SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR Def the tendency

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR • Def: the tendency to overemphasize personal factors and underestimate situational factors when making attributions about the cause of another person’s behavior • Helps us maintain the “just-world phenomenon” • Also: Saliency bias---situational factors are less noticeable, so we focus on visible personality traits

SELF-SERVING BIAS • Def: we take credit for our successes and blame external forces for our failures • Helps maintain self esteem

Culture and attribution • Individualistic culture: emphasize independence and personal responsibility • More likely to commit FAE • Collectivist culture: emphasize interdependence and collective responsibility • Less likely to FAE

attitude • Def: a positive, neutral, or negative evaluation of a person, object, or issue • Creates reactions to people, issues, or objects

PERSUASION/ATTITUDE CHANGE • Central Route: focus on logical arguments, thoughtful analysis • Peripheral Route: focus on emotional appeals • Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: strategy to get a person to agree to a small first request as a set-up for a much larger request later

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE • Def: the state of psychological tension, anxiety, and discomfort that occurs when an individual’s attitude and behavior are inconsistent • Think of it as a defense mechanism • Saying/knowing one thing, but doing the opposite

THE INFLUENCE OF GROUPS

SOCIAL FACILITATION • Def: tendency for an individual’s performance to improve when in the presence of others

Social inhibition • Def: an individual’s performance declines in the presence of others

SOCIAL LOAFING • Def: people don’t work as hard when they work in a group rather than alone • Causes: ppl feel no personal importance; some feel they can get a free ride

DEINDIVIDUATION • Def: the reduction of self-awareness and personal responsibility when part of a group whose members feel anonymous • Causes: become immersed in the group; anonymity lowers accountability (no longer responsible for their personal actions) • Stanford Prison Experiment

BYSTANDER EFFECT • Def: individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present • Called the diffusion of responsibility (someone else will do it) • The larger the group, the more likely to experience Bystander

Group decision making

Group polarization • Def: a group’s main opinion becomes stronger/more extreme after an issue is discussed

GROUPTHINK • Def: when a cohesive decision-making group ignores or dismisses reasonable alternatives • Ways to prevent: encourage other views, get outside experts, play devil’s advocate

Social influence

CONFORMITY • Def: when ppl adopt the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of other members of a group • A response to real or imagined pressure • Asch Conformity experiments: 76% will simply agree with an incorrect majority opinion to avoid causing problems • Factors that promote: size of the majority; unanimity of the majority; characteristics of the majority; difficulty of the task

OBEDIENCE • Def: performance of an action in response to direct orders from a perceived authority • Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: 65 -70% will harm others if directed to do so (women are less likely) • Factors that promotes: cultural values; pressure to conform

DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT OF GROUP MEMBERS

In-group/out-group • In-group: those with whom you identify • In-group bias: tendency to judge the behavior of in-group members favorably and out-group members unfavorably • Out-group: do not identify with • Out-group homogeneity: to view out-group members as very similar to one another

STEREOTYPES • Def: mental image of a group that exaggerates or oversimplifies their characteristics • Can be positive or negative

PREJUDICE • Def: a learned prejudgment directed toward ppl solely b/c they belong in a specific social group • Can be positive or negative • Social divisions and inequalities contribute • Frustration and perceived threats intensify prejudice

DISCRIMINATION • Def: differential treatment, usually negative, directed at members of a group • It is an action (prejudice is the attitude)

INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION Def: the positive feelings toward another person

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE ATTRACTION • 1) Physical attractiveness: men place greater value on youth and physical attractiveness; women place greater value on financial resources, maturity, and ambition • Matching Hypothesis: a romantic pair is most likely judged by others as similar in physical attractiveness • 2) Proximity: nearness; we make more friends among those we live and work close to; familiar ppl are safe and approachable • • Mere exposure effect: repeated exposure increases likelihood of developing attraction 3) Similarity: most attracted to ppl who share our interests, values, and experiences

ROMANTIC LOVE VS. COMPANIONATE LOVE • Romantic Love: intense feelings of attraction (typically fades after 6 to 30 months) • Companionate Love: strong feelings of admiration, respect, and commitment; strengthened by mutual sharing (intimacy)

AGGRESSION Def: behavior that is intended to cause harm

influences • Biological: evolutionary psychs believe humans are instinctively aggressive; testosterone is linked to aggression • Psychosocial: Frustration-aggression hypothesis—frustration leads to anger, anger leads to aggression; social rejection, minimal parental control (esp by father), parental models all contribute to aggressive tendencies

REDUCING AGGRESSION • Superordinate goals: shared goals; Robbers Cave Experiment • Conciliatory acts: reciprocity promotes trust • Communication: no guarantee