1. Social Psychology Ch. 19 Attitudes, Culture, and Human Relations McElhaney

2. Project:  Create a typed, 35 item test.  Include 15 matching, 15 fill in the blank, and 5 multiple choice items based on the reading handout chapter 18 or 19. (to be assigned)  All work must be original and must include answer key with page number.  Or you may create a podcast (*video) for one item related to this unit on Social Psychology

3. Attitudes –Connected to actions –Connected to views of the world –Tastes, friendships and goals  “Are a mixture between belief and emotions that predispose a person to respond to others in a positive or negative way.”  Can be predicted

4. Attitudes are expressed in 3 ways  Belief about an object or issue  Emotion=feelings  Actions

5. Attitude Formation  Direct Contact:  Interaction with others:  Child Rearing:  Group Membership:  Mass Media:  Chance conditioning:

6. There is a contrast between public behavior and private attitudes.  Factor of Immediate Consequence  Some attitudes are acted on some not

7. LaPiere- Study- “Not Practicing What you Preach” Correlations between attitudes and behavior:  Strength of attitude- the strength of the attitude increases or decreases behavior.  Stability of attitude: change overtime –Stable attitudes are more predictable than one that changes  Relevance of attitude to the behavior: –Attitudes will predict behavior much better if the attitude measured related as exactly as possible to the behavior of interest  Salience of the attitude –Attitude is conspicuous, important, and readily accessible from memory –More Salience = more likely attitude will predict behavior.  Situational Pressure: –External pressure is so great-internal attitudes will have little effect on behavior –Behavior is more influenced by external factors than internal attitudes  LaPiere Study- found that strong situational pressure will override strength of attitude.

8. Attitude Change  Reference Group- is any group a person uses as standard for social comparison “who do you identify with?” When people change a Reference group they also change attitudes.  Attitudes can be changed through role play- must include strong emotional experience

9. Page 700 List of Conditions to Change Attitudes.

10. Cognitive Dissonance Theory  Cognition= Thoughts  Dissonance= clashing  Contradicting and clashing thoughts cause discomfort  We have a need for consistency in thoughts perceptions and images.  We tend to reject new information that contradicts ideas we already hold. 

11. Cognitive Dissonance 2  When we make a bad decision  We tend to convince ourselves that we’ve done the right thing-  Also a tendency to excuse in light of contradicting evidence…  We tend to emphasize the positive aspects  We try to minimize dissonance  By justifying our bad choice

12. Brain Washing  = Psychological manipulation  Forced Attitude change  Requires captive audience  Is temporary  Pge. 703 lists the requirements:

13. How To: Brain Washing 2  Target person is isolated form main reference group  Target is made completely dependent on captors for needs  Indoctrinating agent- is in a position to reward target for changes in attitude or behavior  Make target completely helpless –Physical and psych abuse –Sleep deprivation –Humiliation –Isolation  Target looses and or unfreezes formal values –Exhaustion, pressure, fear becomes unbearable  Change occurs when target abandon’s all beliefs  Target cooperates to gain relief  Pairing hope and fear with pressure to conform –Refreezes new attitudes

14. Jonestown Cult 1978  Jim Jones’ People’s Temple  Jones was charismatic, persuasive leader  Followers were Isolated, Intimidated, Obedient, committed and dependent

15. Cults  Leader is infallible  Followers do not question  Strategy- guilt manipulation, isolation, deception, fear, and escalating commitment  High pressure  2.5 million people in cults

16. Who Joins Cults?: Profile  Distressed  Mild depression, indecission  Alienation from family and friends  Need as sense of belonging

17. Conversion strategies:  Intense Affection- Understanding  Isolate from people who are not cult members- family and friends –(former reference group)  Isolate from former values  Use drills, discipline, rituals –Wears people down physical and emotional resistance is reduced  Discourages critical thinking  Generates feelings of commitment  Gets small commitment at first then encourages larger commitments

18. Prejudice

19. Discrimination

22. Aggression

23. Frustration Aggression Hypothesis

24. Aversive Stimuli

25. Aggressive Cues

26. Social Learning, Aggression, and Bandura