Social Psychology zTime-interval Exercise (p.9 IM) yexample of Social Influence

Social Psychology yHow individuals xThink about… one another xInfluence… one another xRelate to… one another

Social Thinking zHow do you make sense of people’s behavior? yWe make attributions… (explaining others’ behavior) yWe use our “social intelligence”, but we often make an error…. zFundamental Attribution Error ytendency when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal traits yExamples? (e.g., “it was a just a few bad apples responsible for the Abu Ghraib abuses”)

Attitudes and Behavior zCognitive Dissonance Theory ywe act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when our thoughts are inconsistent (or when our thoughts and behavior are inconsistent). xSmoking example (“Smoking is unhealthy, but I smoke”) x rationalization (e.g., “sour grapes”)

Social Thinking and Social Influence yStanford Prison Study by Zimbardo – role-playing, attitudes and behavior (McGraw-Hill DVD) xSituational and systemic factors must be taken into account xNorms and roles Learned, socially based rules Culturally-based

Social Influence zStudies of conformity and obedience zVideos yCandid Camera (begin w/ Segment 5) yWhy do people behave in these ways? yResearch Studies (McGraw-Hill DVD: next slide)

Social Influence zStudies: yAsch – conformity experiments yMilgram – obedience to authority “Most people do what they are told to do as long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority.” Results: The majority of subjects continued to obey to the end – “Danger-Severe-XXX”

Social Influence zQuestion: In what specific ways does the presence of others influence your behavior? yExample: Do people in a group exert less effort compared to when they are individually accountable (e.g., work crews)? y Called Social Loafing zSocial Facilitation yimproved performance of tasks in the presence of others – when? examples?

Social Influence zDeindividuation yloss of self- awareness and self- restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Social Relations zStereotypes and Prejudice yHow do these develop? yCan they be altered? x(A class divided: blue-eye, brown-eye film)

Social Relations- Attractiveness

zWhy do you judge someone as attractive?  Blind Date (DVD Segment 30) – Social Cognition and Person Perception zFactors influencing attraction? yProximity xmere exposure effect – repeated exposure increases liking of them ySimilarity xfriends share common attitudes, beliefs, interests yPhysical Attractiveness xWhat makes someone physically “attractive?”

What is attractive?

Social Relations -- aggression zSocial views of aggression yModeling: bobo dolls, violent media (desensitization?) yFrustration-Aggression Principle yMedia and Aggression xTelevision violence xPornography xVideo games

Bystander Studies zWhat would you do? (ABC Primetime video) zKitty Genovese zThe decision-making process for bystander intervention: Notices incident? Interprets incident as emergency? Assumes responsibility? Attempts to help No help No help No help Yes No

Bystander Effect ytendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present Percentage attempting to help Number of others presumed available to help