1. Social Psychology

2. Social Thinking Attribution Theory Attribution Theory –tendency to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior, often by crediting either the situation or… the person’s disposition

3. Social Thinking Fundamental Attribution Error Fundamental Attribution Error –when explaining another’s behavior, we tend to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

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

5. Attribution Interestingly, people do more the opposite when attributing successes or failures to themselves (we blame the situation more than ourselves). Interestingly, people do more the opposite when attributing successes or failures to themselves (we blame the situation more than ourselves).

6. Social Influence Normative Social Influence Normative Social Influence –influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval Leads to…… Conformity Leads to…… Conformity –adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

7. Social Influence - concepts Informational Social Influence Informational Social Influence –influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality …Leads To Norms …Leads To Norms –an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior –prescribes “proper” behavior

8. Social Influence Comparison linesStandard lines 1 2 3 Asch Conformity Experiment click above for a clip!

9. Social Influence  Participants judged which person in Slide 2 was the same as the person in Slide 1 Percentage of conformity to confederates’ wrong answers 50 40 30 20 10 0 Low High Importance Slide 1Slide 2 Difficult judgments Easy judgments

10. Obedience  Stanley Milgram: People conform, but will they simply obey others? 65% of Milgram’s “teachers” did!

11. A “Shocking Experiment”  Over 400 volts!!

13. Social Influence Milgram’s experiment Milgram’s experiment XXX (435-450) Percentage of subjects who obeyed experimenter 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Slight (15-60) Moderate (75-120) Strong (135-180) Very strong (195-240) Intense (255-300) Extreme intensity (315-360) Danger severe (375-420) Shock levels in volts The majority of subjects continued to obey to the end That’s Almost 70%!

14. Obedience is higher when… Person giving the orders is perceived as a legit Authority figure. (prof., cop, etc) Person giving the orders is perceived as a legit Authority figure. (prof., cop, etc) “orderer” supported by a prestigious institute (Yale, Government, etc) “orderer” supported by a prestigious institute (Yale, Government, etc) Victim is “depersonalized” or distant (no name, in another room, etc) Victim is “depersonalized” or distant (no name, in another room, etc) No role models for defiance No role models for defiance

15. Stanford Prison Experiment Philip Zimbardo – The power of the “Situation” Philip Zimbardo – The power of the “Situation”

16. Two-weeks in a simulated prison sample of 24 college students volunteered for the experiment. sample of 24 college students volunteered for the experiment. $15 per day $15 per day average group of healthy, intelligent, middle-class males. average group of healthy, intelligent, middle-class males. arbitrarily divided into two groups by a flip of the coin. Half were randomly assigned to be guards, the other to be prisoners. arbitrarily divided into two groups by a flip of the coin. Half were randomly assigned to be guards, the other to be prisoners.

17. Stanford Prison Experiment Basement of Stanford's Psychology Department building converted to “look like” a prison. Basement of Stanford's Psychology Department building converted to “look like” a prison. corridor was "The Yard” corridor was "The Yard” Blindfolded to visit the bathroom Blindfolded to visit the bathroom Doors removed from some laboratory rooms and replaced with specially made doors with steel bars and cell numbers. Doors removed from some laboratory rooms and replaced with specially made doors with steel bars and cell numbers.

18. Nervous Breakdowns Nervous Breakdowns Guards began abusing the prisoners Guards began abusing the prisoners Experiment was ended after only 6 days! Experiment was ended after only 6 days!

19. DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THIS SHEET – ANSWER COMPLETELY ANONOMOUSLY! If you could be totally invisible for 24 hours and were completely assured that you would not be detected or held responsible for your actions, what would you do? If you could be totally invisible for 24 hours and were completely assured that you would not be detected or held responsible for your actions, what would you do?

20. Social Influence: somebody’s watching me… Social Facilitation Social Facilitation –People tend to perform simple/well-learned tasks BETTER in the presence of others –Social Impairment –People tend to perform WORSE on difficult or new tasks in the presence of others

21. Social Influence: somebody’s helping me… Social Loafing Social Loafing –People in groups exert less effort when working toward a common goal than when working individually

22. Deindividuation –The loss of self awareness and self restrain –Occurring in group situations

23. Social Relations Bystander Effect Bystander Effect –tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present Percentage attempting to help 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Number of others presumed available to help 1 2 3 4

24. Kitty Genovese Case Repeatedly stabbed while 38 people watched from their apartments and did nothing! Repeatedly stabbed while 38 people watched from their apartments and did nothing!

25. Social Relations – why prejudice & social bias? In-group Bias In-group Bias –tendency to favor one’s own group and dislike or blame things on another “out- group”

26. Scapegoat Theory Scapegoat Theory –Taking responsibility often causes people too much “dissonance” –Better to blame others (maybe even an “out-group”) –prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

27. Just-World Phenomenon Just-World Phenomenon –tendency of people to believe the world is “just” –people get what they deserve and deserve what they get

28. Social Relations- What attracts us to others? Proximity Proximity –mere exposure effect- repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them Physical Attractiveness Physical Attractiveness –youthfulness may be associated with health and fertility Similarity Similarity –friends share common attitudes, beliefs, interests

29. Attractiveness Worldwide, men prefer youth and health, women prefer resources and social status Worldwide, men prefer youth and health, women prefer resources and social status

30. Social Relations Passionate Love Passionate Love –an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another –usually present at the beginning of a love relationship Companionate Love Companionate Love –deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

31. The key to lasting and satisfying relationships Equity Equity –a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it Self-disclosure Self-disclosure –revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others Altruism Altruism –unselfish regard for the welfare of others