Introduction to Psychology Social Psychology

Attributions Internal vs. External Stability Fundamental Attribution Error Defensive Attribution Self-serving Bias Individualism vs. Collectivism

The Justification of Effort If someone works hard to attain a goal, the will be more attractive than to the individual who achieves the same goal with no effort. Hazing Basic training Charging money for pound puppies Aronson and Mills (1959) sex discussion group with an embarrassing initiation

Why Do Behaviors Change Attitudes? Self-Presentation (Impression Management) Self-Justification (Cognitive Dissonance) Self-Perception

Conformity and Obedience Asch experiment Milgram experiment The difference a symbol of authority makes e.g., a lab coat The nurse’s obedience experiment – much lower level of compliance when the drug was familiar and when they had an opportunity to consult with someone Knowledge and social support increase the likelihood of resistance to authority

Norm Formation Norms can be arbitrary, pervasive and unintentional Norm violation examples

Groups Who am I? Categorize self-descriptions into group and non-group identifications What is a group? Is this class a group

What is a group? “Two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as us” People on a plane? Five people waiting at the same corner for a bus. People attending a worship service. The Brittany Spears Fan Club. The students in a seminar class.

Why do we form groups? Schutz’s (1958) Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Psychological needs for group formation Inclusion Control Affection

Are groups good or bad? Conformity, obedience, diffusion of reponsibility, deindividuation, panic, the risky shift, groupthink, anonymity, social loafing Social, moral, and language development, sense of membership and identity, charity, emotional comfort, support, social facilitation, cooperation, survival

Collective Behavior Deindividuation – loss of self awareness and evaluation apprehension when the situation allows one to feel anonymous When combined with high states of arousal and a diffusion of responsibility it can create a mob mentality, disinhibiting violent and unacceptable behavior

Riots Convergence – only certain types of people would bait a person to jump or commit an act of violence, however, their actions spread throughout a crowd by means of contagion. This can create a norm of callousness or cynicism the seems to fit the situation. It creates the illusion of consensus for violence and extreme acts.

Convergence Deindividuation alone cannot explain all these phenomena Riots, lynchings, mobs, wartime attrocities, police beatings, road rage, escape panics Cheering at sporting events, spring break behavior, Mardi Gras, fads, pop icons

Deindividuation If you could do anything humanly possible with complete assurance that you would not be detected or held in any way responsible, what would you do? Common findings: 36% antisocial, 19% non-normative, 36% neutral, and 9% prosocial Robbing a bank is the most often reported