Unit 3 Social Psychology

What are we talking about? Social Psychology - psychology that studies the effects of social variables and cognitions on individual behavior and social interaction Looks at how people’s thoughts, feelings, perceptions, motives and behavior are influenced by other people Tries to understand behavior and mental processes within its social context Social Context - includes the real, imagined, or symbolic presence of other people; the activities and interactions that take place among people; the settings in which behavior occurs; and the expectations and social norms governing behavior in a given setting

How do we look at social psychology? SITUATIONISM (NURTURE) A view that says environmental conditions influence people’s behavior as much or more than their personal disposition does DISPOSITIONISM (NATURE) A view that says internal factors (genes, traits, character qualities) influence our behavior more than the situation we are in

Person Perception – process of forming impressions of others People show ingenuity in piecing together clues about others’ characteristics Impressions are often inaccurate because of the many biases and fallacies that occur in person perception

Stereotypes Widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group The most common relater to gender, age, occupation, religion, ethnic groups Saves energy…cost is accuracy

Let’s take a look

One word to describe them What do you see? What are their names? Where do they live? What do they do? What do they like? One word to describe them

Social Standards Social Roles One of several socially defined patterns of behavior that are expected of persons in a given setting or group Social Norms A group’s expectations regarding what is appropriate and acceptable for it’s members’ attitudes and behaviors in given situations.

Social Norms Turn to the person next to you and come up with at least 3 social norms you see in our community: Roosevelt High School San Antonio (the city) Texas

Social Pressure Social pressure can create powerful psychological effects such as prejudice, discrimination, blind obedience, and violence Social roles, rules, how we are dressed, competition, or the mere presence of others can profoundly influence how we behave and think We usually adapt our behavior to the demands of the social situation, and in ambiguous situations, we take our cues from the behavior of others in that setting

A Class Divided http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/class-divided/

The need to classify WE MUST CLASSIFY In group – Group that one identifies with and belongs to Out Group – Group that one does NOT identify with or belong to Evolutionary theorists claim that this behavior is attributed to our ancestors need to distinguish friend from foe as a matter of survival WE MUST CLASSIFY

What groups do you belong to? Gender Age Occupation Family Religion Socio-Economic Status Ethnicity Athletics Extra - Curriculars

Conformity The tendency for people to adapt their behaviors, attitudes, and opinions to fit the actions of other members of a group Conformity increases when… You feel incompetent or insecure. You are in a group of 3 or more. You are impressed by the status of the group. You have made no prior commitment to a response. You are being observed by the others in the group. Your culture strongly encourages respect for social standards.

The Asch Effect

The Asch Effect Asch identified 3 factors that influence whether a person will yield to group pressure: 1. The size of the majority 2. The presence of a partner who dissented from the majority 3. The size of the discrepancy between the correct answer and the majority’s opinion 75% of those subjected to group pressure conformed to the false judgment of the group one or more times, while only 25% remained completely independent

Stanford Prison Experiment

Group Processes Group Think People have a strong desire to maintain good relations within a group Views of leader are determined early and no on dissents Juries, cults, Ku Klux Klan

3 Reasons people Socially Loaf Group Processes Social Loafing Reduction of effort in individuals when hey work in groups versus when they work individually 3 Reasons people Socially Loaf In a group people tend to feel less accountable Group members may view their individual contributions as dispensable Unless heavily invested, people will take a free ride

Group Processes Bystander Effect People are not likely to help others unless they are alone with that person If someone is in need of help and there are several people around, diffusion of responsibility often occurs

Group Biases Prejudice (Thoughts) Having negative thoughts, emotions, attitudes or feelings towards an individual solely based on his membership in a particular group Discrimination (Actions) A negative action taken against a person because of his membership in a group.

Biases Cognitive Confirmation Bias – participants are more likely to search for information that confirms a previously learned bias than to seek information that contradicts it You want to buy a sports car, therefore you will find supporting evidence to suggest that you need to buy one or that it would be good for you Self-Full Filling Prophecy – positive or negative expectations affecting behaviors towards them in a manner that causes expectations to be fulfilled Luke Skywalker was told he was a Jedi, he fulfilled his prophecy to do so. Had he never been told, he might not have been as successful.

Illusory Correlation People estimate that they have encountered more confirmations of an association between social traits than they have actually seen People underestimate the number of disconfirmations that they have encountered

Attribution Theories Attributions Inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others’ behaviors, and their own behavior 4 Types of Attributions Internal VS. External Success and Failure Bias Based Defensive

Internal VS. External Internal Attributions External Attributions Ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings I did this to myself External Attributions Ascribe the causes of behavior to situational dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings Someone else did this to me

Success VS. Failure Success Failure Got an A on a test External – studied Internal – very intelligent Business succeeds External – went to business school Internal – motivated and driven Failure Teenager wrecked car External – slippery roads Internal – not paying attention Business fails External – economic factors Internal – not business savvy

Biased Based Fundamental Attribution Theory Tendency to believe that causes of behavior are internal not external People do things because of who they are not what they are going through

Defensive Self-Serving Bias We attribute causes of behavior to external if we fail and internal if we succeed If we fail it’s someone else fault If we succeed it’s because we’re awesome

Cognitive Dissonance A highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions (thoughts), especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes

Cognitive Dissonance Theory When people’s cognitions and actions are in conflict (a state of dissonance) they often reduce the conflict by changing their thinking to fit their behavior Working out is tough, I can’t do it Pain is weakness leaving the body Example: people who smoke They know smoking is unhealthy but they want to live a long life Their feelings are dissonant They find a way to justify it. It makes me lose weight

It pays to be pretty!

Social Reality An individual’s subjective interpretation of other people and of relationships with them Determines who we find: attractive or threatening; who we are drawn to or avoid The judgments we make about others depend on their behavior and our interpretations of their action

Attraction Theories Reward theory of attraction: The theory that says we like those who give us maximum rewards or benefit at minimum costs Matching Hypothesis: A prediction that most people will find friends and mates that are perceived to be about their same level of attractiveness Expectancy-Value Theory: The theory that people decide to pursue a relationship by weighing the potential value of the relationship against their chances of succeeding in that relationship

Sources of Attraction PROXIMITY SIMILIARITY The idea is that people will work harder to make friends with those to whom they are closest (physically) The person sitting beside you in class The person on your dance team You cousin that lives next door SIMILIARITY People usually find it more rewarding to have a relationship with someone who shares the same attitudes, interests, values and experiences as they do Birds of a feather flock together Skater kids Band kids

PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS Sources of Attraction SELF-DISCLOSURE It takes time to develop the trust necessary to share intimate details about oneself We like to spend time with people who really know us Life is more comfortable that way Most people don’t like hanging out with strangers PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS Yes it is vain, but it is reality. People are generally attracted to those who are more physically attractive We like pretty people, but not too pretty! Attractive is approachable Beautiful is UNapproachable