Social Psychology Unit 14

Central Route Persuasion Peripheral Route Persuasion Social psych terms Aristotle said that “People are… …social animals.” Social psychology – study of how we think, influence & relate to others Attribution theory – Fritz Heider – people believe our behavior is due to (a) genetics/biology and (b) the situation we’re in Fundamental attribution error – tendency to overestimate the… …genetics side & underestimate the situation Attitudes – feelings that drive us to respond to a situation, person, or event. Thinking affects Behavior Central Route Persuasion Peripheral Route Persuasion We stop & think about the situation, we make a logical decision. We make a snap decision, often based on emotions.

Cont. Foot-in-the-door phenomenon – if a person goes along with a small request, they’re more likely to go along with a big request Sales people, POWs People start to believe what they do. Belief follows action. Case study…Patty Hearst

Roles Zimbardo Prison Experiment – 1972 – Stanford Univ. Built a prison in psych dept. basement Assigned roles: prisoner or guard Prisoners grew depressed, guards grew abusive Experiment was called off quickly Ethical concerns… …do no harm, informed consent Cognitive dissonance – feelings occur when what we think (beliefs) and what we do (actions) don’t match. We dislike this, so we may… Rationalize – we make an excuse Change something (belief or action). We normally change… …belief (remember, belief follows action)

Conformity Def. – going along with others “Chameleon effect” – we reflect characteristics of those around us “mood linkage” – we reflect the emotion of those around us Solomon Asch Conformity Experiment Showed 3 lines, asked “Which is same length?” Wanted to see if a person would go along with those who agree on the wrong answer. 1/3 of time the person conformed to an obviously wrong answer. Conclusions: insecure, 3+ people, must be unanimous, no commitment yet, must watch others, culture matters (E, W)

The 3 big social psych experiments 1. Zimbardo Prison…roles, ethics 2. Asch Conformity…3 lines 3. Milgram Obedience to authority

Milgram experiment Stanley Milgram was a student of Asch Nazi Germany…how far would people follow orders? Set up of the experiment (1960s): E = experimenter, T = teacher, L = learner The “joke” is on the Teacher (others are acting) Teacher asks questions, gives a “shock” if incorrect. How high will the voltage go? (up to 450 volts) 2/3 went all the way! Foot-in-the-door phenomenon in action We seemed programmed to follow orders, esp. if removed personally Ethical concerns: do no harm, informed consent

Vocab

Vocab Social facilitation – we do better when others watch us (think foot race), except… …when we do something difficult (think tough math problem). Social loafing – individual’s performance goes down while in a group (think group project slacker) Deindividuation – giving up your individuality and giving in to a crowd’s way of thinking/actions (“herd poisoning”) Group polarization – differences in a group tend to widen or narrow over time and interaction Groupthink – tendency to go with group’s thinking just to keep harmony, even though you have doubts (acquiescence) To avoid…allow & encourage others to speak out

Cultural influences Our culture influences our world-view and our norms. Personal space – comfort area around me. North America & Europe like wider areas. Latin America, France, Arab nations are ok with less. Punctuality – time-conscious. North America, Europe, Japan are timely. Med., Indonesia, Caribbean don’t worry about time as much. Affects our views…charming but inefficient, or efficient but stressful.

Getting along (or not) Prejudice – draw a conclusion before analyzing person/situation Stereotypes – preconceived notions, right or wrong, often applied to situation or people Discrimination – to draw a distinction between things…the problem is when it’s applied to people Ex.: women seen as nurturing, sensitive, less aggressive (see pic next) Why? Ingroup – the group we’re in (us). Outgroup – the other group (them). Fear of attack (fits with us vs. them idea) Scapegoat theory – we tend to look for someone to blame Other-race effect – we can see differences in our own race, but not so much in other races (fits with ingroup/outgroup idea)

Terms Just-world phenomenon – belief that you get what you deserve. Hindsight bias enters here too. Aggression – physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt 1. Biology Genetics – may be biologically pre-disposed Neural influences – neural networks that inhibit or activate aggression. Amygdala can activate aggression, frontal lobe can make you stop & think about it (or not). Biochemical influences – drugs or hormones can be at play. Aggressive people… …male, muscular, low serotonin, high testosterone, low intelligence. Alcohol increases aggression.

More aggression 1. Biology…genetics, neural networks, biochemistry 2. Psychosocial frustration-aggression principle – when things go bad, you’re likely to get aggressive (revenge) Hot weather, or when we’ve learned aggression yields results 3. Modeling Remember Bobo doll and Bandura Parents…beatings yield beatings Rape myth…idea a woman says No, gives in, enjoys it Pornography…makes spouse look less attractive & sex/crime seems ok

Cont. 4. Social scripts—screenplay of how to behave, usually from the media/culture Sex w/out consequences on TV Music…women treated as objects or abused 5. Video games—do violent games lead to violence? Research says… …yes, there is an increase in violent behavior Copy-cat crimes, desensitization, catharsis effect (where we let off steam)… …is NOT supported by research

Attraction (3 easy steps to finding a mate) 1. Proximity Being physically close is important Mere exposure effect—we grow fonder of a person if we’re around them a lot 2. Physical attractiveness (AKA “hotness”) Hot people—perceived as healthy, happy, sensitive, successful, and they do get more interest, get better jobs, $ Across cultures… Men…prefer young, beautiful Women…prefer successful, $, healthy, mature

Cont. Inner qualities matter too (honest, humor, manners  attractive) Study…ME + ANOTHER = COMPOSITE (people like this one) Shows how we inject our qualities into another likeable person 3. Similarity—we like those like us Race, religion, education, IQ, smoking, $ Reward theory of attraction – people like people whose behavior rewards us Proximity…friends Hotness…makes us look good Similarity…validates who we are

Attraction (wrap-up) Passionate love vs. Companionate love Passionate – “animal attraction”  babies Companionate – make a commitment  families. There is self- disclosure, meaning people trust one another & open up to the other.

Altruism Altruism – putting others before yourself. You’re on the Titanic and… Bystander effect – if there’s a lot of people, we’re less likely to help Case study – Kitty Genovese, 1964 – attacked, raped, killed, 37 people heard and ignored her cry for help Social-exchange theory – we’ll help IF the benefits outweigh the costs Reciprocity norm – we should help those who help us Social-responsibility norm – we should take care of others who need help (e.g. homeless)

Conflict Social traps – lose-lose situations as a result of self-interest Tragedy of the Commons – think of a common pasture Prisoner’s Dilemma – will you rat out your accomplice? (prev. slide) Mirror-image perception – we tend to look at others as evil/untrustworthy so self-fulfilling prophecy begins Superordinate goals – group’s goals align with individuals’ goals (it’s teamwork) Rebranding – give a person a different name, they can then unite Communication – is LEAST likely to happen when it’s MOST needed (think just before a war)

Cont. Conciliation – giving in to “opponent” in hopes of avoiding conflict GRIT = Graduated & Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction In the lab…this works. In real life…hasn’t done well. (“Give an inch and…”)