Psy 301 Chase1 The funny things we do... Some lessons from social psych Kate Niederhoffer Social and...
-
Upload
anne-daniel -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of Psy 301 Chase1 The funny things we do... Some lessons from social psych Kate Niederhoffer Social and...
Psy 301 Chase 1
The funny things we do...Some lessons from social psych
Kate NiederhofferSocial and Personality PsychologyUniversity of Texas at Austin11/04/04
Psy 301 Chase 3
Repeat Offender Study n = 6-8
“Mood & Math” Introductions Place of origin Embarrassing moments
Rating self vs. others questionnaire (appearance, intelligence)
MATH TEST
Psy 301 Chase 4
The very next day…
***Same group*** Favorite childhood moment Favorite food and why
Self vs. others
“Someone in this room…” Who is it? How many people will guess right?
Psy 301 Chase 5
The Spotlight Effect
“People tend to believe the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it actually does”
Bad hair days Embarrassing t-shirts Absenteeism
Psy 301 Chase 6
Wegner: On being a bat… On seeing life from the perspective of an animal that
can't see
"We're all in that position with regard to other minds, generally -- we don't really know what it's like to be other people. Much of what social psychology is about is being able to think and talk about experience in a way that helps us bridge the gap from one mind to another.”
Psy 301 Chase 7
Enough about me…
Compared to other students at the University, rate yourself on the following attributes… Leadership Creativity Energy Level Sincerity Athleticism…
Psy 301 Chase 8
Above Average Effect
Ability % ppl “above average”
Getting along with others
89%
Written expression
64%
Spoken expression
63%
Leadership 70%
Athletics 60%
Psy 301 Chase 9
How You Rank
Ability % Chase students “above average”
Leadership 91%
Athletic Ability 70%
Energy Level 71%
Creativity 90%
Sincerity 89%
Intelligence 79%
Trustworthiness 93%
Psy 301 Chase 10
1. Need to feel good about ourselves Seeing ourselves and anything
connected to us in positive light.
Lessons from social psych:
Psy 301 Chase 11
Lessons from social psych:1. Need to feel good about ourselves
2. Motive to seek connectedness Create and maintain feelings of mutual
support, liking and acceptance.
Psy 301 Chase 15
76% went along with the clearly incorrect majority at least once
In all, P’s conformed 37% of the time
However, 24% NEVER conformed
What did participants do?
Psy 301 Chase 17
All in the name of connectedness
We want to be seen as likable (AA)
To fit in (Elevator)
To gain approval (Picketing) Conform to others preferences
Affiliation, friendship, intimacy…
Psy 301 Chase 18
Scenic Attractions on Creativity: Dutton & Aron (1973)
Capilano Canyon Suspension bridge
5 feet wide, 450 feet long
Wooden boards attached to wire cables -spanning a height of 250 feet
Psy 301 Chase 20
Misattribution of Arousal
(Dutton & Aron, 1973)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Rested aftercrossingbridge
"Aroused" onbridge
% mentelephonedwoman
Psy 301 Chase 22
Lessons from social psych
1. Need to feel good about ourselves
2. Motive to seek connectedness
3. Don’t underestimate the power of the situation
“Punishment on Learning” 1 teacher, 1 learner
Learn word pairs; if wrong, punished
Set-up learner Chair, electrode on wrist “condition”
Shock generator Slight, moderate, strong, very
strong, intense, extreme intensity, danger: severe, XXX
Sample- 45V**Something you should know…
Psy 301 Chase 25
Script 75 volts: grunt 120 volts: complains loudly; 150: demands to be released from experiment. As voltage increases: protests become more
vehement and emotional. 285 volts: agonized scream. Soon thereafter: no sound at all.
Psy 301 Chase 26
What would you do?
Pre-test estimates: All would refuse to obey
Most won’t go beyond 150v
Psychiatrists estimated 1/1000 would go all the way 4% would reach 300v
Psy 301 Chase 27
Results
Avg. max shock delivered:360v
65% went all the way to 450v
80% continued giving shocks after learner w/ heart condition complained
** short#4**
Psy 301 Chase 28
Implications: Obedience to Authority
An experimenter influenced ordinary ppl to commit immoral acts on an innocent bystander…
Could the Holocaust have been an act of ordinary ppl exposed to extraordinary social conditions?
What about more recent events?
Many of the people were in some sense against what they did to the learner, and many protested even while they obeyed. Some were totally convinced of the wrongness of their actions but could not bring themselves to make an open break with authority. They often derived satisfaction from their thoughts and felt that -- within themselves, at least -- they had been on the side of the angels. They tried to reduce strain by obeying the experimenter but "only slightly," encouraging the learner, touching the generator switches gingerly. When interviewed, such a subject would stress that he "asserted my humanity" by administering the briefest shock possible. Handling the conflict in this manner was easier than defiance.