Chapter 16Chapter 16Social PsychologySocial Psychology

PSY 100PSY 100Rick Grieve, Ph.D.Rick Grieve, Ph.D.

Western Kentucky UniversityWestern Kentucky University

AttitudesAttitudesWhat are attitudes?What are attitudes?

Attitudes are beliefs or opinions about Attitudes are beliefs or opinions about people, object, and ideaspeople, object, and ideas

AttitudesAttitudesFootFoot--inin--thethe--door strategydoor strategy

Individual presents a weaker Individual presents a weaker request first, saving the request first, saving the strongest demand until the endstrongest demand until the end

DoorDoor--inin--thethe--face strategyface strategyIndividual makes the strongest Individual makes the strongest demand first, then presents a demand first, then presents a more reasonable offermore reasonable offer

AttitudesAttitudesCognitive dissonanceCognitive dissonance

Individual’s motivation to reduce the Individual’s motivation to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) caused by discomfort (dissonance) caused by two inconsistent thoughtstwo inconsistent thoughts

SelfSelf--perception theoryperception theoryIndividuals make inferences about Individuals make inferences about their attitudes by perceiving and their attitudes by perceiving and examining their behaviorexamining their behavior

AttitudesAttitudes

Cognitive dissonancetheory

Self-perceptiontheory

“I hate my job. I needto develop a betterattitude toward it, orI could quit and be abeach bum.”

“I am spending allof my time thinkingabout how much I hate my job. I really must not likeit.

Social ThinkingSocial ThinkingAttribution theoryAttribution theory

People are motivated to discover the People are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the of their effort to make sense of the behaviorbehavior

AttributionAttributionDimension of causalityDimension of causality

Internal/external causesInternal/external causes•• Internal attributions: personality traits, Internal attributions: personality traits,

intelligence, models, attitudes, and intelligence, models, attitudes, and healthhealth

•• External attributions: social pressure, External attributions: social pressure, aspects of the social situations, money, aspects of the social situations, money, weather, and luckweather, and luck

Stable/unstable causesStable/unstable causesControllable/uncontrollable causesControllable/uncontrollable causes

Attributional Attributional ErrorsErrorsFundamental attribution errorFundamental attribution error

Observers overestimate the Observers overestimate the importance of traits and importance of traits and underestimate the importance of underestimate the importance of situations when they seek situations when they seek explanations of an actor’s behaviorexplanations of an actor’s behavior

Attributional Attributional ErrorsErrorsFundamental attribution errorFundamental attribution error

Actor

More likely to giveexternal, situationalexplanations of ownbehavior

Observer

More likely to giveinternal, traitexplanations of actor’sbehavior

Attributional Attributional ErrorsErrorsSelfSelf--serving biasserving bias

Attributing explanations for one’s Attributing explanations for one’s successes to internal factors and successes to internal factors and explanations for one’s failures to explanations for one’s failures to external factorsexternal factors

Attributional Attributional ErrorsErrorsSelfSelf--serving biasserving bias

Failure

More likely to giveexternal explanations

Success

More likely to giveinternal explanations

Social InfluenceSocial InfluenceConformityConformity

Involves a change in a person’s Involves a change in a person’s behavior to coincide more with a behavior to coincide more with a group standardgroup standard

Asch’sAsch’s Conformity ExperimentConformity Experiment

ConformityConformityNormative social influenceNormative social influence

The influence that other people have The influence that other people have on us because we seek their approval on us because we seek their approval or avoid their disapprovalor avoid their disapproval

Informational social influenceInformational social influenceThe influence other people have on us The influence other people have on us because we want to be rightbecause we want to be right

ObedienceObedienceObedienceObedience

Behavior that complies with the Behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in explicit demands of the individual in authorityauthority

Milgram’s Milgram’s obedience studyobedience study

Group InfluenceGroup InfluenceNormsNorms

Rules that apply to all members of a Rules that apply to all members of a groupgroup

RolesRolesRules and expectations that govern Rules and expectations that govern certain positions in the groupcertain positions in the group

Group InfluenceGroup InfluenceStanford Prison StudyStanford Prison Study

Group PerformanceGroup PerformanceSocial facilitationSocial facilitation

Occurs when an individual’s performance Occurs when an individual’s performance improves because of the presence of othersimproves because of the presence of others

Social loafingSocial loafingThe tendency to exert less effort in a group The tendency to exert less effort in a group because of reduced monitoringbecause of reduced monitoring

DeindividuationDeindividuationOccurs when the presence of a group results Occurs when the presence of a group results in the loss of personal identityin the loss of personal identity

Group Interaction Group Interaction The risky shiftThe risky shift

The tendency for a group decision to The tendency for a group decision to be riskier than the average decision be riskier than the average decision made by individual group membersmade by individual group members

Group polarization effectGroup polarization effectThe solidification and further The solidification and further strengthening of a position as a strengthening of a position as a consequence of group discussionconsequence of group discussion

Group Interaction Group Interaction GroupthinkGroupthink

Impaired decision making and Impaired decision making and avoidance of realistic appraisal to avoidance of realistic appraisal to maintain group harmonymaintain group harmony

AggressionAggression

Biological influencesBiological influencesEnvironmental and psychological Environmental and psychological influencesinfluences

FrustrationFrustration--aggression hypothesisaggression hypothesis•• Frustration always leads to aggressionFrustration always leads to aggression

Observational learningObservational learningReinforcementReinforcement

AltruismAltruismWhat is altruism?What is altruism?

Altruism is an unselfish interest in helping Altruism is an unselfish interest in helping someone elsesomeone else

EgoismEgoismgiving to another person to ensure giving to another person to ensure reciprocityreciprocity

The bystander effectThe bystander effectIndividuals who observe an emergency help Individuals who observe an emergency help less when someone else is present than less when someone else is present than when they are alonewhen they are alone

Attraction, Love, & Attraction, Love, & RelationshipsRelationships

What attracts us to others and What attracts us to others and motivates us to spend more time with motivates us to spend more time with them?them?Does just being around someone Does just being around someone increase the likelihood a relationship increase the likelihood a relationship will develop?will develop?Do birds of a feather flock together?Do birds of a feather flock together?How important is physical attraction in How important is physical attraction in a relationship?a relationship?

Attraction, Love, & Attraction, Love, & RelationshipsRelationships

Consensual validationConsensual validationOur own attitudes and behavior are Our own attitudes and behavior are supported when someone else’s attitudes supported when someone else’s attitudes and behavior are similar to oursand behavior are similar to ours

Matching hypothesisMatching hypothesisWhile we prefer a more attractive person in While we prefer a more attractive person in the abstract, in the real world we end up the abstract, in the real world we end up choosing someone who is close to our own choosing someone who is close to our own level of attractivenesslevel of attractiveness

Types of LoveTypes of LoveRomantic loveRomantic love

Has strong components of sexuality Has strong components of sexuality and infatuation, and it often and infatuation, and it often predominates in the early part of a predominates in the early part of a love relationshiplove relationship

Affectionate loveAffectionate loveOccurs when individuals desire to Occurs when individuals desire to have the other person near and have have the other person near and have a deep, caring affection for the persona deep, caring affection for the person

Triangular Theory of LoveTriangular Theory of Love

ReferencesReferences

NairneNairne, J. S. (1999). , J. S. (1999). Psychology: The adaptive mindPsychology: The adaptive mind (2nd Ed.). Albany, NY: (2nd Ed.). Albany, NY: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

SantrockSantrock, J. W. (2002). , J. W. (2002). Psychology Psychology (6(6thth Edition). Boston, MA: McGrawEdition). Boston, MA: McGraw--Hill.Hill.

Wells, M. (2002). BBC halts Wells, M. (2002). BBC halts ‘‘prison experiment.prison experiment.’’ The GuardianThe Guardian. [Online] Retrieved . [Online] Retrieved January 25, 2002, from the World Wide Web: January 25, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.guardian.co.http://www.guardian.co.ukuk//ukuk_news/story/0,3604,638243,00.html_news/story/0,3604,638243,00.html