Social Social PsychologPsychologyy

Social Psychology is a Social Psychology is a broad field devoted to broad field devoted to

studying:studying:

how people how people relaterelate to each other to each other the development and expression of the development and expression of attitudesattitudes

people’s people’s attributionsattributions about their own about their own behavior and that of othersbehavior and that of others

the reasons why people engage in both the reasons why people engage in both prosocial and antisocialprosocial and antisocial behavior behavior

how the how the presence and actions of otherspresence and actions of others influences the way people behaveinfluences the way people behave

An An attitudeattitude is a set of beliefs and is a set of beliefs and feelings feelings

One reason that attitudes are difficult to One reason that attitudes are difficult to changechange is due to the is due to the Cognitive Cognitive Dissonance TheoryDissonance Theory. .

People are motivated to have consistent People are motivated to have consistent attitudes and behaviors, and when they attitudes and behaviors, and when they do do notnot, they experience unpleasant , they experience unpleasant mental tension (mental tension (dissonancedissonance).).

Social ThinkingSocial Thinking Attribution TheoryAttribution Theory

– tendency to give a causal tendency to give a causal explanation for someone’s explanation for someone’s behavior, often by crediting behavior, often by crediting eithereither

the situationthe situation or… or…

the person’s dispositionthe person’s disposition

Social ThinkingSocial Thinking Fundamental Attribution ErrorFundamental Attribution Error

–when explaining another’s when explaining another’s behavior, we tend to behavior, we tend to underestimateunderestimate the impact of the impact of the the situationsituation and to and to overestimateoverestimate the impact of the impact of personal personal dispositiondisposition

Social ThinkingSocial Thinking How we explain someone’s behavior How we explain someone’s behavior

affects how we react to itaffects how we react to itSituational attribution“Maybe that driver is ill.”

Tolerant reaction(proceed cautiously, allowdriver 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)

AttributionAttribution

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

Social ThinkingSocial Thinking Our behavior is affected by our inner attitudes Our behavior is affected by our inner attitudes

as well as by external social influencesas well as by external social influences

Internalattitudes

Externalinfluences

Behavior

Jesse tells you that he Jesse tells you that he got a perfect score on his got a perfect score on his psychology test ……psychology test …… Because Jesse is very good at psychologyBecause Jesse is very good at psychology Because the psychology test was easyBecause the psychology test was easy Jesse has always been good at Jesse has always been good at

psychologypsychology Jesse just studied a lot for this particular Jesse just studied a lot for this particular

psychology testpsychology test Mr. Baker is an easy psychology teacherMr. Baker is an easy psychology teacher Mr. Baker is a tough psychology teacher Mr. Baker is a tough psychology teacher

who just happened to give one easy testwho just happened to give one easy test

Social Thinking – Social Thinking – Some ConceptsSome Concepts

– Our Attitudes often direct our behavior but Our Attitudes often direct our behavior but sometimes behavior shapes our attitudessometimes behavior shapes our attitudes

Foot-in-the-Door PhenomenonFoot-in-the-Door Phenomenon– tendency for people who have first agreed tendency for people who have first agreed

to a small request to comply later with a to a small request to comply later with a larger requestlarger request

– ““Doing Doing Becomes Becomes Believing”Believing”

Group PressureGroup Pressure

Social Influence..Social Influence..

Social InfluenceSocial Influence

Normative Social InfluenceNormative Social Influence– influence resulting from a influence resulting from a

person’s desire to gain approval person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapprovalor avoid disapproval

Leads to……Leads to……ConformityConformity– adjusting one’s behavior or adjusting one’s behavior or

thinking to coincide with a thinking to coincide with a group standardgroup standard

Social Influence - Social Influence - conceptsconcepts

Informational Social InfluenceInformational Social Influence– influence resulting from one’s influence resulting from one’s

willingness to accept others’ opinions willingness to accept others’ opinions about realityabout reality

……Leads To Leads To NormsNorms– an understood rule for accepted and an understood rule for accepted and

expected behaviorexpected behavior– prescribes “proper” behaviorprescribes “proper” behavior

Social Influence

Comparison linesStandard lines1 2 3

Asch Conformity Experimentclick above for a clip!

Social InfluenceSocial Influence

Participants Participants judged which judged which person in person in Slide 2 was Slide 2 was the same as the same as the person in the person in Slide 1Slide 1

Percentage ofconformity

to confederates’wrong answers

50

40

30

20

10

0

Low HighImportance

Slide 1 Slide 2

Difficult judgments

Easy judgments

ObedienceObedience

Stanley Milgram: Stanley Milgram: People conform, but People conform, but will they simply obey will they simply obey others?others?

65% of Milgram’s “teachers” did!

A “Shocking A “Shocking Experiment”Experiment”

Over 400 volts!!Over 400 volts!!

Social InfluenceSocial Influence Milgram’s experimentMilgram’s experiment

XXX(435-450)

Percentageof subjects

who obeyedexperimenter

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Slight(15-60)

Moderate(75-120)

Strong(135-180)

Verystrong

(195-240)

Intense(255-300)

Extremeintensity(315-360)

Dangersevere

(375-420)

Shock levels in volts

The majority ofsubjects continued to obey to the end

That’s Almost 70%!

Obedience is higher Obedience is higher when…when…

Person giving the orders is Person giving the orders is perceived as a legit Authority perceived as a legit Authority figure. figure. (prof., cop, etc)(prof., cop, etc)

““orderer” supported by a orderer” supported by a prestigious institute prestigious institute (Yale, (Yale, Government, etc)Government, etc)

Victim is “depersonalized” or Victim is “depersonalized” or distant distant (no name, in another room, etc)(no name, in another room, etc)

No role models for defiance No role models for defiance

Who’s Fault Is it?Who’s Fault Is it? Who is MOST responsible for the murder?Who is MOST responsible for the murder?

Note that the murderer does the exact Note that the murderer does the exact same thing in same thing in BOTHBOTH scenarios! scenarios!

Did you blame the woman? The boss? Did you blame the woman? The boss?

Did the Did the charactercharacter of the victim influence of the victim influence your decision?your decision?

Did you make an “attribution error”?Did you make an “attribution error”?

DO NOT WRITE YOUR DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THIS SHEET – NAME ON THIS SHEET – ANSWER COMPLETELY ANSWER COMPLETELY

ANONOMOUSLY!ANONOMOUSLY! If you could be totally invisible for If you could be totally invisible for

24 hours and were completely 24 hours and were completely assured that you would not be assured that you would not be

detected or held responsible for detected or held responsible for your actions, what would you do?your actions, what would you do?

Group InteractionGroup Interaction

Social Influence:Social Influence:somebody’s somebody’s watching watching

me…me…

Social FacilitationSocial Facilitation– People tend to People tend to

perform perform simple/well-simple/well-learned tasks learned tasks BETTERBETTER in the in the presence of presence of othersothers

– Social Social ImpairmentImpairment

– People tend People tend to perform to perform WORSEWORSE on on difficult or difficult or new tasks in new tasks in the presence the presence of othersof others

Social Social FacilitationFacilitation

Home Advantage in Major Team Sports

Sport Games Home Team Studied Winning Percentage

Baseball 23,034 53.5%

Football 2,592 57.3

Ice hockey 4,322 61.1

Basketball 13,596 64.4

Soccer 37,202 69.0

Social Social Influence:Influence:somebody’s somebody’s

helping me…helping me… Social LoafingSocial Loafing

– tendency for people in a group to tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually goal than when individually accountableaccountable

DeindividuationDeindividuation– The loss of The loss of

self self awareness awareness and self and self restrain restrain occurring in occurring in group group situations situations that foster that foster arousal and arousal and anonymityanonymity

Social RelationsSocial Relations Bystander Bystander

EffectEffect– tendency for tendency for

any given any given bystander to be bystander to be less likely to less likely to give aid if other give aid if other bystanders are bystanders are presentpresent

Percentageattempting

to help

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Number of otherspresumed available to help

1 2 3 4

Social InfluenceSocial InfluenceGroup PolarizationGroup Polarization

enhancement of a enhancement of a group’s prevailing group’s prevailing attitudes through attitudes through discussion within discussion within the group (like AA the group (like AA or KKK) or KKK) – Yeah! I – Yeah! I Agree!Agree!

Social InfluenceSocial Influence

If a group is If a group is like-minded, like-minded, discussion discussion strengthens strengthens its prevailing its prevailing opinionsopinions

High

Prejudice

Low

+4

+3

+2

+1

0

-1

-2

-3

-4Before discussion After discussion

Low-prejudicegroups

High-prejudicegroups

GroupthinkGroupthink– the desire for harmony in a decision-the desire for harmony in a decision-

making group overrides realistic making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives (like appraisal of alternatives (like shuttle disaster or bay of pigs) shuttle disaster or bay of pigs) – – Who am I to “rock the boat”? I Who am I to “rock the boat”? I just want to get out of this just want to get out of this meeting…meeting…

The tendency for people The tendency for people to overestimate the to overestimate the number of people who number of people who agree with them is called agree with them is called the the false consensus effectfalse consensus effect.. I thought everyone was against I thought everyone was against the death penalty…the death penalty…

IE. If Brianna hates Psychology, IE. If Brianna hates Psychology, she assumes that most people she assumes that most people also find it boring, tedious, and also find it boring, tedious, and utterly useless as well. If utterly useless as well. If Shavanna likes pizza, she Shavanna likes pizza, she assumes that because it’s so good assumes that because it’s so good that everyone must like it too. that everyone must like it too. She’s shocked to find people who She’s shocked to find people who don’t like it as much as she does.don’t like it as much as she does.

Social InfluenceSocial Influence

Gender RoleGender Role– a set of a set of

expected expected behaviors behaviors for males for males and for and for femalesfemales

Percentage agreeing“The activities of married women

are best confined to home and family”Percentage 70

60

50

40

30

20

10

01967 ‘71 ‘75 ‘79 ‘83 ‘87 ‘91 ‘95

Year

Men

Women

Social Relations – why do Social Relations – why do we treat each other we treat each other

differently?differently? Prejudice Prejudice – an unjustifiable (and usually negative) an unjustifiable (and usually negative)

attitude toward a group and its attitude toward a group and its membersmembers

– involves stereotyped beliefs, negative involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory actiondiscriminatory action

StereotypeStereotype– a generalized (often overgeneralized) a generalized (often overgeneralized)

belief about a group of peoplebelief about a group of people

Social InfluencesSocial Influences CultureCulture

– enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of traditions shared by a large group of people people

– transmitted from one generation to the transmitted from one generation to the nextnext

Personal SpacePersonal Space– buffer zone we like to buffer zone we like to

maintain around our bodiesmaintain around our bodies

Social Relations – why Social Relations – why prejudice & social bias?prejudice & social bias? In-group BiasIn-group Bias

– tendency to favor one’s own group tendency to favor one’s own group and dislike or blame things on and dislike or blame things on another another “out-group”“out-group”

Scapegoat TheoryScapegoat Theory– Taking responsibility often causes Taking responsibility often causes

people too much “dissonance”people too much “dissonance”

– Better to blame others Better to blame others (maybe (maybe even an “out-group”)even an “out-group”)

– prejudice prejudice provides an provides an outlet for anger outlet for anger by providing by providing someone to someone to blameblame

Just-World PhenomenonJust-World Phenomenon

– tendency of people to believe the world is tendency of people to believe the world is “just”“just”

– people get what they deserve and people get what they deserve and deserve what they getdeserve what they get

Social RelationsSocial Relations Americans today express much less Americans today express much less

racial and gender prejudice racial and gender prejudice

Percentageanswering yes Would you vote for

a woman president?

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Year

1936 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

Do whites have a rightto keep minorities out of

their neighborhoods?

Preconceived ideas can affect Preconceived ideas can affect the way someone acts towards the way someone acts towards another person.another person.

Our expectations of Our expectations of behavior can be behavior can be influenced as well. influenced as well. This is called the This is called the self-fulfilling self-fulfilling prophecy.prophecy.

Social Social RelationsRelations

AggressionAggression– any physical or verbal behavior any physical or verbal behavior intended intended

to hurt or destroy to hurt or destroy

Frustration-Aggression PrincipleFrustration-Aggression Principle– principle that frustration – the blocking of principle that frustration – the blocking of

an attempt to achieve some goal – creates an attempt to achieve some goal – creates anger, which can generate aggressionanger, which can generate aggression

Why are we Why are we aggressive?aggressive?

Genetics – Some people are born Genetics – Some people are born to be aggressiveto be aggressive

Neural and Biological – Your neural Neural and Biological – Your neural system facilitates aggression – system facilitates aggression – chemicals in your blood stream chemicals in your blood stream can change aggression..can change aggression..

What happens if the frontal lobes What happens if the frontal lobes get damaged?get damaged?

Social Relations Social Relations Is there a CORRELATION BETWEEN Is there a CORRELATION BETWEEN WEATHERWEATHER AND AGGRESSION? AND AGGRESSION?

Murdersand rapesper day inHouston,

Texas

8.0

7.5

7.0

6.5

6.0

40-68 69-78 79-85 86-91 92-99

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit

Social RelationsSocial Relations ConflictConflict

– perceived perceived incompatibility of incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideasactions, goals, or ideas

Social TrapSocial Trap– a situation in which a a situation in which a

group of people act to group of people act to obtain short-term obtain short-term individual gains, which in individual gains, which in the long run leads to a the long run leads to a loss for the group as a loss for the group as a whole.whole.

–(overfishing, near destruction (overfishing, near destruction of the buffalo, rainforest of the buffalo, rainforest logging)logging)

Social Relations – Social Relations – conflict reductionconflict reduction Social Exchange TheorySocial Exchange Theory

– the theory that our social behavior is an the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize to maximize benefits and minimize costscosts

Superordinate GoalsSuperordinate Goals– shared goals that override differences shared goals that override differences

among people and require their among people and require their cooperationcooperation

Social Relations – Social Relations – conflict reduction among conflict reduction among nationsnations

Graduated and Reciprocated Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-reduction Initiatives in Tension-reduction (GRIT)(GRIT)– a strategy designed to decrease a strategy designed to decrease

international tensionsinternational tensionsone side announces recognition of one side announces recognition of mutual interests and initiates a small mutual interests and initiates a small conciliatory actconciliatory act

opens door for reciprocation by opens door for reciprocation by other partyother party

Social Relations- What Social Relations- What attractsattracts us to others? us to others?

ProximityProximity– mere exposure effect-mere exposure effect- repeated exposure to repeated exposure to

novel stimuli increases liking of themnovel stimuli increases liking of them Physical AttractivenessPhysical Attractiveness

– youthfulness may be associated with health and youthfulness may be associated with health and fertilityfertility

SimilaritySimilarity– friends share common attitudes, beliefs, friends share common attitudes, beliefs,

interestsinterests

AttractivenessAttractiveness

Worldwide, men prefer Worldwide, men prefer youth and health, youth and health,

women prefer resources women prefer resources and social statusand social status

Social RelationsSocial Relations Passionate LovePassionate Love

– an aroused state of intense positive an aroused state of intense positive absorption in anotherabsorption in another

– usually present at the beginning of a love usually present at the beginning of a love relationshiprelationship

Companionate LoveCompanionate Love– deep affectionate attachment we feel for deep affectionate attachment we feel for

those with whom our lives are those with whom our lives are intertwinedintertwined

The key to lasting The key to lasting and satisfying and satisfying relationshipsrelationships

EquityEquity– a condition in which people receive from a a condition in which people receive from a

relationship in proportion to what they give relationship in proportion to what they give to itto it

Self-disclosureSelf-disclosure– revealing intimate aspects of oneself to revealing intimate aspects of oneself to

othersothers AltruismAltruism

– unselfish regard for the welfare of othersunselfish regard for the welfare of others