Module 43

Social Psychology:

Social Thinking

• How do we explain other peoples’ behavior?

• How do we form our beliefs and attitudes”

• What is the relationship between what we think

and how we behave?

Module 43, 44 and 45 1

Module 43 & 44a 2

Social Thinking – how we form impressions of

other people

Attributions Judgments about Why others act

like they do?

Module 43 & 44a 3

Is it them (dispositional) or the situation

(situational)?

• Consensus - did others act like this?

• Consistency- does he/she do this all the time?

• Distinctiveness - in all situations?

Module 43 & 44a 4

Heuristics (short cuts)

Fundamental Attribution Error.

Other people - due to dispositional factors.

• more common in western than East Asian

cultures.

• Less with people we know well.

• More when the behavior is bad.

Module 43 & 44a 5

Self-serving Bias

When judging our own actions. . . .

Own Successes have internal causes.

Own failures have external causes.

Module 43 & 44a 6

Changing the

perspective of video

presentation can

change peoples

attributions. Situational

Attributions were more likely when seen

from the actor’s perspective.

Module 43 & 44a 7

Looking back on our past selves, we are

more likely to attribute past behaviors to

dispositional factors (traits).

Political perspective also effect attributions!

Conservative vs. Liberal Point of View.

Module 43 & 44a 8

Blaming the Victim

When bad things happen to other people we tend

to see it as their own fault.

Just World Hypothesis

The world is a just (fair) place.

If something bad happens to someone, they

must deserve it.

- I’m a good person, so it can’t happen to me.

Module 43 & 44a 9

Attitudes and Actions

Attitudes – feelings and beliefs that

predispose our reactions (behaviors)

BehaviorsAttitudes

Module 43 & 44a 10

Changing Attitudes Can Change

Behaviors

Peripheral Route Persuasion - gut level

- appeal to feelings rather than reason.

Central Route Persuasion – logic driven

Appeals to reason and evidence

c14(1) 11

Changing Behaviors Can Change Attitudes

Cognitive Dissonance - people feel uncomfortable

when their behavior and attitudes are not consistent

- change behavior and attitudes may follow.

- people change their attitudes when they can’t

find a reason to justify their behavior.

- I did this, so I must feel that way.

c14(1) 12

Cognitive Dissonance

Lowball Sales Techniques

Module 43 & 44a 13

Changing Behaviors Can Change

Attitudes

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon - you ask

for a small request first, and people are

more likely to agree to a bigger one

afterwards.

Module 43 & 44a 14

Role Playing Can Change Attitudes

Zimbardo Prison Experiment.

- Normal, healthy college students

- randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners

in a role playing exercise.

Soon became them against us.

Module 44

Social Influence

• Conformity

• Obedience

• Group Behaviors

Module 43 & 44a 15

Conformity: Behavior is ContagiousElevator

Chameleon effect – allows us to blend in with

others.

How to start a movement!

Module 43 & 44a 16

Module 43 & 44a 17

Asch Study

- Line Judgment Task

Module 43 & 44a 18

Results:

Overall, subjects conformed to wrong answer on 37% of

target trials

75% of subjects conformed on at least one trial

50% of subjects conformed on more than half of the trials

Factors that increase conformity

- status of others

- number of others

- unanimous agreement

- responses made public

Module 43 & 44a 19

Obedience: Responding to Direct Orders

Milgram Study

Original study: 63% shocked innocent

“learner” to maximum level!

Video

Module 43 & 44a 20

Factors that Increase Obedience

• status of the experimenter

• distance between teacher and learner

• responsibility

• sequential nature of the task

• no role models for defiance

Module 43 & 44a 21

“The ordinary person who shocked the

victim did so out of a sense of obligation --

an impression of his duties as a subject -- and

not from any peculiarly aggressive

tendencies.” (Milgram, 1974)

Group BehaviorSocial Facilitation

• Crowding Effect

Social Loafing

• Tug-of-war studies.

Deindividuation

• Why are internet trolls so mean?

• Group Polarization

• Myers and Bishop study on group polarization and prejudice.

Groupthink

• Overconfidence, conformity, self-

justification and group polarization.

• When are two heads better than one? –

when there are a diversity of opinions and

open communication.

The power of the Individual

Module 46 Prosocial

Relationships

Attraction

Proximity

• Mere exposure effect

• Bailenson study on preference for political

candidates and facial feature similarity

Physical Attractiveness

Speed dating studies

Uof Minnesota Welcome Week dance study

Gaze time studies of Babies and physical attractiveness.

Diener’s studies on attractiveness, self-esteem and happiness.

What type of features do people find attractive?

Similarity

Altruism: Unselfish regard for

the welfare of others.

Kitty Genovese (1964)

38 witnesses and none helped

or called the police.

Bystander Effect

Diffusion of Responsibility

c14(1) 27

Does number of people matter?

Subways StudiesAlone - 80% helpedOthers - 30% helped

- took longer to respond

Factors that effect HelpingPerson appears to need and deserve help.

Similarity to self

Being female

Having just observed someone else being helpful

Not in a hurry

Less in large cities

Feeling guilty

Focused on others (not self absorbed)

Good Mood

Norms for HelpingSocial Exchange Theory – cost-benefit analysis

- if rewards exceed costs you will help.

Reciprocity Norm – expectation that we should help not harm others who have helped us.

When other is on equal status - equate giving and receiving.

Social-responsibility NormWe should help those in need, even if the costs outweigh the benefits.

Wesley Autrey was waiting

on a subway station in NY

with his 2 daughters. He saw a

man fall onto the tracks after

having a seizure. Autrey jumped down onto the tracks to try to get Hallopeter back up before the oncoming train arrived.

He realized it would be too late and, instead of

jumping to safety, he lay Hallopeter down

between the tracks, placing himself on top as

protection from the train. The train came to a

stop over the top of them after five carriages had

passed over. Neither were harmed by the train –

Autrey’s hat simply had some grease on it.

In an interview with the New York Time, Autrey

said, “I don’t feel like I did something

spectacular; I just saw someone who needed

help. I did what I felt was right.”

Characteristics of Helpers

• - higher in belief in “just World”

• - Internal locus of control

• - sense of social responsibility

Other Factors

• Do you know what to do?

• Being told what to do?