1. Social Psychology The study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. Attitudes Attraction Aggression Group Behavior

2. Attribution Theory Tries to explain how we determine the cause of other people’s behavior. It is either a…. Situational Attribution (external factors) Dispositional Attribution (internal/personal factors) And Stable Attribution (unchanging factors) Unstable Attribution (temporary factors)

4. Fundamental Attribution Error Is when we tend to overestimate the role of dispositional factors and underestimate the impact of the situation. Self-Serving Bias – readiness to perceive oneself favorably. How do you view your teacher’s behavior? You probably attribute it to his personality rather than his profession. But do you really know? If you win it is because you are awesome…if you lose, it must have been the coach or the weather.

5. The Effects of Attribution Social Effects Political Effects Workplace Effects

6. Attitudes & Actions Attitudes are a set of beliefs and feelings we have. Advertising is ALL based on attitude formation.

7. When Do Attitudes Predict Behavior? When outside influences on what we do are minimal. When we are keenly aware of our attitudes. When are attitudes are relevant to our behavior.

8. Behavior (Actions) Can Also Affect Attitudes Foot-in-the-door phenomenon (agreeing w/ small request and later w/ a large one).

9. Behavior (Actions) Can Also Affect Attitudes Philip Zimbardo’s prison study showed how we can often become the role (a set of expectations in a social setting that define how should behave) we are given. Philip Zimbardo has students at Stanford U. play the roles of prisoner and prison guards in the basement of psychology building. They were given uniforms and numbers for each prisoner. What do you think happened? Do you remember the Abu Ghraib Prison photos from Iraq?

10. Abu Ghraib Prison Photos

11. Behavior (Actions) Can Also Affect Attitudes Cognitive Dissonance Theory People want to have consistent attitudes and behaviors….when they are not consistent with each other they experience dissonance (unpleasant tension). Usually they will change their attitude. You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!! The teacher was really bad so in that class it is OK.

12. The Power of the Situation: Conformity and Obedience

13. Conformity Studies Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

14. Soloman Asch’s Study of Conformity

15. Asch’s Results About 33% of the participants conformed when in a group. When alone they erred less than 1% of the time. Conformity strengthens when: The group is unanimous. The group is at least three people. One admires the group’s status. One has made no prior commitment. One is made to feel incompetent or insecure. One is being observed by others in the group.

16. Stanley Milgram’s Study on Obedience Obedience – tendency to comply with orders from someone perceived as an authority.

17. Results of the Milgram Study: 2/3rds of the participants obeyed the experimenter to the fullest extent.

18. What did we learn from Milgram? Ordinary people can do shocking things! His experiment had real ethical issues… Would not have received approval from today’s IRB (Internal Review Board).

19. What did we learn from Milgram? People were more obedient when: 1. The authority figure was in the room. 2. When they felt the experiment was part of a prestigious institution. 3. The learner was not in sight.

20. How groups affect our behavior?

21. Group Dynamics

22. Social Facilitation Theory If you are really good at something….or it is an easy task…you will perform BETTER in front of a group. If it is a difficult task or you are not very good at it…you will perform WORSE in front of a group.

23. Social Loafing The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable.

24. Deindividuation The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations. Feel anonymous and aroused. Explains rioting behaviors.

25. Group Polarization Enhancement of a group’s already-existing attitudes through discussion within the group. The more you are around people who think like you … the stronger your beliefs get.

27. Groupthink The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of the alternatives. We go along with a decision to get along with others.

28. The Power of Individuals Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: When we believe something to be true about others (or ourselves) and act in ways that cause this belief to come true.

29. The Power of Individuals Minority Influence – the power of one or two individuals to sway the majority (like Rosa Parks). They are most successful when they express their views firmly & consistently.

30. Social Relations How do we relate to others? Attraction Conflict and Prejudice Altruism and Peacemaking Aggression

31. Attraction 3 Factors of Attraction:

32. 1.) Proximity Geographic nearness Mere exposure effect: Repeated exposure to something breeds liking. Taiwanese Letters.

33. 2.) Similarity Paula Abdul was wrong - opposites do NOT attract. Birds of the same feather do flock together. Similarity breeds content.

34. 3.) Physical Attractiveness

35. The Hotty Factor Physical attractiveness predicts dating frequency (hotties date more). They are perceived as healthier, happier, more sensitive and successful than less attractive counterparts.

36. What is beauty? Some people say beauty is facial symmetry.

37. Beauty and Culture Obesity is so revered among Mauritania's white Moor Arab population that the young girls are sometimes force-fed to obtain a weight the government has described as "life-threatening." Of course, here in the U.S. we prefer hard, thin bodies.

38. Are these cultures really that different?

39. LOVE Passionate Love: an aroused state of INTENSE positive absorption of another. Companionate Love: the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

40. What makes companionate love work? Equity Self-disclosure

41. Altruism: Unselfish regard for the welfare of others. Kitty Genovese case in N.Y. showed none of this. Why? Bystander Effect: Tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present. In general…the more people around…the less chance of help… because of a … We are more likely to help when…

42. 1. are in a good mood. 2. believe the victim deserves the help. 3. are in a good mood. 4. believe the victim is similar to us. 5. are not in a hurry. 6. are feeling guilty. We are more likely to help when we…

43. Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination Stereotype: Overgeneralized idea about a group of people. Prejudice: Undeserved (usually negative) attitude towards a group of people. Ethnocentrism is an example of a prejudice. Discrimination: An action based on a prejudice (Individual vs. Institutional).

44. Is it just race? NO! Palestinians and Jews N. Cal vs. S. Cal Men and Women

45. How does prejudice occur? Just World Phenomenon In one popular study female and male subjects were told two versions of a story about an interaction between a woman and a man. Both variations were exactly the same, except at the very end the man raped the woman in one and in the other he proposed marriage. In both conditions, both female and male subjects viewed the woman's (identical) actions as inevitably leading to the (very different) results. In-Group versus Out-Groups. In-Group Bias Scapegoat Theory – outlet for anger by blaming others.

46. Combating Prejudice Contact Theory Contact between hostile groups will reduce animosity if they are made to work towards a superordinate goal (common shared goal). Sherif’s camp study Election of Obama?

47. Aggression Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy. In the U.S. we are MUCH more likely (5 times) to be murdered compared to most other developed nations.

48. The Biology of Aggression Genetic and Neural Influences (breeding / amygdala). Biochemical (low serotonin / testosterone). Alcohol (seems to have both biological and psychological effects).

49. Psychology of Aggression Two types of aggression: 1.Instrumental Aggression 2.Hostile Aggression Theories of Aggression: Bandura’s Modeling Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

50. Learning Aggression It can be learned but… Once learned it’s difficult to change.

51. Aggression and TV Watches = By the time you are 18, you spend more time in front of TV than in school. 2/3 of all homes have 3 or more sets and an average 51 hours a week of TV. By the time a child finishes elementary school they have witnessed 8000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on TV. Over half of all deaths do NOT show the victim's pain. As TV watching has grown exponentially, so has violent behavior - a strong positive correlation.