Social Psychology Ch. 19 Attitudes, Culture, and Human Relations McElhaney

Project:  Create a typed, 35 item test.  Include 15 matching, 15 fill in the blank, and 5 multiple choice items based on the reading handout chapter 18 or 19. (to be assigned)  All work must be original and must include answer key with page number.  Or you may create a podcast (*video) for one item related to this unit on Social Psychology

Attitudes –Connected to actions –Connected to views of the world –Tastes, friendships and goals  “Are a mixture between belief and emotions that predispose a person to respond to others in a positive or negative way.”  Can be predicted

Attitudes are expressed in 3 ways  Belief about an object or issue  Emotion=feelings  Actions

Attitude Formation  Direct Contact:  Interaction with others:  Child Rearing:  Group Membership:  Mass Media:  Chance conditioning:

There is a contrast between public behavior and private attitudes.  Factor of Immediate Consequence  Some attitudes are acted on some not

LaPiere- Study- “Not Practicing What you Preach” Correlations between attitudes and behavior:  Strength of attitude- the strength of the attitude increases or decreases behavior.  Stability of attitude: change overtime –Stable attitudes are more predictable than one that changes  Relevance of attitude to the behavior: –Attitudes will predict behavior much better if the attitude measured related as exactly as possible to the behavior of interest  Salience of the attitude –Attitude is conspicuous, important, and readily accessible from memory –More Salience = more likely attitude will predict behavior.  Situational Pressure: –External pressure is so great-internal attitudes will have little effect on behavior –Behavior is more influenced by external factors than internal attitudes  LaPiere Study- found that strong situational pressure will override strength of attitude.

Attitude Change  Reference Group- is any group a person uses as standard for social comparison “who do you identify with?” When people change a Reference group they also change attitudes.  Attitudes can be changed through role play- must include strong emotional experience

Page 700 List of Conditions to Change Attitudes.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory  Cognition= Thoughts  Dissonance= clashing  Contradicting and clashing thoughts cause discomfort  We have a need for consistency in thoughts perceptions and images.  We tend to reject new information that contradicts ideas we already hold. 

Cognitive Dissonance 2  When we make a bad decision  We tend to convince ourselves that we’ve done the right thing-  Also a tendency to excuse in light of contradicting evidence…  We tend to emphasize the positive aspects  We try to minimize dissonance  By justifying our bad choice

Brain Washing  = Psychological manipulation  Forced Attitude change  Requires captive audience  Is temporary  Pge. 703 lists the requirements:

How To: Brain Washing 2  Target person is isolated form main reference group  Target is made completely dependent on captors for needs  Indoctrinating agent- is in a position to reward target for changes in attitude or behavior  Make target completely helpless –Physical and psych abuse –Sleep deprivation –Humiliation –Isolation  Target looses and or unfreezes formal values –Exhaustion, pressure, fear becomes unbearable  Change occurs when target abandon’s all beliefs  Target cooperates to gain relief  Pairing hope and fear with pressure to conform –Refreezes new attitudes

Jonestown Cult 1978  Jim Jones’ People’s Temple  Jones was charismatic, persuasive leader  Followers were Isolated, Intimidated, Obedient, committed and dependent

Cults  Leader is infallible  Followers do not question  Strategy- guilt manipulation, isolation, deception, fear, and escalating commitment  High pressure  2.5 million people in cults

Who Joins Cults?: Profile  Distressed  Mild depression, indecission  Alienation from family and friends  Need as sense of belonging

Conversion strategies:  Intense Affection- Understanding  Isolate from people who are not cult members- family and friends –(former reference group)  Isolate from former values  Use drills, discipline, rituals –Wears people down physical and emotional resistance is reduced  Discourages critical thinking  Generates feelings of commitment  Gets small commitment at first then encourages larger commitments

Prejudice

Discrimination

Aggression

Frustration Aggression Hypothesis

Aversive Stimuli

Aggressive Cues

Social Learning, Aggression, and Bandura