Unit 14 Social Psychology Module 74 Attribution Attitudes

Unit 14 Social Psychology Module 74: Attribution, Attitudes, and Actions Module 75: Conformity and Obedience Module 76: Group Behavior Module 77: Prejudice and Discrimination Module 78: Aggression Module 79: Attraction Module 80: Altruism, Conflict, and Peacemaking

Social Psych versus Sociology • Social Psychologists study how individuals interact with each other and society at large. • Sociologists explore the behavior of groups and cultures as they interact internally and externally.

The Fundamental Attribution Error • Attribution Theory – scientific process of forming perceptions of others • Fundamental Attribution Error: • Tendency to incorrectly attribute behavior of others or of ourselves • Dispositional Attributions – stable, enduring, internally triggered • Situational Attributions – externally triggered, unstable • Self Serving Bias: “I won because I’m a beast. ” • Defensive Attribution: “She got raped because of how she dresses. ” Cultural Influences: Westerners and political conservatives are more likely to make dispositional attributions while Non-Westerners and political liberals are more likely to make situational attributions.

Making Attributions 1. Sergio the Magnificent just won a million dollar on a TV talent show Situational: ______________________ Dispositional: ______________________ 2. Frankie totaled his brand new SUV. Situational: ______________________ Dispositional: ______________________ 3. Diane arrives to school at 8: 30. Situational: ______________________ Dispositional: ______________________ Covariation Model of Attribution considers the role of Consensus and Consistency. How would these 2 things influence your answers above?

Attitudes and Actions Central Route Persuasion Uses evidence and logic to make their claim Peripheral Route Persuasion Relies on emotions and anecdotes More likely to be effective at changing attitudes over time Celebrity endorsement or attractive people

Attitudes and Actions • Chicken or the egg problem… Which comes first? • Actions STRENGTHEN Attitudes- we believe more firmly about things we have had to stand up for • Foot in the Door Phenomenon • Get people to agree to a small request and add more on later • “Mom, can I stay out an extra hour this Saturday? ” • Once your gone… “Mom, Jase is giving me a ride but he doesn’t have to be home for two more hours” • “It would just be easier if I stayed here tonight…. ”

Role Playing Affects Attitudes Role playing strongly impacts our attitudes about ourselves and others even when we know we are just playing a role (or that someone else is). The Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

Cognitive Dissonance If our attitudes and behaviors don’t match, we are likely to adjust our attitudes to match the reality of our behaviors. • Examples: • Boy likes girl. He tells friends he’s going to ask her out. Girl rejects boy and laughs at him. Boy tells friends “she’s ugly and nasty anyway” • Americans supported invading Iraq to find WMD, we didn’t find WMD, Americans revised the initial rationale for invading Iraq and continue to support “liberating the oppressed people of Iraq” • Girl suffers embarrassing hazing to join sorority, convinces herself she must really want to be a part of the group and feels an increased level of commitment

Conformity • Adjusting your behavior or thinking to match a group or perceived group • Automatic Mimicry • Being around someone who touches their face will often prompt others to touch their face • Mood Contagion • Happy people make us happy; no one wants to hang out with Eeyore • Re Look how unique they all are! •

Conformity • Solomon Asch Experiment • After hearing 5 obviously wrong answers, one third of people were still willing to give an incorrect answer • Asch Experiment

Social Psych Videos • Face The Rear (elevator) - conformity • Don’t Eat Light - compliance • Picketing Everything - obedience • Delaware is Closed - obedience • Invisible Glass - compliance • Sharing Ice Cream – influence • Obeying a Fake Cop; Shocking a Stranger • Smoke in the Room • Marry a Stranger

Obedience Stanley Milgram (1960 s) • Seemed to be randomly picked to be “teacher” or “learner” • The learner screamed and provided no further answers once 300 volts (“Severe Shock”) was reached • 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 Original Milgram Footage

Social Facilitation v. Social Loafing • Facilitation • Tendency to have performance enhanced by the presence of an audience • Individual tasks • BBN • Loafing • Tendency to decrease effort when responsibility for a task is distributed among group members • Group tasks

Group Polarization v. Groupthink • Polarization • Enhancement and solidification of opinions because of spending time of like minded individuals • “birds of a feather” mentality • Groupthink • Not thinking critically in a group to preserve harmony within the group • Imagine someone mindlessly nodding along

Prejudice is an attitude Discrimination is a behavior

Roots of Prejudice • Social • Just-world phenomenon: “people get what they deserve” belief • Then how do you explain that one really sweet kid who Santa didn’t come visit? Huh? HUH? ! • Ingroup v. Outgroup • Emotional • Scapegoat theory – think of the backlash ordinary police officers are facing amid the current events and behaviors of some • Cognitive • Humans naturally categorize things • Other-race effect- Tendency to feel that “All _____ people look the same to me” • Vivid cases feed stereotypes, easier to recall • Natural resistance to change

Aggression • Biology of Aggression • Genetic – animals can be bred for aggression • Neural – frontal lobe damage, amgydala activation • Biochemical – testosterone & alcohol

Aggression • Social-Cultural Factors • Aversive events – heat, proximity, pain, odors increase hostility • Parenting styles - spankings, etc • Media – “social scripts” • Pornography influences attitudes regarding aggressive sexual acts • Video Games – GTA lead to a copycat murder in 2002 • Bottom line – YES! Violent video games are influential in aggressive behaviors!

Attraction • Proximity – most likely to end up with someone near to us • Mere Exposure Effect – a fondness for things/people we see frequently • How do we know what pretty is? • Evolutionary explanations • Varys culture to culture • 18 different countries Photoshop same original photo to their ideal standard of beauty

Love • Passionate Love • • Intense All-consuming Temporary Causes us to ignore partners flaws • Companionate Love • • Deep affectionate attachment Marriage Commitment Increased by equity, selfdisclosure, and intimacy

Altruism • Selfless act to benefit others (questionable if it exists at all) –Kitty Genovese –Queens NYC 1964 • Bystander Intervention –Diffusion of responsibility –Bystander Effect video