social psychology

the study of how people think, feel, & behave in social

situations

social categorization

categorizing people into stereotyped groups based upon

their shared characteristics

(is done using Implicit Personality Theory)

Implicit personality theory

assumptions that you have about types of people, traits, & behavior

attribution

when you try to explain someone’s behavior

dispositional cause(internal/personal)

situational cause(external)

fundamental attribution error

overestimating role of internal factors & underestimating external factors

E.g.car swerving across laneshyper person at party

(about other people)

actor-observer discrepancy

you as observer = commit FAE

E.g.

you as actor = blame external factors

(for bad outcomes)

arriving late to class

self-serving bias

you attribute your successes to internal factors but your failures to external factors

E.g.

skill at snowboardingcooking skill

Let’s return to the fundamental attribution error…

blaming the victim

s/he must have caused it or didn’t take steps to prevent it

E.g.

- loved one is mistreated at work

just world hypothesis

(Why do people believe it?)

people get what they deserve

cognitive dissonance

you feel tension when you have two conflicting attitudes

E.g.procrastination of studying

increased when behavior contradicts your attitude

cognitive dissonance

How is tension reduced?

1) rationalize behavior

2) If cannot be rationalized, change attitude

in-group

group to which you belong

out-group

group to which you DO NOT belong

(out-group homogeneity effect=tendency to see out-group members all the same)

(in-group bias = tendency to judge in-group favorably & out-group unfavorably)

stereotype

ethnocentrism

Belief that one’s culture or ethnic group is superior to all others

conformity

when you change in order to fit-in

Have you ever done something you didn’t want to do, just because of pressure from others?

discussion

Asch conformity experiment

Would people still conform even if the group opinion was CLEARLY wrong?

Asch conformity experiment

1 2 3stimulus line

obedience

to obey an authority

Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiment

Could a person be pressured by others into committing an immoral act?

Stanley Milgram’s Obedience

First, survey results:• Most would REFUSE TO OBEY at 150 volts• None would reach 450 volts

results

surveyexpectations

35% stopped here

65%all the way

actualresults

altruism

helping someone (without expecting a reward)

bystander effect

a person is LESS likely to help when others are also present

Story of Kitty Genovese

social loafing

working less when working in a group

Examples?