Social Psychology

Pretend that you have just found an invisible ring. You cannot be seen, heard, or detected any time you wear it. List 5 things you would do while invisible.

Activity (5 minutes)

Why might the following happen?

A student reads a pro-Castro essay in your class

Your report card shows all A’s for the semester

A child hits another child on the playground 2 days in a row

You speed on your way to work

Attributions

Attribution: why something happenedSituational cause: cause was outside of the person

Dispositional cause: cause was inside the person; who they are

Saliency: we judge based on what is most obvious or noticeable

Attributional Biases

Fundamental Attribution Error Tendency to overestimate the extent to which people’s behavior is due

to their disposition and not the situationCorrespondence Bias

Tendency to infer that people’s behavior matches their personalityJust World Hypothesis

Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people

Self-Serving Attributions Crediting success with internal/dispositional factors but explaining

failures with external factors

Directions: (5 minutes!)

1. Read your comic2. Decide which concept(s) it portrays and why3. Enlighten someone near you with your

conclusions & try to find alternate answers a. Fundamental Attribution Errorb. Correspondence Biasc. Just World Hypothesisd. Self-Serving Attribution

“There he goes again...Satan’s pet.”

I make no claims about all my success, Bernard. I never went to school, I never worked hard, and I’m not particularly bright...I’m just a

lucky skunk, Bernard.

I know you miss the Wainwrights, Bobby, but they were weak and stupid people—and that’s why we

have wolves and other large predators.

“Well, no, I can’t tell Harriet!...First thing she’s gonna ask me is what I was

doin’ checkin’ out a decoy!”

Application

Think of a situation or event (historical, political, personal, etc.) that illustrates a case of attributional bias. How might the situation have ended differently without those attributions?

Pro-Social Behavior

HelpingBystander effect: more people around = less likely any one person will help

Diffusion of responsibility: thinking that because other people are there that they will help

Pro-Social Behavior

Decision points in helping behaviorNoticing & understanding situationAssuming responsibilityKnowing how to help

Person differences: good mood, sex of recipient, attractiveness, appearance, race/ethnicity

Model of Bystander Intervention

(Figure adapted from Darley &Latane, 1968, pp. 70-71)

Attitudes

Attitude: learned responseBelief / Cognitive: ex. I believe that vegetables are healthy

Emotional / Affective: ex. I feel frustrated at not liking vegetables

Action / Behavioral: ex. I buy vegetables but rarely eat them

Types of Attitudes

Non-attitude: no previous thought or experiences about object/topic

Strong attitude: very positive or very negative because of lots of experience

Ambivalent attitude: some positive and some positive thoughts/feelings/actions Which type is easiest to change? Which type best predicts behavior?

Types of Attitudes

It is good to eat candy.The laws regarding coastal fishing

are not strict enough.The education that I receive from

GCC will be worth the money and effort that I put into it.

Creating vs. Changing Attitudes

Creating classical conditioning, observational

learning, instruction, interaction, mere exposure effect, strong message

Changing Latitude of acceptance: can move a little Cognitive Dissonance: unpleasant feeling if

our behaviors don’t match our attitudes – can change behavior or can change attitude

Attitudes Experience

Activity (10 minutes)Find one partner and analyze the persuasion attemptSourceMessageTarget audience

Obedience

Obedience: following command of someone in authority

Infamous Examples of Obedience Milgram’s experiments (video Power Situation 8:03-

11:45) Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (16:30-

16:55) Jonestown

Why do we obey?

Socialization: taught to obeyFoot-in-the-door: small acts lead to

larger acts of obedienceNorms / Power of the situation

Power – authority of the leaderDistance between learner and

teacherAssignment of Responsibility

Why do we obey?

Why do we conform?Conformity: going along with groupAsch’s line studies (video 7:04-8:02)

Normative social influence: approvalInformational social influence: infoReference groups: want to be like

them

Compliance

Compliance: going along with a request Foot-in-the-door technique: small then larger Door-in-the-face technique: large then smaller Norm of reciprocity: giving something =

obligation Lowball technique: agreeing to low price then

increasing That’s-not-all technique: adding “extras” to make

it seem more valuable

Discussion

Attitudes, Obedience, Compliance, & Conformity What are they? How are they difference?

Prejudiced Attitude

Prejudice: Learned negative attitude towards a group

Stereotype: believing that all members of a group are the sameCognitive component of the attitude

Discrimination: different treatment based on one’s groupBehavioral component of the attitude (Video Constructing Social Reality 5:50-9:40)

Why is there prejudice?

Group dynamics In-groups vs. out-groups Out-group homogeneity: all the same

Learned responses: imitation, norms

Mental shortcuts: automatic grouping based on similarities Biases: not motivated to be

accurate/fair We notice what we expect to see, then

seeing it reinforces our stereotypes

Why is there prejudice?

Competition Economic resources – who gets them?

Displaced aggression: take out angerDownward social comparison: feel better compare to someone worse off

Scapegoating: blame 1 person/groupStereotypes Behavior

Self-fulfilling prophecy: we create responses of others

Physical PainFemales Males

Pain = anterior insula/fronto-insular cortex (AI/FI) & anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

Player Ratings

Fair Players

Unfair Players

Empathy for other Players Painful Shock Non-painful shock

Pea

k of

Em

path

y A

ctiv

atio

n

Painful Shock Non-painful shock

Pea

k of

Em

path

y A

ctiv

atio

n

Reward Processing

Nucleus Accumbens

Desire for Revenge

Punishment is Rewarding

Examples

Take away citizenship rightsLabel a group as cheatersPlace small and then larger restrictions on a group

Convey a strong negative message about a small group

Youth programs with a message

Examples

BA Columbia University 1928Published novels, plays, and an autobiography to critical acclaim

Received grants to study anthropology worldwide

Received fellowship to earn PhD 1935 Columbia University

Worked as consultant to Paramount Pictures

Discussion

Impressions

QuickEmotionalBased on available information

Hard to change

Interpersonal Attraction

Proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness

Reciprocity of liking

Interpersonal Attraction

Triangular Theory of Love