1. The Power of the Situation
Social Psychology
The Power of the Situation

2. Social Thinking Social Psychology Attribution Theory
Scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Actual, implied or imagined presence of others impacts beh
Attribution Theory
Tendency to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition
Disposition vs. situation attributions

3. Social Thinking Fundamental Attribution Error Why?
Tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
Why?
Figure ground
Control
Same situation
Differential info

4. Social Thinking
How we explain someone’s behavior affects how we react to it
Negative behavior
Situational attribution
“Maybe that driver is ill.”
Dispositional attribution
“Crazy driver!”
Tolerant reaction
(proceed cautiously, allow
driver a wide berth)
Unfavorable reaction
(speed up and race past the
other driver, give a dirty look)

5. Social Thinking Attitude
Belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events
Our behavior is affected by our inner attitudes as well as by external social influences
Internal
attitudes
External
influences
Behavior

6. Attitude & Behavior Attitudes -> behavior if…
External influences weak
Attitudes is specifically relevant for behavior
Aware of our attitudes

7. Behavior -> attitudes?
Attitude & Behavior
Behavior -> attitudes?
Role
Set of expectations about a social position
Defines how those in the position ought to behave
Playing a role leads to changed attitudes
Military/torture training
Stanford Prison Study

8. Behavior -> attitudes?
Attitude & Behavior
Behavior -> attitudes?
Foot-in-the-Door
Agreeing to small request -> greater compliance to a later larger request
Why do behaviors change attitudes?

9. Attitude & Behavior Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Inconsistent attitudes & behavior produce tension
We act to reduce dissonance
Change attitude

10. Attitude & Behavior
Must feel responsible for & not have justification for incongruent behavior
$1 or $20
Only $1 condition increased liking of task

11. Social Influence Conformity
Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

12. Social Influence The chameleon effect - unconscious conformity
Participant Participant
rubs face shakes foot
Confederate rubs face
Confederate shakes foot
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
Number
of times

13. Social Influence
Asch’s conformity experiments

14. Social Influence Results Group pressure 2/3 conformed > once
Subsequent research supported this
Group pressure
Social reality
Deviants threaten group defined reality
Pressure to uniformity

15. Social Influence What increases conformity? Unanimous group
~3 group members
High group status
Observable behavior
Culture respecting social standards

16. Why do we conform? Desire to be LIKED Normative Social Influence Norm
Desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
How? - act like others
Norm
Rule for accepted and expected behavior
Prescribes “proper” behavior

17. Social Influence Desire to be RIGHT Informational Social Influence
Willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality
Many issues not amendable to reality testing
Look to others to evaluate MY views
Others agree I must be right
HATE groups
Important issues

18. Social Influence Obedience What makes people obey?
Charles Manson
David Koresh
Nazis
What makes people obey?
Milgram shock study (1963)

19. Milgram Shock Studies Percentage of subjects who obeyed experimenter
XXX
( )
Percentage
of subjects
who obeyed
experimenter
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Slight
(15-60)
Moderate
(75-120)
Strong
( )
Very
strong
( )
Intense
( )
Extreme
intensity
( )
Danger
severe
( )
Shock levels in volts
The majority of
subjects continued
to obey to the end

20. Milgram Shock Studies We all could be Nazis if the situation is right!
WHY? - Situation
Social norms to obey authority
Experimenter
Learner in other room
Gradual in nature - no stopping point
Foot in the door
Dissonance
Prestigious University
We all could be Nazis if the situation is right!

21. Group Influence Social Facilitation
Improved performance of tasks in presence of others
Simple/well-learned tasks but not for difficult or not yet mastered tasks
Olympics & record breaking
How?
Presence of others increases arousal
Arousal increases well-learned tasks, inhibits difficult tasks

22. Social Facilitation Home Advantage in Major Team Sports Games Winning
Home Team
Games Winning
Sport Studied Percentage
Baseball 23, %
Football 2,
Ice hockey 4,
Basketball 13,
Soccer 37,

23. Group Influence Social Loafing
People in a group exert less effort than when working alone
Group vs individual accountability

24. Group Influence Deindividuation
Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
Mob Rules

25. Group Influence Group Polarization
High
Prejudice
Low +4 +3 +2 +1 -1 -2 -3 -4
Before discussion
After discussion
Low-prejudice
groups
High-prejudice
Group Polarization
Enhancement of group’s prevailing attitudes through group discussion

26. Group Influence Groupthink Antecedent conditions
Desire for group harmony/concurrence overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives
Antecedent conditions
Cohesive group
Insulation from experts
Directive leadership

27. Group think Decision deficits Few alternatives No risk examination
Rejecting negative information about choice
No contingency plan

28. Social Relations- Attractiveness
Proximity
Being close
Mere exposure effect- repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
Physical Attractiveness
Culturally dependent
Youthfulness & health
Similarity
Common attitudes, beliefs, interests

29. Social Relations Passionate Love Companionate Love
An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another
Usually present at the beginning of a love relationship
Companionate Love
Deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

30. Social Relations Altruism Emergency situations
Unselfish regard for the welfare of others
When do by-standers help during emergencies?
Rarely - due to features of situation
Emergency situations
No benefit
No experience
Sudden

31. Social Relations
The decision-making process for bystander intervention
Notices
incident?
Interprets
incident as
emergency?
Assumes
responsibility?
Attempts
to help No
help
Yes

32. Model of Helping 1. Notice incident 2. Interpret as emergency
Social norms (don’t stare!)
Ambiguous situations
Groups narrow our attentional focus
2. Interpret as emergency
Want to look cool (norm SI)
Social comparison (info SI)
Pluralistic Ignorance

33. Model of Helping 3. Responsible to act Diffusion of responsibility
More people each person feels less responsible

34. Summary Atttribution Attitudes Conformity Obedience
Social facilitation/loafing
Social relations