Honors Psychology: Unit 2: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Lesson: ATTRIBUTION THEORY Instructions for double entry daily commentary / warm up: Open binder to section for this unit; find & label your template. COLUMN ONE: IDENTIFY facts, information, and evidence. COLUMN TWO: INTERPRET the document. React, ask questions, etc. I see… / It looks like…/ According to the article… I think…/ I feel… / I wonder…

Regarding Unit 1 Test Overall, it was solid: 6 As & Bs; 7 Cs; 4 Ds; 4 yet to take / finish the test Median MC score: 16/25 on MC section Mean FRQ score: 2.3/8 High: 6 points earned (two people) Many had good responses but didn’t earn points b/c terms were not clearly used, even though it seemed clear that you knew what you were talking about. You MUST apply the required terms to earn the point for them, and must make sure the reader knows that you know which term your describing / applying

Learning Goals this Lesson: Honors Psychology: Unit 2: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Lesson: ATTRIBUTION THEORY UPCOMING DEADLINES: PT 1.3: Experiments: Mon 9/19 Progress Report: Monday Unit 1 Test: Wednesday 9/20 Review Packet: 9/18 Assigned Reading (SEE LESSON MAP) LESSON 1: Myers 723-730 (by Friday) LESSON 2: Myers 730-737 (By Monday) LESSON 3: Myers 738-748 (By 9/26) LESSON 4: Myers 743-748 (by 9/27) LESSON 5: Myers 749-756, 758-759 By 9/29 Essential Question: ­­­What psychological factors allow people to justify their own bad behaviors? Learning Goals this Lesson: I can apply attribution theory to explain motives (eg: self-serving bias, fundamental attribution error) Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance Lesson Plan: Daily Commentary

Lesson 2.1 Essential Question: Performance Task What psychological factors allow people to justify their own bad behavior? Performance Task Students create & perform skits to demonstrate one of the following concepts: Fundamental Attribution Error; Actor-observer bias; foot in the door phenomenon; cognitive dissonance; internal vs. external locus of control.

Focuses in Social Psychology “We cannot live for ourselves alone.” Herman Melville Social psychology scientifically studies how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. OBJECTIVE 1| Describe the three main focuses of social psychology.

Social Thinking Does his absenteeism signify illness, laziness, or a stressful work atmosphere? Was the horror of 9/11 the work of crazed evil people or ordinary people corrupted by life events? Social thinking involves thinking about others, especially when they engage in doing things that are unexpected.

Attributing Behavior: The Person / Situation controversy Attribution Theory: Fritz Heider (1958) suggested that we have a tendency to give causal explanations for someone’s behavior. Two possible explanations: Situational – the person did this b/c of their situation Dispositional: the person did this b/c that’s the kind of person they are OBJECTIVE 2| Contrast dispositional and situational attributions, and explain how the fundamental attribution error can affect our analysis of behavior. http://www.stedwards.edu Fritz Heider

Attribution: the Person / Situation Controversy A teacher may wonder whether a child’s hostility reflects an aggressive personality (dispositional attribution) or is a reaction to stress or abuse (a situational attribution). Dispositions are enduring personality traits. So, if Joe is a quiet, shy, and introverted child, he is likely to be like that in a number of situations. http://www.bootsnall.org

Person / Situation Controversy: Examples Self-serving bias We choose to remember and emphasize information about ourselves that makes us look/feel better than we are Why did I ace the test? I am awesome Why did I fail the test? The teacher did a bad job

Person / Situation Controversy: Examples Actor/observer bias If WE are the actor doing something, we claim our good deeds are b/c we are GOOD PEOPLE But our BAD deeds are b/c we were put in a bad situation We are less likely to acknowledge situational factors that may influence bad behaviors we OBSERVE in others This is an also example of… fundamental attribution error

Fundamental Attribution Error Our tendency to overestimate the impact of personal disposition and underestimate the impact of the situations in analyzing the behaviors of other people

Effects of Attribution How we explain someone’s behavior affects how we react to it.

Internal v. External Locus of Control Internal Locus Personal decision-making determines what happens in a person’s life I am responsible for everything EXTERNAL LOCUS Situational factors determine everything It’s not my fault

Dispositional (internal) or Situational (external)? They won only because the best athletes on the Central State’s teams were out with injuries – talk about good fortune. External (situational) They won because they have some of the best talent in the country. Internal (dispositional) Anybody could win this region; the competition is so far below average in comparison to the rest of the country. They won because they put in a great deal of effort and practice.

With your partner: Brainstorm examples of: Dispositional attribution Situational attribution Fundamental attribution error Submit examples using the google form provided in classroom.

To summarize… Fundamental Attribution Error – underestimating situational influences when evaluating the behavior of someone else. He swerved into my lane because he is a jerk. Actor-observer bias – attributing others’ behaviors to disposition but your own behaviors (even the same behaviors) to situational factors. Example: He swerved into my lane because he is a jerk, but I swerved into the next lane because I was trying to avoid an animal in the road. Self-serving bias – crediting your own successes to disposition, but attributing your own failures to situation. Example: I won the game because I’m talented. I failed the test because the questions were unfair.

So our attitudes influence our actions…or/and/sometimes actions influence attitudes? Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort caused by holding two contradictory beliefs or performing an action contradictory to our beliefs.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Cognitive dissonance theory states that we are motivated to reduce this uncomfortable feeling by changing our beliefs to match our actions. The dissonance (uncomfortable feeling) is less if we feel that we were forced to perform the action. Thus, the larger the pressure used to elicit the overt behavior, the smaller the tendency to change opinion. Theory developed by LEON FESTINGER Example: how do we justify cheating in a game: http://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain

Cognitive Dissonance Our ability to justify holding two conflicting ideas at the same time DISSONANCE is uncomfortable: we don’t like it, so we modify our thought processes to reduce our discomfort Theory developed by LEON FESTINGER Example: how do we justify cheating in a game: http://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain

Cognitive Dissonance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y17YaZRRvY

Left Column: GIVE an example of the FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR. Honors Psychology: Unit 2: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Lesson: ATTRIBUTION THEORY Instructions for double entry daily commentary / warm up: Open binder to section for this unit; find & label your template. COLUMN ONE: IDENTIFY facts, information, and evidence. COLUMN TWO: INTERPRET the document. React, ask questions, etc. I see… / It looks like…/ According to the article… I think…/ I feel… / I wonder… Left Column: GIVE an example of the FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR. RIGHT COLUMN: GIVE an example that demonstrates the effect of cognitive dissonance.

Learning Goals this Lesson: Honors Psychology: Unit 2: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Lesson: ATTRIBUTION THEORY UPCOMING DEADLINES: PT 1.3: Experiments: Mon 9/19 Progress Report: Monday Unit 1 Test: Wednesday 9/20 Review Packet: 9/18 Assigned Reading (SEE LESSON MAP) LESSON 1: Myers 723-730 (by Friday) LESSON 2: Myers 730-737 (By Monday) LESSON 3: Myers 738-748 (By 9/26) LESSON 4: Myers 743-748 (by 9/27) LESSON 5: Myers 749-756, 758-759 By 9/29 Essential Question: ­­­What psychological factors allow people to justify their own bad behaviors? Learning Goals this Lesson: I can apply attribution theory to explain motives (eg: self-serving bias, fundamental attribution error) Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance Lesson Plan: Daily Commentary

Period 2: Regarding Unit 1 Test Room to improve: 4 As & Bs; 5 Cs; 2 Ds; 3 Fs Median MC score: 16/25 on MC section Median FRQ score: 4.25/8 Many had good responses but didn’t earn points b/c terms were not clearly used, even though it seemed clear that you knew what you were talking about. You MUST apply the required terms to earn the point for them, and must make sure the reader knows that you know which term your describing / applying

Independent Variable: Dependent Variable: Random Assignment: Hypothesis: Wintergreen Altoids leave breath smelling more minty-fresh than Peppermint Altoids: Independent Variable: Dependent Variable: Random Assignment: Control Group: Experiment Group: Placebo: Operational Definition: Double-Blind-Procedure:

“foot-in-the-door” What do we mean by this common expression?

Small Request – Large Request In the Korean War, Chinese communists solicited cooperation from US army prisoners by asking them to carry out small errands. By complying to small errands they were likely to comply to larger ones. Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Role Playing Affects Attitudes Zimbardo (1972) assigned the roles of guards and prisoners to random students and found that guards and prisoners developed role- appropriate attitudes. Originally published in the New Yorker Phillip G. Zimbardo, Inc.

The Stanford Prison Experiment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0

The Stanford Prison Experiment 15 MINUTES TO RESEARCH: Explore the website: http://www.prisonexp.org 10 MINUTES TO RESPOND, REFLECT, & SHARE OUT: Using the assigned document in google classroom, answer these questions: What were the goals of the Stanford Prison Experiment? How did Zimbardo set up the experiment? What controls did Zimbardo put in place? Describe the initial results of the experiment? In what ways did the experiment go wrong? Specifically describe the ethical issues involved in this experiment? What power does giving someone a specific role to play in a relationship have on influencing their behavior?

Lesson 2.1 Essential Question: Performance Task What psychological factors allow people to justify their own bad behavior? Performance Task Students create & perform skits to demonstrate one of the following concepts: Double Blind procedure Fundamental Attribution Error; Actor-observer bias; foot in the door phenomenon; cognitive dissonance; internal vs. external locus of control.

PT 2.1 - Skits!  Task: Develop a skit that demonstrates one of social psychology concept. You have 7 minutes to develop your concept. Do not use term in the skit (like taboo) All students must have a role Counts as a grade based on clarity, performance, and the ability of the class to identify the concept SEE RUBRIC on LESSON MAP

Skit Rubric: See Lesson Map   1 2 3 4 Skit Preparation Teacher provides plan for skit; OR 2+ members of group struggle to explain concepts. Students try to plan but need significant assistance. Skit concept not fully understood by all students. Student planning is collaborative or efficient. Skit concept fits assigned concept & students have a general understanding. Students planning is collaborative & efficient; skit has a clear concept that fits the assigned concept; each student shows a clear understanding Skit Performance Performance is not professional, or is difficult to understand. Skit difficult to interpret 3+ students have assigned roles. With clarifying questions or explanations, observers interpret skit. Students have assigned roles and perform them. Several observers easily interpret the skit. Each student has a role and performs it well; observers easily interpret the skit based on the clues it provides.

Skits!  Assigned Groups & Concepts: DOUBLE BLIND PROCEDURE (b/c we are confused) Kevin, Daniel, Jada, Ryan Cognitive dissonance Alazar, Futrell, Kelbi, Eluardo Fundamental attribution error Adrian, Zee, Juliana, Cheryl, Gloria actor observer bias Tyree, Rodney, Matthew, Nakia Foot-in-the-door phenomenon Neisha, Angela, Jamie, Daniel, Tremia Internal v. external locus of control Bryson, Elizabeth, Makaela,

Skits!  Assigned Groups & Concepts: DOUBLE BLIND PROCEDURE (b/c we are confused) Xitlalli, Cailyn, Sumayah, Makayla Cognitive dissonance Tyler, Isaiah, Bri, Asia, Tykia Fundamental attribution error Court, Keyonna, Mia, Skylar actor observer bias Seraiyah, Caleb, Zakiyyah, Alyssa Foot-in-the-door phenomenon Victoria, Marionna, Genesis, Maya Internal v. external locus of control Tahj, Juliya, Niya, Jalen, Sterling

Skit Rubric: See Lesson Map   1 2 3 4 Skit Preparation Teacher provides plan for skit; OR 2+ members of group struggle to explain concepts. Students try to plan but need significant assistance. Skit concept not fully understood by all students. Student planning is collaborative or efficient. Skit concept fits assigned concept & students have a general understanding. Students planning is collaborative & efficient; skit has a clear concept that fits the assigned concept; each student shows a clear understanding Skit Performance Performance is not professional, or is difficult to understand. Skit difficult to interpret 3+ students have assigned roles. With clarifying questions or explanations, observers interpret skit. Students have assigned roles and perform them. Several observers easily interpret the skit. Each student has a role and performs it well; observers easily interpret the skit based on the clues it provides.