Social Cognitions Mere Exposure Effect The more you are exposed to something, the more you will come to like it. Ex. You might not initially have feelings for a certain song on the radio. The more you hear it, the more you come to like it. Fundamental Attribution Error Our tendency to underestimate the impact of a situation and overestimate the impact of a personal disposition. (Situational vs. Dispositional Attribution) Ex. When you receive poor service from an irritated waiter/waitress, you assume that they are just not a nice person (and you tip poorly). Cognitive Dissonance When our actions contradict our beliefs Ex. We say that we support human rights and oppose child labor, yet we buy our clothes from companies that all use sweatshop labor.

Conformity Changing your behavior to “fit in” Asch Experiment (76% Conformed) We tend to conform when: 1) Feel insecure or don’t know what you are doing. 2) The group is made up of 3 or more people 3) Rest of the group is unanimous in their opinion 4) You are impressed by the status of the group 5)Feel that others in group are watching and judging you.

Normative Social Influence Informational Social Influence Conforming to gain approval or avoid disapproval of group. Ex. If a group of students is bullying/taunting another student, someone who comes upon the scene would be likely to join in the bullying. Conforming because the group/person giving the advice is seen as an expert. Ex. You golf & really look up to Tiger Woods. If he starts using different clubs or develops a different swing style, you mimic him because you think he knows what he is doing. Chameleon Effect Our unconscious tendency to mimic the expressions, postures, and voice tones of those around us. Mimicry makes us like them more. Ex. Students will often change their laugh to be closer to that of a new friend. Bystander Effect The more people that are around, the less likely we are to provide assistance to someone in need. (Diffusion of Responsibility)

Influence of Groups Social Facilitation Social Loafing When the presence of other people watching improves the performance of the person performing a task. Ex. Athletes who perform better at games than in practice. The tendency of people to do less when working in a group setting. Ex. Group work in school. You know what I mean. less likely if you don’t know group members! Group Think Group Polarization When the desire to maintain social harmony prevents people from voicing a dissenting opinion. Ex. In a group to complete a class project, a student might know that they are doing it incorrectly, but not speak up, thus ensuring it is done poorly. When an attitude or thought becomes stronger in the presence of like-minded people.   Ex. Religiously-drive terrorists usually aren’t that radical until they find a like-minded group of individuals that pushes their beliefs over the edge.

Influence of Groups II Deindividuation (Mob Mentality) The loss of self-restraint & self-awareness that occurs in group situations Ex. After the White Sox won the world series, a group formed at ISU & people went around breaking Windows and vandalizing property. Ex. Soldiers in Vietnam

Compliance The act of following someone’s direct request. No power/authority to force you to compel. Peripheral Route to Persuasion Central Route to Persuasion Focusing on the tone of the voice, level of excitement, & emotional appeals. (Superficial) Ex. Fox News & MSNBC tend to use fewer facts and more outrage & emotion to convince viewers of a given argument. Focusing on the facts & logic of an argument. Ex. When you buy a computer, you focus on the specs of the computer.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique Door-in-the-Face Technique If we comply with a small request, we are more likely to later comply with a larger request Ex. If students are allowed to listen to music while working, teachers are more willing to let them use the internet on their iphones at a later time. Ex. Getting kids to sign-up for t-shirt. After people refuse a large request, they will look more favorably upon a smaller request. Ex. While negotiating the cost of my house, I started with a price that was $20,000 below asking price. It made $10,000 less seem reasonable! You don’t have to donate, but……here are a whole bunch of pre-printed address stickers for you to use!