Social Thinking

Social Psychology ● scientific study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another o BIG emphasis of social psychology is social cognition (mental processes associated with the ways in which people perceive and react to others) o Through social cognition, each person creates a unique perception of reality  Believe that we all have a different sense of “reality” – Why could this be true?

Attribution ● process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including ones own, either by crediting: o the external situation (external factors) OR o the person’s internal disposition (personality) *You just got a 98% on a test!!! Woo hoo, go you! Under your definition of Attribution: 1. Attribute an external factor to this good grade. 2. Attribute an internal factor to this good grade.

Fundamental Attribution Error ● tendency to overattribute the behavior of others to internal factors, such as personal disposition (personality traits) o When it comes to our own behavior, we are much more aware and sensitive to how our behavior changes with the different situations we encounter, rather than our personality traits alone

Fundamental Attribution Error ● Self-serving bias (tendency to attribute one’s successes to internal factors and one’s failures to external factors) often comes into play when one commits the fundamental attribution error o If you get an “A” on a test, it is due to how smart you are o If you get a “F” on a test, it is due to how hard the test was, how unfair and unreasonable the teacher is, how hot/cold the room was, your pencil was too short, your shirt was itchy that day, etc.

Attitudes ● beliefs and feelings that predispose our reactions to objects, people and events o Social psychologists believe that attitudes are made up of three components:  Cognitive – set of beliefs about the attributes of an object  Affective – feelings about the object  Behavioral – way people act toward the object o If someone is nice, we may feel kindness toward them and act in a friendly manner

Attitudes ● Do you believe your attitudes determine your decisions and actions? o For instance, if you do not like asparagus, do you believe that attitude will influence your decision/action to not eat asparagus?

Attitudes influencing actions… ● Central route persuasion (direct) o Attitudes change when interested people focus on the scientific evidence/arguments and respond with favorable thoughts ● Peripheral route persuasion (indirect) o Attitudes change when people make snap judgments based on incidental cues, like the attractiveness of a speaker

Attitudes influence actions… You are a salesperson for Apple Girls: come up with a peripheral route of persuasion technique to sell this product Boys: come up with a central route of persuasion technique to sell this product Share

Attitudes will also influence actions if… ● Outside influences on what we say and do are minimal. o As long as there are no outside pressures, we generally follow our attitudes. ● The attitude is specifically relevant to the behavior. o The more specific the attitude is to the action, the more likely the two are to be in harmony  Your attitudes about running a mile a day will help predict whether you will run when you are exercising ● We are keenly aware of our attitudes. o When we know and are conscious of what we believe, we are more true to ourselves

Attitudes ● We've established that our attitudes influence our actions.... ● But, do you believe your actions can influence your attitude?

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… o Foot-in-the-door phenomenon: tendency for people who agree to a small request to comply with a large one ● To get people to agree to something, you start small and build ● EXAMPLE from your own lives??? ● Hitler used it in Germany…did he begin his plan to exterminate all of the Jewish people by actually killing them? No…he started small and worked his way up to extermination ● People find it hard to say no, when they have already agreed to a few “smaller” steps…

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… o Door-in-the-face phenomenon: asking first for a big favor (or one that is likely to be denied), then after being turned down, the askee agrees that request was excessive and asks for something less…something that the person really wanted in the first place ● Because the person appears willing to compromise and because the request seems modest in comparison with the 1 st one, it is more likely to be granted than if it had been made at the outset ● EXAMPLE from your own lives?

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… ● Cognitive dissonance theory: when people become aware of the inconsistencies (dissonance) between their attitudes and behavior, they become anxious and are motivated to make them consistent o Developed by Leon Festinger o EXAMPLE… someone who believes that “smoking is unhealthy” but who also must acknowledge that “I smoke” would be motivated to reduce the dissonance in their attitude and actions o Because behavior is difficult to change, people usually reduce the dissonance by changing the inconsistent attitudes

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… o Role playing affects attitudes  Zimbardo’s (Stanford) Prison Experiment o College students were randomly assigned to the roles of prisoners or guards for the scheduled two week experiment o No further instructions were given on how to behave.

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… Within a very short time both guards and prisoners were settling into their new roles, with the guards adopting theirs quickly and easily. Within hours of beginning the experiment some guards began to harass prisoners. They behaved in a brutal and sadistic manner, apparently enjoying it. Other guards joined in, and other prisoners were also tormented. The prisoners soon adopted prisoner-like behavior too. They started taking the prison rules very seriously.

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… As the prisoners became more submissive, the guards became more aggressive and assertive. The prisoners were dependent on the guards for everything so tried to find ways to please the guards, such as telling on fellow prisoners. During the second day of the experiment the prisoners ripped off their numbers and barricaded themselves inside the cells. The guards retaliated by using a fire extinguisher and forced the prisoners away from the doors. Next, the guards broke into each cell, stripped the prisoners naked and took the beds out. The ringleaders of the prisoner rebellion were placed into solitary confinement. After this the guards generally began to harass and intimidate the prisoners.

Attitudes FOLLOW behaviors… After 36 hours, because of uncontrollable bursts of screaming, crying and anger, one prisoner was released. His thinking became disorganized and he appeared to be entering the early stages of a deep depression. Within the next few days three others also had to leave after showing signs of emotional disorder that could have had lasting consequences. Zimbardo had intended that the experiment should run for two weeks, but on the sixth day it was terminated. People will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are as strongly stereotyped as those of the prison guards.social roles