Social Psychology The study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another

Social Thinking How do we think about one another?

Attribution Theory The idea that we give a casual explanation for someone's behavior We credit that behavior either to the situation or…. To the person’s disposition Was my friend a jerk because she had a bad day or is she just a bad person?

Fundamental Attribution Error The tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of a situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition How do you view your teacher’s behavior? You probably attribute it to their personality rather than their profession.

Attribution At Work

The Effects of Attribution Social Effects Political Effects Workplace Effects

Self-Serving Bias The tendency to attribute one’s success to personal factors and one’s failure’s to situational factors The tendency to take more credit for good outcomes and less for bad ones

Attitudes A belief or feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to something How might different attitudes respond to this picture?

Do our attitudes guide our actions? Only if…. External pressure is minimal. We are aware of our attitudes. The attitude is relevant to the behavior.

Attitudes

More often, our actions affect our attitudes. 3 Examples: (1)Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon (2)Door-in-the-face Phenomenon (3)Role-Playing

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request If I give out an answer on a quiz, what happens next?

Door-in-face Phenomenon The tendency for people who say “no” to a huge request, to comply with a smaller one If you ask your parents for the 1952 Topps Mantle card ($15k) what would they say? NO But they may buy you tickets to an Angels home game

Zimbardo’s Prison Study Showed how role-playing affects attitudes Philip Zimbardo has students at Stanford U play the roles of prisoner and prison guards in the basement of a psychology building. They were given uniforms and numbers for each prisoner. What do you think happened?

Zimbardo’s Prison Study

What happens when we become aware that our attitudes don’t match or actions? You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!!

Cognitive Dissonance Theory We do not like when we have either conflicting attitudes or when our attitudes do not match our actions. When this happens – we experience tension called cognitive dissonance. When our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

What happens when we become aware that our attitudes don’t match or actions? Answer: Usually we will change their attitude. The teacher was really bad so in that class it is OK. You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!!

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Cognitive Dissonance Song

Social Influences Group Influences & Group Dynamics

Conformity Studies Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Solomon Asch’s Study

Conditions that Strengthen Conformity The group is unanimous One is made to feel incompetent The group is at least three people One admires the group’s status One had made no prior commitment The person is observed

Reasons for Conforming Normative Social Influence Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disappointment Respecting norms Informational Social Influence Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality The group provides valuable information

Re-creation of Asch’s Study

Obedience Milgram’s Experiments

Milgram’s Obedience Study

Conditions that Strengthen Obedience The person giving the orders is close at hand and perceived to be a legitimate authority figure The authority figure is supported by a prestigious institution The victim is depersonalized or at a distance, even in another room There are no role models for defiance

What did we learn from Asch & Milgram? *Ordinary people can do shocking things! * Social influence in powerful!

Group Influence on Behavior Let’s look at how groups effect our behavior.

Social Facilitation Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others Occurs with simple or well learned tasks Does not occur with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered

Social Impairment When a task is very hard or one is not skilled (like my bowling), one performs worst in front of a group than if they were alone.

Social Loafing The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable

Deindividuation The loss of self-awareness and self- restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Group Polarization The concept that a group’s attitude is one of extremes and rarely moderate As a group, both the Black Panthers and the Ku Klux Klan are more extreme than the average individual in the group.

Group Polarization

Groupthink The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides common sense (realistic appraisal of alternatives)

We also influence ourselves The Power of the Individual can be stronger than a group

Social Relations How do we relate to others? AttractionConflict and PrejudiceAltruism and PeacemakingAggression

Prejudice An unjustifiable attitude towards a group of people Usually involves stereotyped beliefs (a generalized belief about a group of people) Overt Subtle

Which person would you want to have a long term relationship with?

Social Inequalities (A principle reason behind prejudice ) Ingroup: “Us”- people with whom one shares a common identity Outgroup: “Them”- those perceived as different than one’s ingroup Ingroup bias: The tendency to favor one’s own group

Scapegoat Theory The theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Why is there Prejudice? Categorization Vivid Cases (Availability heuristic) The Just-World Phenomenon

Psychology of Aggression Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy In the U.S. we are MUCH more likely to be murdered compared to most other developed nations

Psychology of Aggression There are two types of Aggression: Instrumental Aggression – when the aggressive act has a purpose Hostile Aggression – Aggression that has no clear purpose

The Psychology of Aggression Frustration-Aggressive Principle: The blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal Creates anger which generates aggression Goals can be: Sports or work Relationship Body Condition etc…

The Biology of Aggression Genetics Neural Influences Biochemical

Hot Weather and Aggression

Can we learn to be aggressive or gentle? They can be but…. Once learned they are difficult to change

Aggression and TV Watches = By the time you are 18, you spend more time in front of TV than in school 2/3 of all homes have 3 or more sets average 51 hours a week. By the time a child finishes elementary school they have witnessed 8000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on TV Over half of all deaths do NOT show the victim's pain As TV watching has grown exponentially, as does violent behavior- a strong positive correlation. How do you think TV has effected sexual aggression?

Altruism Unselfish regard for the welfare of others Kitty Genovese case Bystander Effect: Conditions in which people are more or less likely to help one another. In general…the more people around…the less chance of help….because of… Diffusion of Responsibility Pluralistic Ignorance People decide what to do by looking to others

A Clear Case of the Bystander Effect? Recently a man was pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming subway train and no one reached out a hand to help the man get back onto the platform. Not only that, but a photographer snapped a picture of the man as he desperately tried to get back onto the platform. This is a clear example of diffusion of responsibility: all the onlookers are shocked, but they’re thinking that someone else – perhaps a police office – will jump in to help.

Social Exchange Theory The idea that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Peacemaking Give people superordinate (shared) goals that can only be achieved through cooperation Win Win situations through mediation GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction)

Attraction 5 Factors of Attraction….

Proximity Geographic nearness Mere exposure effect: Repeated exposure to something breeds liking. Taiwanese Letters Mirror image concept Stalking – get it? Ha! Ha!

Reciprocal Liking You are more likely to like someone who likes you. Why? Except in elementary school!!!!

Similarity Paula Abdul was wrong- opposites do NOT attract Birds of the same feather do flock together Similarity breeds content

Liking through Association Classical Conditioning can play a part in attraction.

Physical Attractiveness: The Hotty Factor Physically attractiveness predicts dating frequency (they date more) They are perceived as healthier, happier, more honest and successful than less attractive counterparts

What is beauty? Some people say beauty is facial symmetry.

Beauty and Culture

LOVE Passionate Love : an aroused state of INTENSE positive absorption of another Compassionate Love : the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

What makes compassionate love work? Equity Self-disclosure