Social PsychologySubtitle

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Tuesday, April 21

Wednesday, April 22

Thursday, April 23

Friday, April 24

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Social Psychology

• The study of situations and the social influences that explain why the same person will act differently in different situations

Consider Me…which of the following characteristics do you think I have?• Extraverted

• Judgmental

• Type A or Type B

• Quick tempered

Now consider yourself…• Extraverted

• Judgmental

• Type A or Type B

• Quick tempered

Attribution Theory

• The theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

• Fundamental Attribution Error: the tendency for observers, when analyzing other’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of the personal disposition

Fundamental Attribution Error

Participants Told that the Woman’s

Behavior would be Spontaneous

Participants Told that the Woman was

Instructed to Act a Specific Way

Woman Acted Friendly Woman Acted Friendly

Woman Acted Unfriendly

Woman Acted Unfriendly

Fundamental Attribution Error• We are more likely to explain our own behavior by the

situational context

• We are more likely to commit fundamental attribution error when a stranger acts badly

• In individualistic western cultures, we are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits (more likely to fall into the fundamental attribution error

Attitudes and Behaviors• Attitudes are feelings, often influenced by our beliefs,

that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and events

Attitudes Affect Behaviors• Attitudes can be influenced by persuasion:

• Peripheral route persuasion- occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, not facts and does not involve systematic thinking

• Central Route Persuasion- offers evidence and arguments that aim to trigger favorable thoughts; requires logical thought on the part of the individual being persuaded

Behaviors Affect Attitude• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomena

• Adapting to Roles

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory- making your attitudes and beliefs match your actions

Automatic Mimicry• Also known as the chameleon effect

• We tend to copy the actions, mannerisms, tones, and grammar of those around us

Conformity • Adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group

thinking

• More likely to occur when• We feel insecure• Are in a group with at least 3 people• In a group where everyone else agrees• Have not made a prior commitment to any response• Know that we are being watched by others in a group

Social Norms• Understood rules for accepted and expected behavior

• Social Norms can influence our behavior

• Normative Social Influence- results from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

• Informative Social Influence-results from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions of reality

Obedience • Millgram’s Experiment

• Obedience is highest when• The person giving the orders was close or was

perceived to be a legitimate authority figure• The authority figure is supported by a

prestigious institution• The victim was depersonalized• There were no role modes for defiance

Group Behaviors

How is individual behavior effected by a group in each of the following situations?

Social Facilitation

Social Loafing

Deindividualization

Group Polarization

Culture

• What is culture?

• How can culture affect the behavior of an individual?

• Give and example of culture changing over time.

Prejudice

• What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?

Roots of Prejudice

Social Roots

• Just World Phenomena

• Ingorups and Outgroups• Ingroup Bias

Emotional Roots• Scaepgoat Theory

Cognitive Roots• What race is Barack Obama?

• we learn to categorize images to organize our world at a young age

• our selective attention is naturally drawn to distinctive features of the less-familiar race

• Other Race Effect- the ability to distinguish individuals of your own race more easily (3-9 months of age)

Aggression

Aggression

Biological

Influences:

Genetic influencesBiochemi

cal influences (testosterone and alcohol)Neural

influences (trauma

to the …)

Social-Cultural

Influences

Psychological

Influences

Aggression

Psychological

Influences:Dominate behavior (boosts

testosterone in the

blood)Believing

that alcohol

has been consumedFrustratio

nAggressiv

e role models

Rewards for

aggressive

behaviorLow self-control

Biological Influences

Social-Cultural

Influences

Aggression

Socio-Cultural Influences:Deindividualization

Challenging environment (heat, direct provocation, crowing)

Parental models of aggressionRejection fro ma group

Exposure to violent media

Psychological Influences

Biological Influences

The Psychology of Attraction

Mere Exposure Effect• Proximity leads to initial attractiveness- we form relationships

with those in close proximity to ourselves

• Mere Exposure Effect- the phenomenon that repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases liking of the stimulus

• We also tend to be attracted to individuals whose faces share similarities with our own

• How could all of these points be explained in terms of evolutionary psychology?

Physical Attractiveness

• We perceive physically attractive individuals as healthier, happier, more sensitive, more successful, and socially skilled

• Some aspects of what determines physical attractiveness is highly influenced by culture

• However…

Darwin says…Christian Grey Likes Big Butts and He Cannot Lie

• Some are constant and likely the result of evolution:

• Men prefer youthful, fertile appearance suggested by a low waist to hip ratio

• Women prefer mature, dominant, masculine and affluent men

• Average facial features are preferred to extremes

• Symmetry in face and body are judged as more attractive

• Personality characteristics also determine physical attractiveness

Similarity • Opposites may attract but they do not as often lead to

lasting relationships

• Beliefs, interest, and attitudes are more likely to be shared among close friends and couples

Passionate vs. Compassionate Love• Passionate Love- an aroused state of intense positive

absorption in another individually usually present at the beginning of a relationship

• Compassionate Love- the deep affectionate attachment that we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Altruism• an unselfish concern for the welfare of others

• helping others when they are in need no matter the cost to our own well being

• the collective good

Bystander Effect• the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to

give aid if other bystanders are present

• We are more likely to help when:• the person appears to need and deserves help• the person is similar to us in someway• the person is a woman• we have observed someone else being helpful• we are not in a hurry • we are in a more rural area• we are feeling guilty• we are in a good mood• we are not preoccupied with our own concerns

The Norms of Helping

• Social Exchange Theory• social behavior is an exchange process the aim of

which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs• what's in it form me? what's it going to cost?

• Reciprocity Norm• expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who

have helped them

The Norms of Helping

• Social Responsibility Norm • we should help those who need our help (young

children, old people, etc) that cannot give back even if it has a high cost

Conflict and Social Traps• Conflict- perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or

ideas

• Social Trap- a situation in which conflicting parties serve their own self interest rather than the good of the group leading to destructive behaviors for both parties

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy• a belief that leads to its own fulfillment