Social Psychology

Social Psychology

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

Attribution

• Attribution Theory- we tend to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior- often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

• For us?

-situation• For others?

-disposition

Known as the Fundamental Attribution Error

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR

Attitudes and Behavior

• Attitude- a belief and feeling that predisposes one in a particular way to objects, people, and events

• Example- I don’t like cats. If I see a cat, I will shoo him away.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

• The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Roles

• Examples?

• Role- a set of expectations about a social position, defining how a person should act

Zimbardo Prison Experiment

• Philip Zimbardo paid people to participate in a mock prison.

• Some acted as guards, others as prisoners.• Guards began to disparage and degrade prisoners• Prisoners broke down, rebelled, or became passively

resigned• The two-week experiment was called off after 6 days

because people took their roles very seriously.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• If our attitudes and actions don’t agree, we have mental discomfort

• To reduce the discomfort, our attitudes start to align with our actions or stated beliefs.

SOCIAL INFLUENCEConformity, Obedience, Group Influence

Conformity

• Asch Experiment

• Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Could be good or bad

Influences on conformity

• one feels incompetent or insecure• the group has at least three people• the group is unanimous• one admires the group’s status and attractiveness• one has made no prior commitment to any response• others in the group observe one’s behavior• one’s culture strongly encourages respect for social

standards

Types of social influence

• normative-results from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

• informational- results from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Milgram experiment

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W147ybOdgpE (start at 1:30)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GxIuljT3w (modern replication)

Group Influence

• Social facilitation- improved performance on tasks in the presence of others (if the task is easy)

• Social loafing- tendency for people in a group to exert less effort that they would individually

• Deindividuation- the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in a group

• Group polarization- the tendency for attitudes to become more polarized when with a group that agrees with that attitude

PREJUDICE

Superiority of a group

Prejudice

• A belief or feeling

Discrimination

• An action

Social Roots of prejudice

• Ingroup Bias• Social Inequalities• Scapegoating

• Jane Elliot• Iowa class

Cognitive roots of prejudice

• Categorization• Vivid Cases• Just-world

phenomenon- people think the world is just, so people get what they deserve

What about individuals?

AGGRESSION

Aggression- any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Biology

• Genetics• Brain (frontal lobe or

amygdala)• Hormones• Alcohol

Psychology

• Frustration-aggression principle

• Hot temperatures• Learning• Media violence

Media

•Watching violent media thinking aggression is acceptable•What can we do?

GAME THEORY

Game Theory

• The idea that we act based on how we think others will act

• Examples?

-deciding which way to go around someone

-economics

Social Traps

• Situations in which mutually destructive behavior is the result of people pursuing self-interest

• Examples:• Dollar bidding game• Nuts game• Mutually Assured Destruction• Prisoner’s Dilemma

Another Example

ATTRACTION

What influences attraction?

• Proximity (mere exposure effect)• Physical Attractiveness• Similarity

Types of love

Passionate

• Aroused state of intense positive absorption in another

• Usually at the beginning of a relationship

Companionate

• Deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Strong Relationships Need:

• Equity- getting as much as you give or vice versa

• Self-disclosure- revealing intimate details about ourselves

Altruism

Kitty Genovese

• Repeatedly raped and stabbed while calling for help• Why did no one come to her aid?

Bystander Effect

•People are less likely to help when others are present

Things that increase altruism

• seeing someone else being helpful• not in a hurry• victim needs and deserves help• victim is similar to us• we are in a small or rural area• we feel guilty• we are focused on others and not preoccupied• we are in a good mood

Social Exchange Theory

• The idea that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

• What do you think?

Cooperation

• Superordinate goals- shared goals that override differences

• Communication• Graduated and reciprocated initiatives to reduce conflict

-Ex. SALT talks