1. The study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Social Psychology
The study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
(or how do we explain mass suicides, prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, brainwashing, and other shocking phenomena)

2. Attitudes influence actions…
Attribution Theory (Fritz Heider) – people usually attribute others’ behavior to either their internal dispositions or their external situations.

3. Dispositional (internal) or Situational (external)?
They won only because the best athletes on the Central State’s teams were out with injuries – talk about good fortune.
External (situational)
They won because they have some of the best talent in the country.
Internal (dispositional)
Anybody could win this region; the competition is so far below average in comparison to the rest of the country.
They won because they put in a great deal of effort and practice.

4. Our attributions have consequences
Our attributions have consequences. The following attribution errors lead to overconfidence.

5. Fundamental Attribution Error – underestimating situational influences when evaluating the behavior of someone else.
He swerved into my lane because he is a jerk.
Actor-observer bias – attributing others’ behaviors to disposition but your own behaviors (even the same behaviors) to situational factors.
Example: He swerved into my lane because he is a jerk, but I swerved into the next lane because I was trying to avoid an animal in the road.
Self-serving bias – crediting your own successes to disposition, but attributing your own failures to situation.
Example: I won the game because I’m talented.
I failed the test because the questions were unfair.

7. …or actions influence attitudes?
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort caused by holding two contradictory beliefs or performing an action contradictory to our beliefs.

8. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognitive dissonance theory states that we are motivated to reduce this uncomfortable feeling by changing our beliefs to match our actions.
The dissonance (uncomfortable feeling) is less if we feel that we were forced to perform the action. Thus, the larger the pressure used to elicit the overt behavior, the smaller the tendency to change opinion.

9. Social Pressures Can Create Dissonance and Lead to Conformity
Seven factors that increase conformity (Asch):
Subject feels insecure
The group has at least 3 people.
The group is unanimous.
Subject admires the group.
Subject has made no prior commitment to any response
Others observe the subject’s behavior.
The culture encourages respect for social standards.

10. Examples of cognitive dissonance:
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon – the tendency for people who agree to a small request to comply later with a larger one (examples, “please drive carefully”, Korean War, People’s Temple, training torturers, cheating)

11. Milgram Obedience Study
“Teacher” is the subject in the experiment who administers the “shocks”.
“Learner” is the confederate that received the shocks (when out of sight, the learner was a tape recording)
“Authority” is the person administering the experiment; says “please go on”.

12. Milgram Obedience Study
Factors that increase obedience:
Physical proximity of authority figure.
Perceived legitimacy of authority figure.
Distance or depersonalization of victim (learner).
Lack of a model for defiance.

13. Milgram Obedience Study
Factors that did NOT affect obedience:
Age
Profession
Gender
Mention by “learner” of a “slight heart condition”.

14. Role playing - subjects who play a role often begin to “become” the role (Zimbardo’s prison study)
How can the subjects’ behavior in this study be explained by cognitive dissonance theory?

15. Effort justification – the tendency to find something more attractive if you have to work hard to achieve it.
Again, this is cognitive dissonance. If I am willing to be spanked for a lame fraternity, then I am the idiot. Therefore, this must be the coolest fraternity ever!
Can you think of a personal example of this and share it with your partner?

17. So what can I do to make sure by attitudes guide my actions?
outside influences are minimal (i.e., avoid peer pressure)
the attitude is specific to the behavior (i.e., instead of “I won’t cheat”, think “I won’t copy someone’s homework”.)
we are mindful of our attitudes (i.e., wear a ring or bracelet with a reminder of your beliefs; promise ring, WWJD, Live Strong bracelets)

18. Should I require you to sign the honor pledge?