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Social Psychology
Chapter 14
Helping Theories
Helping behavior: act intended to benefit another
Altruism: unselfish concern for another’s welfare
Helping Theories
Arousal Theory: sight of victim produces anxiety so you act
Cost-Reward Theory: Cost of helping low & cost of not helping high - help Cost of helping high & cost of not helping low - no
Empathy-Altruism Theory: feeling empathy for other increases chances of helping
Evolutionary Theory: contributed to our survival in the past
Kitty Genovese
Bystander effect: as number of bystanders increases, the likelihood of any one by-stander helping decreases
Diffusion of responsibility: Dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared with all group members
Bystander Intervention Problem: Latane and Darley;Best predictor of bystander intervention was group size
2-person groups2-person groups
3-person groups3-person groups
6-person groups6-person groups
20 80 120 160 200 240 280
Seconds from beginning of emergency
80
40
60
100
20
0
Per
cent
age
help
ing
The Bad Samaritan – What influences helping behavior?
Bystander Effect/Diffusion of Responsibility Fake seizure
Social Cues Frisbee girls Hurt worker Smoke in room
Appearance/background Lover’s quarrel Drunk or old guy Race
Why don’t people help???
Diffusion of Responsibility; Bystander effect Conformity – when we don’t know what to do,
we take our cues from others More likely to help if…
How does the social situation affect our behavior?
Situationism: The view that environmental conditions influence people’s behavior as much or more than their personal dispositions do
Stanford Prison Experiment Philip Zimbardo and Craig Haney (1971) Created a new social reality Called off after 6 days (planned 2 weeks) Never underestimate the power of a bad situation to
overwhelm the good.
Social Norms
Socially based rules that prescribe what is acceptable and what is not Taught by family, friends, teachers, culture Often not verbalized Reciprocity: candy = bigger tip Examples?
Why do people conform???
Conformity: change behaviors or beliefs to match those of others
Asch Effect: group majority influences individual judgments Asch identifies three factors that influence whether a person
will yield to pressure: The size of the majority The presence of a partner who dissented from the majority The size of the discrepancy between the correct answer and
the majority position
Cognitive Dissonance
A highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes – Leon Festinger
Must change either behavior or thoughts
Inducing Compliance
Foot-in-the-door technique: get one to agree to small request and then gradually present larger ones Drive Carefully sign & charities
Door-in-the-face technique: ask for large favor likely to be denied and then ask for something less Political groups and labor/management
Low-ball approach: oral commitment made and then cost of fulfilling it raised Car salesmen
Other Topics in Social Psychology
Social facilitation: Presence of other people or working with others can improve performance
Social loafing: People exert less effort when performing a group task than when performing the same task alone
Deindividuation: When group members lose individuality and tend to do things not normally done when alone lose sense of personal responsibility group “assumes” responsibility
Group polarization: tendency of people to make decisions that are more extreme when they are in a group as opposed to a decision made alone or independently.
Groupthink
Conform opinions to what you believe is the consensus; increases when… Isolation of the group High group cohesiveness Directive leadership Homogeneity of members’ social background and
ideology High stress from external threats with low hope of a
better solution than that of the group leader Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, space shuttles
Making CognitiveAttributions
Fundamental attribution error: Tendency to emphasize internal causes and ignore external pressures (looking at others) Focus on dispositional factors
Self-serving bias: One takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failure (looking within you) Focus on situational factors
Interpersonal Attraction
Reward theory of attraction: A social learning view that says we like best those who give us maximum rewards at minimum cost – combo of Proximity Similarity Self-disclosure Physical attractiveness
Expectations and theInfluence of Self-Esteem
Matching hypothesis: Prediction that most people will find friends/mates that are about their same level of attractiveness
Expectancy-value theory: People decide whether or not to pursue a relationship by weighing the potential value of the relationship against their expectations of success in establishing the relationship
Loving Relationships
Romantic love: A temporary and highly emotional condition based on sexual desire and some intimacy Americans often believe that this is the basis
for long-term commitment What do you think?
Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
PassionPassion
IntimacyIntimacy CommitmentCommitment
Triangular Theory of Love Passion: erotic, physical attraction Intimacy: sharing feelings & confidences;
emotional, not physical Commitment: putting the relationship first in your
life Liking/friendship:
high intimacy, zero passion, zero commitment Romantic love:
high passion, high intimacy, low commitment Infatuation:
high passion, low intimacy, low commitment Complete love: balance of all three
Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudice: A negative attitude toward an individual based solely on his or her membership in a particular group
Discrimination: A negative action taken against an individual as a result of his or her group membership
Cognitive, affective, and behavioral components Stereotyped thinking Hatred/anger Discrimination
Prejudice and Discrimination
In-group: The group with which an individual identifies
Out-group: Those outside the group with which an individual identifies
Social distance: The perceived difference or similarity between oneself and another person – easier it is to feel differently
Causes of Prejudice
Dissimilarity and Social DistanceDissimilarity and Social Distance
Causes of Prejudice
Dissimilarity and Social Distance
Economic CompetitionEconomic Competition
Causes of Prejudice
Dissimilarity and Social Distance
Economic Competition
ScapegoatingScapegoating
Causes of Prejudice
Dissimilarity and Social Distance
Economic Competition
Scapegoating
Conformity to Social NormsConformity to Social Norms
Causes of Prejudice
Dissimilarity and Social Distance
Economic Competition
Scapegoating
Conformity to Social Norms
Media StereotypesMedia Stereotypes
Combating Prejudice Research suggests that the possible tools for
combating prejudice include: Equal status contact Legislation New role models
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