1. The study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another.
Social Psychology 1
The study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another.

2. Ethnocentrism 1a
Tendency to view the world through YOUR cultural biases
Dress
Activities
Morals
Emotional reactions – if others behave as we expect they are good / way we do not expect – bad
9/11 – Why would someone kill themselves for political/ religious beliefs?

3. How do we relate to others?
Social Relations 2
Attraction
Conflict and Prejudice
Altruism and Peacemaking
Aggression
How do we relate to others?

4. How do we think about one another?
Social Thinking 3
How do we think about one another?

5. SCHEMAS 3A
Schemas are part of social cognition – study of how and what people learn about social relationships
Person schema
Judgments about the traits we and others possess
Role schema
Based on jobs people perform or social position they hold

6. Schemas 3b Event schema Self schema Also called scripts
Behaviors we associate with familiar activities, events, procedures
Self schema
Personal information about ourselves
Impacts/ distorts what we perceive, remember, behave
Schemas are highly resistant to change.

7. Self-Fulfilling Prophecies 4
Occurs when one person’s belief about others leads one to ACT in ways that induce the others to appear to confirm the belief.
If you think someone finds you attractive, they more likely will!!!

8. Self fulfilling prophecy 4a
Our schemas cause us to lead people to behave in line with our expectations
Example: Blind date
Described as “interesting/ smart” no mention of looks = loser
You behave as if your decision or attitude is correct
Treat your date coldly
Your date decides you aren’t fun
Prophecy comes true = blind dates are bad

9. Attribution Theory 5
The idea that we give a casual explanation for someone's behavior.
We credit that behavior either to the situation or….
To the person’s disposition.
Was my friend a jerk because she had a bad day or is just a bad person?

10. Attributing Behavior to Persons or to Situations 6
Attribution Theory: Fritz Heider (1958) suggested that we have a tendency to give causal explanations for someone’s behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.
OBJECTIVE 2| Contrast dispositional and situational attributions, and explain how the fundamental attribution error can affect our analysis of behavior.
Fritz Heider

11. Attributing Behavior to Persons or to Situations 7
A teacher may wonder whether a child’s hostility reflects an aggressive personality (dispositional attribution) or is a reaction to stress or abuse (a situational attribution).
Dispositions are enduring personality traits. So, if Joe is a quiet, shy, and introverted child, he is likely to be like that in a number of situations.

12. Attribution 7a Key terms: Dispositional Situational
Attributing behavior to internal traits
Situational
Attributing behavior to external factors
Cognitive bias is involved
Self effacing (modesty bias): blame ourselves for our failures; we downplay our successes

13. Attribution At Work 8

14. Attribution errors 8a Actor/ observer bias Self serving bias
When we are the actor, we tend to attribute our own behavior to external causes
When we are the observer of someone else, we tend to attribute their behavior to internal causes
Self serving bias
We take credit for success, blame external causes for failure
Ultimate attribution error – we think negative actions of in group – have external attributions

15. Fundamental Attribution Error 9
The tendency to underestimate the impact of a situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition.
How do you view your teacher’s behavior? You probably attribute it to their personality rather than their profession.

16. Kelley’s theory of attribution 9a
People (observers) make attributions about the actions of others (actors)
CONSENSUS: degree to which other people’s behavior is similar to that of the actor
Spanish teacher treats Georgia as if she isn’t bright
Other teachers treat Georgia same way
= Georgia isn’t very bright

17. Kelley 9b
Consistency: degree to which the behavior occurs repeatedly in a particular situation
Spanish teacher always treats Georgia same way
Behavior has high consistency
You attribute it to stable internal cause (teacher = nasty) or stable external cause (Georgia = not bright)

18. Kelley 9c
Distinctiveness – extent to which a similar stimuli draw the same behavior from the actor
Teacher treats all students in class as they are bright
Highly predictable
If not all students are treated the same, need to look for external attribution
Way student behaves in class

19. More often, our actions affect our attitudes.

20. Attitudes Can Affect Action 11
Not only do people stand for what they believe in (attitude), they start believing in what they stand for.
D. MacDonald/ PhotoEdit
Cooperative actions can lead to mutual liking (beliefs).

21. Attitudes 11a Components of an attitude: Cognitive
Beliefs about the attribute of the attitude object
Think lawyers are crooks
Emotional – affective
Feeling about object – like or dislike
Bad experience – it is easier to talk down about lawyers
Behavioral
Way of acting towards object
Don’t interact with lawyers – stay away

22. Do our attitudes guide our actions? 12
Only if….
External pressure is minimal.
We are aware of our attitudes.
The attitude is relevant to the behavior.

23. Changing attitude 12a Shifting reference groups
Family, roommates, friends
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Peripheral route
Outside things – car: color, stereo system etc.
Speaker’s appearance – Kennedy/ Nixon debate
Central route
Message itself
How car runs
Kennedy & Nixon & experience
If you saw the debate on TV, thought Kennedy won; if you listened on radio, Nixon won

24. Actions Can Affect Attitudes 13
Why do actions affect attitudes? One explanation is that when our attitudes and actions are opposed, we experience tension. This is called cognitive dissonance.
OBJECTIVE 5| Explain how the foot-in-the-door phenomenon, role-playing, and cognitive dissonance illustrate the influence of actions on attitudes.
To relieve ourselves of this tension we bring our attitudes closer to our actions (Festinger, 1957).

25. What happens when we become aware that our attitudes don’t match or actions?

26. Cognitive Dissonance Theory 15
How does cognitive dissonance theory play a part in pledging a fraternity?

27. Cognitive Dissonance 15a
What do people do if thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are not consistent?
People either:
Change attitude or change behavior
We want consistency in attitudes and behaviors

28. Cognitive dissonance 15b
What do we do?
Avoid dissonant information
Don’t like a person – stay away
Be strong in our attitudes
Feel strongly about an issue, SADD – get involved

29. Cognitive Dissonance Theory 16

30. Fiona 16a Private school: Tuition is too high
Sees that the school needs money
Maybe school has a point for high tuition.
If dissonance is not resolved, will not be happy in the school.

31. Example 16b Jill does not like fast food restaurants.
Problem – all of Jill’s coworkers go out at lunch to fast food restaurants
Jill can:
Bring a lunch and eat alone
Change her attitude about fast food

32. Components of an attitude 16c
Cognitive component:
What does she think about the food served there?
How does she resolve the healthy options
Behavioral component:
What does she do when she needs lunch?
Emotional component:
Everyone is going to fast food – what does she do?

33. Prejudice An unjustifiable attitude towards a group of people.
Usually involves stereotyped beliefs (a generalized belief about a group of people).
Overt
Subtle

34. Key definitions 17a Stereotypes Prejudice Discrimination
Perceptions, beliefs, expectations about members of a group
Prejudice
Positive or negative attitude based on membership in a group
Discrimination
Behavioral component of prejudice

35. Theories of prejudice 17b
Motivational theory
Prejudice against certain groups helps to enhance security
Cognitive theory
Assume that all members of a social category are the same
Learning theory
Learned from previous experience

36. Prejudice 17c Contact hypothesis:
Stereotypes and prejudice will diminish as contact with group increases
2008 presidential election on racial attitudes
In groups and out groups
In group – common identity – who are your friends?
Out group – perceive this group as different
Ingroup bias – who do we think is best? pres

37. Why is there prejudice? 18
Categorization
Vivid Cases (Availability Heuristic)
The Just-World Phenomenon

38. Why does prejudice exist? 18a
Just world
If people didn’t live in tough neighborhoods, then problems would not happen
If you drove into the city and your car was broken into, should not have been there.
Vivid cases:
Gran Torino movie
Ethnic group - Hmong
Categorization
We tend to put people in groups.

39. Prejudice Over Time 19

40. Scapegoat Theory 20
The theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

41. Scapegoat theory 20a Someone needs to be held responsible
Hitler: blamed Jewish people
Why: his rise to power was based on blaming the world wide depression on other groups
Why did people go along? There was someone to blame - made sense to them and helped explain bad situations in the country.

42. Attraction 21

43. Proximity 22 Geographic nearness Mere exposure effect:
Repeated exposure to something breeds liking.
Mirror image concept

44. Proximity 22a Mere exposure effect
Repeated exposure to someone increases likelihood that you will like that person
Developing relationships with reality stars – longer they stay on the show – more we identify with them

45. Similarity 23 Paula Abdul was wrong- opposites do NOT attract.
Birds of the same feather do flock together.
Similarity breeds content.

46. Similarity 23a We like things that are similar to things we like
We like people who have similar views.

47. The Hotty Factor 24
Physically attractiveness predicts dating frequency (they date more).
They are perceived as healthier, happier, more honest and successful than less attractive counterparts.

48. Physical attractiveness 24a
Why do we like people who are physically attractive?
What makes people watch beauty pageants?
Why are stars so popular?

49. Reciprocal Liking 25
You are more likely to like someone who likes you.
Why?
Except in elementary school!!!!

50. Liking through Association 28
Classical Conditioning can play a pert in attraction.
I love Theo’s Wings. If I see the same waitress every time I go there, I may begin to associate that waitress with the good feelings I get from Theo's.
Misplaced slide – last one…

51. Liking through association 25a
Like pizza from specific restaurant
Same waitress whenever you go
See the waitress, know that the pizza will be good
Classical conditioning at work

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

53. What makes compassionate love work? 27
Equity
Self-disclosure

54. Self perception theory Daryl Bern
What if you don’t know how to feel or what your attitude should be?
Look at past behavior – what was your attitude then.
I’ve never had dogs. Dating someone with dogs. What must my attitude be regarding that dog? I look to my past.