1. Attitude, Conformity and Obedience
Social Psychology
Attitude, Conformity and Obedience

2. Bell Ringer
Discussion: Does attitude follow behavior or does behavior follow attitude?

3. objective Identify what social psychologists study.
Discuss how we tend to explain others’ behavior and our own.
Describe automatic mimicry, and explain how conformity experiments reveal the power of social influence.

4. Fundamental Attribution Error
Personal effects
Behavior changes with the situation
Social effects
Ex: Friendships, jury, voters
Economic effects
Ex: Poverty and unemployment

5. attitude Peripheral v. central route persuasion
Persuasion changes attitude = changed behavior
Attitude follows behavior
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
Ex: temptation, facial expressions
Techniques: low-ball, brainwashing, write-it-down, “fifty-words-or-less”
Role playing morphs into real life
Cognitive dissonance theory
Ex: US invasion of Iraq

6. Conformity The chameleon effect  empathy = good and bad
Solomon Asch, why we conform
Normative social influence
Informational social influence
Cross-cultural = W. Europeans (ind.), Latin Am., Asia, Africa (group)

7. obedience Stanley Milgram brings controversy = stress, deception
Replication  Jerry Burger (2009) slight decrease
Historical examples
The Holocaust
The “Birkenhead drill”
Lesson learned…
“Do I adhere to my own standards or respond to others?”

8. Group Behavior/Prejudice and Discrimination
Social Psychology

9. Bell Ringer
The Cave Rescue Mission – Working with your group, read the biographical information about the individuals to be rescued and rank the 6 trapped individuals in order of their rescue.

10. Objective
Determine how our behavior is affected by the presence of others.
Describe how behavior is influenced by cultural norms.
Identify the social, emotional and cognitive roots of prejudice.

11. The Presence of Others – the Good and the Bad
Norman Triplett (1898)
Social facilitation  arousal amplifies actions
Ex: the “home advantage”, crowding
Bibb Latane (1981)
Social loafing

12. The Presence of others – The good and the Bad
Adverse effects of SF/SL  deindividuation
Ex: tribal warriors, Internet bullies
Beliefs strengthen with group polarization
Separation+ Conversation = Polarization
Desire for harmony = group think

13. The roots of prejudice Prejudice = attitude Discrimination = behavior
Social
Just-world phenomenon
Ingroup/outgroup
Emotional
Scapegoat theory
Cognitive
Other-race effect

14. Aggression, Attraction, Conflict
Social Psychology

15. Bell Ringer
Does the media have an affect on how violent we are? What causes aggression?
What attracts you to friends/significant other?
Why do you help others out? When are you most likely?

16. Objectives Outline biopsychosocial triggers of aggression.
Explain why we befriend or fall in love with some people but not others.
Discuss how social traps and mirror-image perceptions fuel social conflict

17. Aggression Genetics Neural Biochemical Psychosocial Reinforcement
Found in twin studies
Neural
Amygdala, frontal lobe
Biochemical
Testosterone
Psychosocial
Frustration- aggression principle
Reinforcement
Passive parents
Social scripts

18. Aggression Media “We are what we repeatedly do.” Video games Hostile
Desensitized
Dehumanized perceptions

19. Discussion
Determine the persons level of attraction on a scale of If you had to assume, what is their likelihood of success (income, friends, career)?

22. Attraction Mere-exposure effect Adrenaline makes the heart grow fonder
Familiarity breeds fondness
Survival value
Similarity and proximity
Adrenaline makes the heart grow fonder
Equity and self- disclosure are key

23. Conflict Kitty Genovese (1964)
John Darley & Bibb Latane (1968) – the bystander effect
Happiness breeds helpfulness
Norms
Social exchange theory
Reciprocity norm
Social responsibility norm

24. Conflict: Causes and Resolutions
Mirror-image perceptions lead to self-fulfilling prophecy
Peace is promoted through contact, cooperation, communication and conciliation