Social Psychology

Branch of psychology concerned with the way individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.

Effect of physical appearance◦ We should know better than to judge on this, but do

we?

◦ What do studies reveal?

Why might people do this?

Attractiveness even influences perceptions of competence:

Research related to jobs:

People have a tendency to make snap judgments about people

We tend to weigh initial perception much more heavily than later information◦ Examples

These are especially hard to overcome

Every person is unique, yet we tend to categorize people◦ Why?

Stereotype- Widely held belief that people have certain characteristics because of membership to a particular group

Discussion of common stereotypes:

Why do we stereotype people? Is there some truth to them? Are all stereotypes negative?

It is normal to stereotype people

We have cognitive schemas for how we expect certain people to behave:◦ Cognitive schema – Organized cluster of ideas

about categories of social events and people

People are likely to interpret what they see in a way that is consistent with expectations

Illusory Correlation- People estimate they have encountered more confirmations of an association between social traits than they have actually◦ What does this mean◦ Examples◦ Research studies

According to evolutionary perspective, humans are programmed to immediately classify people as members of ingroup or outgroup

Ingroup-

Outgroup –

Discussion: is there truth to this?

Attributions- Inferences people draw about causes of events, others behavior and own behavior◦ Why do we need to make these?

People tend to explain their behavior as result of personal or environmental factors:◦ 1.) Internal Attributions◦ 2.) External Attributions

Causes of behavior due to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings.◦ Examples

Causes of behavior due to situational demands and environment◦ Examples

◦ Examples from class Give internal and external explanation

1.) Fundamental Attribution Error- People tend to explain other people’s behavior as a result of internal attributions◦ In other words….

Examples

2.) Self-Serving Bias- People tend to attribute their success to personal (internal) factors and their failures to situational (external) factors

◦ Examples

Physical Attraction◦ What is the first thing most people notice?

“Get acquainted” study:◦ What was done

Other studies back up the prominence of physical attractiveness in the initial dating stage

“Friend Zone” Discussion

Matching Hypothesis- Proposes males and females of approximate equal physical attractiveness are likely to select each other as partners

◦ Class discussion: Is this true? Why or Why not?

Similarity Effects◦ Far more support for people being attracted to

those who are similar Married and dating couples tend to be similar in age,

race, religion, social class, education, attractiveness, and attitude.

Class thoughts

Attitude Similarity- Similarity seems to cause liking◦ Study Findings◦ Discussion

Hazan and Shaver believe relationships in adulthood follow same forms as attachment during infancy

Think back to attachments: what would children with these attachment styles look for in adult relationships:◦ Secure

◦ Anxious-Ambivalent

◦ Avoidant

Learning theory

◦ Classical Conditioning How might attitudes form (about products for

example)

◦ Operant Conditioning Agreement from others can serve to shape

behavior/attitudes

◦ Observational Learning Observe others attitude and reinforcement

Cognitive Dissonance – State of tension created when something we say or do contradicts actual beliefs◦ We thus alter beliefs to reduce tension

Festinger and Carlsmith Study:◦ Male college students performed excruciating dull tasks

for one hour◦ Afterwards, offered money to tell subjects in waiting

room that the study was fun◦ Wanted participants to do something inconsistent with

beliefs (to create dissonance)◦ Some subjects given $1; some given $20

Which group rated task as more enjoyable?

Other examples

Conformity- Occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pressure.◦ Examples

Solomon Asch Line Study- 1951◦ http://video.google.com/videosearch?

sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#q=conformity+experiment&hl=en&emb=0

◦ Young men conformed on 37% of trials

Variations on Asch Study◦ What happened if the group size was lower (one

person)?

◦ What happened if group size was larger (more people)?

◦ Discussion: What factors make us conform

Obedience – Form of Compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in authority

Participants told study concerned with effects of punishment on learning

◦ Randomly assigned to either be “teacher” or “learner” Participant was always “teacher”; Research accomplice was

“learner”◦ “learner” was strapped to electrified chair and told they

would be answering questions from “teacher”◦ “teacher” taken to adjacent room and given shock

generator Told to shock “learner” for each mistake, increasing voltage

each time Apparatus was fake (although participant did not know)

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

DV- level of shock participants willing to administer

15V- slight shock 135V- strong shock 375V- Danger: Severe shock 450 V- XXX (last stage)

How many do you think went all the way to final voltage?

Controversy of study

Class Discussion

Philip Zimbardo wanted to investigate why prisons tend to become abusive environments

He recruited college aged males for study of prison life through newspaper ads

Coin flip determined who would be “guards” and who would be “prisoners”

“Prisoners” arrested at homes and brought to simulated prison at Stanford U.◦ There they were stripped, deloused, given uniform,

given ID, and put in cell “Guards” given uniforms, billy clubs, glasses

◦ Told to run prison any way they saw fit, without physical punishment

What happened in study?

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#q=zimbardo+prison&hl=en&emb=0&start=0

Possible explanations:◦ Social Roles

Bystander Effect- People are less likely to provide needed help when they are in groups than when they are alone◦ Diffusion of responsibility