Social Psychology

Fritz Heider The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations (1958) Attribution: How people interpret and explain casual relationships in the social world We have a desire to understand why things happen By observing behaviors we try to make inferences about intentions and responsibility Actor-observer effect: Making attributions about behavior depending on whether they are performing it themselves or observing someone else doing it Attribution Theory

Answering that “WHY” Question Situational Discussing own behavior Blaming the situation Ex: Late work/missing assignments= genuine issue such as a family/personal issue Answering that “WHY” Question Dispositional Observing someone else’s behavior Blaming the person A person’s behavior is influenced by internal characteristics Ex: Late work/missing assignments= Lazy & irresponsible and never finishes work on time

Factors that Influence Compliance 1.) Authority: Compliance with people of authority; famous people wearing basketball shoes 2.) Commitment: Agreement through behavior or by statements, they are more likely to comply with similar requests 3.) Liking: People comply with people they like 4.) Reciprocity: The need to “return a favor” 5.) Scarcity: Opportunities are more favorable when they are less readily available; “last chance” & “limited time” sales 6.) Social proof: View behaviors as correct if they see others performing it Factors that Influence Compliance

Social facilitation The presence of others influence our behaviors Triplett found that when in a group, people are more likely to work harder (reeling a fishing rod) when other people are engaging in the same behavior However, on harder tasks, sometimes the opposite is true…more people, less harder Most likely response: when being observed (friendly and familiar), well – learned tasks  more quickly, unmastered tasks  less quickly and accurately Social facilitation

People in a group feel less accountable and thus worry less about what others think Contributions are dispensable “Free Riders” in group work…. Social Loafing

the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation. Many universities banned the practice due to deaths but it still exists Extreme temperatures Drinking themselves into comas Digging their own graves Similar to initiation rites seen in other cultures: African societies have initiation rites (rites of passage) to indicate their entrance into adulthood Boot camp: teach recruits how to do their job but also overcoming difficulty and humiliation Hazing

Thought Process of Enduring Hazing 1.) Person chooses to join the group, recognizing initiation is involved 2.) Rationalization that it is “worth it” 3.) Upon completion there is a sense of accomplishment Thought Process of Enduring Hazing

DEINDIVIDUATION THEORY When individuals join crowds or large groups, the psychological state of deindividuation is aroused. This is due to the diminished awareness of self and individuality. Large groups allows an individual to avoid responsibility for his/her actions because a degree of anonymity is provided…thus one becomes more impulsive, irrational, aggressive, and violent. Example: Football (soccer) hooliganism DEINDIVIDUATION THEORY

Prejudice vs. Discrimination Prejudice: an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Ex: “White people are evil.” Discrimination: involves treating a group differently because of their class or other category. Ex: Blacks could not eat at certain restaurants and stay at certain hotels because of their race prior to Civil Rights Movement. Prejudice is a THOUGHT…discrimination is a BEHAVIOR. Prejudice vs. Discrimination

Ingroup vs. Outgroup Us vs. Them Ingroup: “Us”---people who one shares a common identity. We are North Meck Vikings. Outgroup: “Them”---those perceived as different or apart of one’s ingroup. They are Hopewell Titans. Ingroup bias: the tendency to favor one’s own group. Ex: Might not like certain people just because they go to Hopewell OR band people may not like jocks and vice versa. Ingroup vs. Outgroup

Interpersonal Relationships

What impacts Attraction? Proximity: Geographic nearness Greater availability to meet, familiarity MERE EXPOSURE EFFECT: The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increase liking of them. Studies have shown that we are more attracted to things/people that we have seen more than once. Proximity

Similarity: Humans tend to have healthier relationships with those that are similar (have similar interests, personalities, etc.) Friends and couples are far more likely to share common attitudes, beliefs and interests In “real life” opposites retract NOT attract. Similarity

Physical Attractiveness Physical attractiveness: APPEARANCE plays a major role…unfortunately as humans we are superficial! Predicts frequency of dating, feelings of popularity, and initial impressions of their personality. Attractive people are PERCIEVED to be healthier, happier, more sensitive, more successful, and more socially skilled, however not more honest or compassionate. (Eagly et al., 1991) Physical Attractiveness

Universal traits of attraction Buss (1989) Both sexes: Health Youth Reproductive capacity Specific traits: Smooth skin Good muscle tone Lustrous hair Full lips Applicable to all humans and aren’t culturally specific Universal traits of attraction Buss (1989)

Additional Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16 9N81xAffQ 5 senses involved in attraction https://www.discovery.com/playlists/s cience-of-sex-appeal-videos Science of sex attractions videos Additional Resources

Triangular Theory of Love (Robert Sternberg, 1988)

Communication is the key! Social penetration theory: Close relationships are formed by a gradual process of self-disclosure. Closeness will develop as the couple proceed from superficial conversations to intimate levels; this is associated with attraction. Leads to self-disclosure: Sharing facts about one’s life with a loved one including inner thoughts, feelings and emotions. “I don’t know if I am qualified enough to get the new position I applied for.” Communication

Bystander effect Bystander Effect Latane’ & Darley(1968) began research after the Kitty Genovese murder (1964) to understand why some people do not help others…thus bystanderism was coined (The presence of others seems to determine whether or not others will intervene.) 3 factors cause individuals to either help or not: 1.) Diffusion of Responsibility (“someone else will help”) 2.) Pluralistic Ignorance (what is everyone else doing?) 3.) Evaluation apprehension Individual bystanders are aware that other people are present and may be afraid of being evaluated negatively if they react (fear of messing up/social embaressment) Bystander effect Bystander Effect

Social Exchange Theory Human relationships are based on a subjective cost-benefit analysis When benefits (financial reward, esteem, affection, avoidance of failure) outweigh the potential costs (humiliation, pain, financial loss) we are more likely to help Social Exchange Theory