Social Psychology

What Is Social Psychology? how our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are affected by others.

The four “A”s Attitudes Attributions Attraction Authority and Aggression

Attitudes tendency to think, feel, or act positively or negatively toward object can drive behavior in absence of reward “neat room, neat kids” Components: cognitive emotional behavioral

When Is Behavior Consistent with Attitude? thoughts and feelings agree behavioral agrees with subjective norms can do something attitude acquired by direct experience with object

argumentation reinforcement pairing mere exposure observation cognitive dissonance baby steps latitudes of acceptance/rejection sequential foot in door door in face low reactance, no behavioral restrictions FormationChange Attitudes Next

Elaboration Likelihood Model of Attitude Change Back

Cognitive Dissonance and Attitude Change Back

What Influences Attitude Change? Source trusted likable authority Target low ego-involvement no threat to esteem little experience in defending positions Message fear attack unsignalled two-sided rhetorical questions (“Don’t you think that”) well organized examples not statistics redundancy

What Are Stereotypes? perceptions, beliefs, and expectations a person has about members in some group effects of stereotypes on behavior can be automatic and unconscious

Kinds of Stereotypes auto-stereotype (what the “out group” thinks about themselves) 50% of blacks in USA have negative stereotypes about themselves stereotype threat meta-stereotype (what “in-group” believes the “out-group” is thinking about the “in- group”)

What Is Prejudice? attitude toward an individual based solely on the person’s group membership behavioral component is discrimination often not based on direct experience

Why? prejudice might serve to increases one’s sense of security prejudice linked with authoritarianism

Explicit Prejudice Blatant Prejudice Items ‘Would you personally mind or not mind if a suitably qualified aboriginal person was appointed as your boss?’ “Subtle” Prejudice Items ‘If aboriginals living would only try harder, they could be as well off as other Canadians’.

Explicit and Implicit Explicit prejudice operates in a conscious mode self-report bogus pipeline Implicit stereotypes are automatic activation of negative traits in memory priming IAT

Studies of Implicit Stereotyping Is it a word or nonword? Categories = black and white Traits = positive and negative White participants Reaction times measured after prime (word ‘black’ vs ‘white’)

Dovidio et al. (1986)

IAT

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love...”