What conditions increase conformity?

one feels incompetent or insecuregroup has at least 3 peoplegroup is unanimousone admires the status or attractiveness

of the groupone has no prior commitment to a

responseone‘s behavior is observed by othersculture encourages respect for social

standards

Why do we conform?to avoid rejection and/or to gain social

approval; to gain information normative social influence- influence resulting

from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

informational social influence- influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Stanley Milgram and Obedience to Authority

How do people respond to commands?

Stanley Milgram and Obedience to Authority

Where would you stop?Slight Shock 15,30,45,60

Moderate Shock 75,90,105,120

Strong Shock 135,150,165,180

Very Strong Shock 195,210,225,240

Intense Shock 255,270,285,300

Extreme Intensity Shock 315,330,345,360

Danger: Severe Shock 375,390,405,420

XXX 435,450

When was obedience the greatest?

the person giving the order was near in proximity and seemed a legitimate authority

the person giving the order was affiliated with a prestigious institution

the victim was far away or was depersonalized

no other participants were seen disobeying

What can we learn from these studies?

The experiments of Asch and Milgram were devised to force participants to choose between following their own beliefs/standards and being responsive to the group.

Strong social influences can make people conform.

Most people would refuse to obey an authority figure who told them to hurt

an innocent person.

FALSE

How do groups influence our behavior?

social facilitation- stronger performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

social loafing- tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

deindividuation- loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Studies of college and professional athletic events indicate that home

teams win about 6 in 10 games.

TRUESport Games Studied Home Team

Winning %

baseball 23,034 53.5%football 2,592 57.3%ice hockey 4,322 61.1%basketball 13,596 64.4%soccer 37,202 69.0%

Individuals pull harder in a team tug-of-war than when they pull in a one-on-

one tug-of-war.

FALSE

How does interacting with others effect our behavior?

group polarization- enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

groupthink- mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

The higher the morale and harmony of a social group, the more likely are its members to make a good decision.

FALSE

What can the individual do?minority influence- power of one or two

individuals to sway majorities more likely when the minority opinion is held

strong

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

~Margaret Mead (1901-1978)

Social Relationsprejudice, aggression, conflict,

attraction, altruism, & peacemaking

Prejudice"prejudgment"

unjustifiable (usually negative) attitude toward a group or members; generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, predisposition to discriminatory action stereotype- generalized belief about a group of

people; sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized

Prejudice vs. Discrimination

prejudice is a negative attitude; discrimination is a negative behavior

The how's and why's of prejudice…

it seems racial and gender attitudes have changed

overt prejudice has disappeared, but subtle prejudice remains

recent experiments show prejudice can be automatic/unconscious

social, emotional and cognitive roots of prejudiceSocial:

prejudice rationalizes social inequalities us and them: ingroup bias

Emotional: prejudice comes from “the passions of the heart” scapegoat theory: prejudice offers an outlet for

anger by providing someone to blame

Cognitive: categorization- a way to simplify the world just-world phenomenon and hindsight bias vivid cases stand out more readily

Vivid Cases

Islam Terrorism

Aggressionany physical or verbal behavior

intended to hurt or destroy

biological influences: genetic, neural and biochemical

psychological influences: frustration-aggression principle, learning, observation

It is difficult to change established aggressive behavior patterns.

Those who keep a gun in the house are more likely to be

murdered.

TRUE

Conflictperceived incompatibility of actions, goals,

and ideas

social traps- situation where conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behaviors Prisoner’s Dilemma (individual self-interest vs.

communal well-being)

enemy perceptions

AttractionThree ingredients:1. proximity2. physical attractiveness3. similarity

Proximitygeographic nearness

most powerful predictor of friendship

mere exposure effect repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases our

liking

Physical Attractiveness

this is what most affects first impressions

judgment of attraction is relative, but some characteristics are universal

attraction also depends on how we feel about a person “Do I love you because you’re beautiful, or are you

beautiful, because I love you?” (Cinderella)

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

Which face do you find most attractive?

AB

CD

"Opposites attract."

“Birds of a feather, flock together.”

Similarity

2 types of love1. temporary passionate love

2. more enduring companionate love

2 keys to a satisfying and long-lasting relationship

equity and self-disclosure

Altruismunselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect- tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Why do we help people? social-exchange theory reciprocity norm social-responsibility norm

PeacemakingPeacemaking is helped by cooperation,

communication, and conciliation.