Social Psychology

How does society affect our thinking and actions?

How do people explain behavior?

Fundamental attribution error– Overestimating the influence of personality– Underestimating the influence of situation

How do our actions affect our attitudes? The “foot-in-the-door” phenomenon

– People who agree to a small action, will comply with a larger one later.

How does the role we play affect our attitudes and actions? Philip Zimbardo’s prison study

– Students randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners– Guards acted like guards– Prisoners acted like prisoners– Study called off after only six days because participants

were endangered by their role playing.– Result: Roles call for certain behavior if we play that

role long enough we may become that type of person.

How do our actions affect our attitudes? Cognitive dissonance theory

– Leon Festenger– Cognitive = thinking– Dissonance = Unresolved differences– When we act differently than we believe, we

experience cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance (cont.)

To reduce dissonance, we will change our attitudes (or behavior) to produce agreement.

We change our attitudes to justify past behavior.

Cognitive dissonance (cont.)

How do we influence each other?

Will you conform to group pressure?

Solomon Asch conformity study

Comparing lengths of lines People rejected what they could see, to

conform with the group

Obedience - Will you do what you are told even if it would hurt someone?

Stanley Milgram’s shock experiments Teachers - gave shock (15 - 450 volts) Learners - received shock Results: The majority of “teachers” ordered

to shock the “learners” complied fully, and gave the highest level of shock.

Stanley Milgram’s shock experiments (Cont.)

What causes prejudice?

Scapegoat Theory– Frustration & feeling disadvantaged creates

prejudice– “They caused my problems.”

The Cultural Theory of prejudice– Emery Borgardus– People well adjusted to a “culture of prejudice”

become prejudiced.

What causes aggression?

Frustration - aggression hypothesis– Frustration - anger - aggression– E.g. Hurting someone that frustrated you (not

always physical)

Situations that increase aggression Hot days, pain, humiliation

How can social perception create reality? The “Self fulfilling prophesy”

– 1. You believe something is true (even if it is not)

– 2. You act as if it is true– 3. The other person (or country) reacts by

becoming the way you thought they were.– E.g. Bill thinks Sally is rejecting him– E.g. The “cold war” - Russia v.s. U.S.

Have you ever been “In love”?

Passionate love– Fully absorbed with the other– “Walking on clouds”

Companionate love– A deep affectionate attachment to the other– Based on equity and self disclosure

Sternberg’s theory of love

Intimacy Passion Commitment

Will you help someone in an emergency? The bystander effect

– Kitty Genovese– Before helping, people must:

Notice the situation Interpret it as an emergency Assume responsibility

Bystander effect (cont.)

The more people are available to help, the less chance any one person will help.

Why do we help?

Self interest The “Social Exchange” theory

– Cost - benefit analysis– Will the cost (money, time, discomfort) be less

than the benefit (reduced guilt, social approval, good feelings).