PSYC 112 PSYCHOLOGY FOR EVERYDAY LIVING SESSION 5

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PSYC 112 PSYCHOLOGY FOR EVERYDAY LIVING SESSION 5 – SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY PART I Lecturer:

PSYC 112 PSYCHOLOGY FOR EVERYDAY LIVING SESSION 5 – SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY PART I Lecturer: Dr. Paul Narh Doku, Dept of Psychology, UG Contact Information: pndoku@ug. edu. gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

Session Overview • This session offers a broad introduction to social psychology, the scientific

Session Overview • This session offers a broad introduction to social psychology, the scientific study of human social influence and interaction. The session will explore the various ways people think about, affect, and relate to one another. The session will cover topics such as the attitudes, conformity, helping behavior, compliance, obedience, social judgement (attribution) and social presence. Slide 2

Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows: • Topic One – Social Psychology and its scope • Topic Two – Attitudes and Behaviours • Topic Three – Compliance • Topic Four – Attribution Theory • Topic Five – Prosocial Behaviour • Topic Six – Influence of Social Presence • Topic Seven – Conformity • Topic Eight – Obedience to Authority Slide 3

Reading List • Refer to students to relevant text/chapter or reading materials you will

Reading List • Refer to students to relevant text/chapter or reading materials you will make available on Sakai Slide 4

Topic 1 - Social Psychology • Social Psychology is concerned with studying the way

Topic 1 - Social Psychology • Social Psychology is concerned with studying the way people relate to others and how we relate to them…. …how our behaviours affect others and how others’ behaviours affect us. Attitude Attraction Group Behavior Aggression • This session will deal with issues of attitude and the influence of social presence on behaviours Slide 5

Topic 2 -Attitudes and Behaviour • An attitude is a set of beliefs and

Topic 2 -Attitudes and Behaviour • An attitude is a set of beliefs and feelings. The covert, unseen views and thoughts that we have on issues. • Advertising is sometimes based on attitude formation.

Attitude and Behavior • Do attitudes tell us about someone’s behavior? Yes. The two

Attitude and Behavior • Do attitudes tell us about someone’s behavior? Yes. The two are supposed to be consistent You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!! The teacher was really bad so in that class it is OK. Cognitive Dissonance Theory • People want to have consistent attitudes and behaviors…. when they are not they experience dissonance (unpleasant tension). • Usually they will change their attitude.

Cognitive Dissonance (proposed by a social psychologist called Festinger): discomfort caused by inconsistencies between

Cognitive Dissonance (proposed by a social psychologist called Festinger): discomfort caused by inconsistencies between attitudes and behavior • We need to have consistency in our thoughts, perceptions, and images of ourselves • Underlies attempts to convince ourselves we did the right thing

Example of Cognitive Dissonance

Example of Cognitive Dissonance

Topic 3 - Compliance and Compliance Strategies Compliance is acting in accordance with a

Topic 3 - Compliance and Compliance Strategies Compliance is acting in accordance with a mere or direct request from another person or group. Below are two common compliance strategies: • Foot-in-the-door phenomenon • Door-in-the-face phenomenon

Compliance Strategies • Foot-in-the-door technique: compliance to a large request is gained by preceding

Compliance Strategies • Foot-in-the-door technique: compliance to a large request is gained by preceding it with a very small request. • Door-in-the-face technique: compliance is gained by starting with a large, unreasonable request that is turned down, and then following it with a smaller, more reasonable request.

Topic 4 - Attribution Theory Attribution: the process by which we explain our own

Topic 4 - Attribution Theory Attribution: the process by which we explain our own behavior and that of others. We can attribute behavior to either: • External Causes (situational): That is to causes and factors that lie outside of a person, such as doing of God, demons, the weather, the teacher, the exam was very difficult, etc • Internal Causes (dispositional): Attributing the cause behind behavior to factors within the individual (Ones that lie within a person) such as I worked hard, I am very intelligent or gifted.

Topic 4 - How Do We Explain Behaviour? How others influence our Thinking •

Topic 4 - How Do We Explain Behaviour? How others influence our Thinking • Attribution Theory: This tries to explain how people determine the cause of their own behaviour and that of others they observe. It is either a…. • Situational Attribution OR • Dispositional Attribution

Fundamental Attribution Error • Fundamental attribution error: the tendency as an observer to overestimate

Fundamental Attribution Error • Fundamental attribution error: the tendency as an observer to overestimate dispositional influences (internal causes) and underestimate situational influences (external causes) upon others’ behavior than for one’s own behaviours. • We tend to overestimate the role of dispositional factors for others. If you win it is because you are awesome…if you lose, it must have been the coach or weather or….

Topic 5 - Prosocial Behavior (Helping Behaviour) Kitty Genovese case in Kew Gardens NY

Topic 5 - Prosocial Behavior (Helping Behaviour) Kitty Genovese case in Kew Gardens NY (read about in on the internet). Bystander Effect: • This concept explains that conditions in which people are more or less likely to help one another. In general…the more people around…the less chance of help…. because of… 1. Diffusion of Responsibility - The lessening of a sense of individual responsibility for a task when responsibility is shared among members of a group. 2. Pluralistic Ignorance - People decide what to do by looking to others.

Offering Help: Decision Tree

Offering Help: Decision Tree

Number of Bystanders & Offers of Help

Number of Bystanders & Offers of Help

Topic 6 – Influence of Social Presence

Topic 6 – Influence of Social Presence

Social Facilitation Theory • If you are really good at something…. or it is

Social Facilitation Theory • If you are really good at something…. or it is an easy task…you will perform BETTER in front of a group (Social Facilitation) • If it is a difficult task or you are not very good at it…you will perform WORSE in front of a group (social impairment).

Social Loafing • When working in groups individuals tend to reduce their own level

Social Loafing • When working in groups individuals tend to reduce their own level of effort. . . this is commonly known as the Social Loafing. • The more people = Less effort. • When Latene researched this he found that when asked to clap individually and in groups that the larger the group the less clapping occurred individually.

Social Loafing • Sport education provide opportunities for social loafing as you can participate

Social Loafing • Sport education provide opportunities for social loafing as you can participate in teams and hide your work rate. • Combat- Target setting in these areas allows for the assessor to identify individuals in a large groups.

Social Facilitation or Social Loafing? Copyright © 2008 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Social Facilitation or Social Loafing? Copyright © 2008 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Topic 7 - Conformity Studies • Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with

Topic 7 - Conformity Studies • Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Conformity • Conformity is shaping one’s behavior or attitudes to conform to that of

Conformity • Conformity is shaping one’s behavior or attitudes to conform to that of others, e. g. , group norms • A change in behavior and/or belief to conform to a group norm as a result of real or imagined group pressure • A famous study about conformity was completed by Solomon Asch in the 1950’s • Asch had subjects come into a laboratory setting and give answers to a simple line matching task.

Asch’s Study of Conformity

Asch’s Study of Conformity

Asch’s findings • Asch’s subjects conformed (i. e. , gave the WRONG answer) 1/3

Asch’s findings • Asch’s subjects conformed (i. e. , gave the WRONG answer) 1/3 of the time. • 76% of the subjects conformed at least once at some time during the experiment • This is especially important when one realizes that these are groups of people with whom the subjects have no enduring relationships • Examine Asch’s data presented in the tables in the following slide to see what they suggest about conformity.

Asch’s Results • About 1/3 of the participants conformed. • Over 70% conformed at

Asch’s Results • About 1/3 of the participants conformed. • Over 70% conformed at least once. To strengthen conformity: • The group is unanimous • The group is at least three people. • One admires the group’s status • One had made no prior commitment

Topic 8 - Obedience to Authority Obedience: Following the commands of a person in

Topic 8 - Obedience to Authority Obedience: Following the commands of a person in authority OR the behavior change that comes in response to a demand from an authority figure Most authority figures have been given their authority by society We are just told to follow what they tell you to do Every person at some time in their life has followed a superior without questioning why they are doing what they are doing For example we never question why we take tests in school We just take them because we are told to do so

Milgram’s Study Of Obedience

Milgram’s Study Of Obedience

Milgram’s (1963) study of “obedience to authority” • The study by Stanley Milgram specifically

Milgram’s (1963) study of “obedience to authority” • The study by Stanley Milgram specifically looked at how cooperative people are willing to be when responding to the request of an authority. • At the time that Milgram designed his study, a famous former Nazi was on trial and using the defense that he was just obeying orders. Milgram wanted to see if there was a certain personality that would be more willing to comply with orders from an authority.

Obedience • Classic Milgram study: Volunteer were told to teach another person (actually a

Obedience • Classic Milgram study: Volunteer were told to teach another person (actually a confederate in the experiment) word pairs by applying an electric shock each time the learner was wrong. The learner was made to tell the volunteer that he had a heart condition.

Results of Milgram’s Obedience Experiment 65% obeyed by going all the way to 450

Results of Milgram’s Obedience Experiment 65% obeyed by going all the way to 450 volts on the “shock machine” even though the learner eventually could not answer any more questions.

Factors Affecting Obedience in original study • Prestige and status of authority figure –

Factors Affecting Obedience in original study • Prestige and status of authority figure – Supported by prestigious institution • Person giving orders was close at hand – Milgram was right there • Victims were depersonalized – Out of sight • Presence of others who disobey – Here, no role models who disobeyed

In replication studies…the same factors identified • Legitimacy of Authority – When a “clerk”

In replication studies…the same factors identified • Legitimacy of Authority – When a “clerk” gave the orders, compliance was 20% • Proximity of Authority Figure – When Milgram gave commands by telephone, compliance dropped to 21% • Emotional Distance – When learner was in the same room, full compliance dropped to 40% – When teacher applied learner’s hand to shock plate, compliance fell to 30% • Group Influence – When two confederates “refused” to keep going, only 10% of real subjects fully complied with the orders

Situational Factors in Obedience to authority was lowered by: • increased personal contact with

Situational Factors in Obedience to authority was lowered by: • increased personal contact with victim • social support of others (e. g. , two volunteers working together) • “Authority figure” appearing more disreputable • Disagreement between 2 authority figures

What did we learn from Milgram? • Ordinary people can do shocking things. •

What did we learn from Milgram? • Ordinary people can do shocking things. • Ethical issues…. • Would not have received approval from today’s IRB (Internal Review Board).

Some observations…. • The Asch & Milgram studies all demonstrate the impact of situation

Some observations…. • The Asch & Milgram studies all demonstrate the impact of situation on our behavior—how strong it’s influence can be. • Milgram’s & Asch’s study also demonstrated that subject exhibit less conformity & obedience when others were also modeling willingness to disagree & refuse to participate. So one person who disagrees with an incorrect group decision or resists an inappropriate order or an injustice can make a big difference!

Questions to ask yourself… • Are you surprised to find how many people were

Questions to ask yourself… • Are you surprised to find how many people were willing to obey the experimenter in this study? Why or why not? • Some people have criticized the Milgram study. They have argued that it was unethical to deceive subjects in this manner, and they feel that the study never should have been done. What do you think?

References • Coon, D. and Mitterer, O. J (2013). Introduction to Psychology (13 th

References • Coon, D. and Mitterer, O. J (2013). Introduction to Psychology (13 th ed). Wadsworth Cengage learning. Pp. 547 -591 • Feldman, S. R, Collins, J. E. and Green, M. J (2005). Essentials of understanding psychology (2 nd ed). Mc. Graw. Hill Ryerson. pp. 457 -482 • Kosslyn, M. S, and Rosenberg, R. (2006). Psychology in context. pearson. Pp. 732 -781 • Weiten, W. (2009). Psychology: Themes and variations (8 th ed). cengage learning. Pp. 664 -699 Slide 40