Unit XIV Social Psychology What is Social psychology

Unit XIV Social Psychology

What is Social psychology? § scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Social Thinking § Attribution Theory § tendency to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition § Fundamental Attribution Error § tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition § http: //youtu. be/6 c 3 uw. OYn. Ufs

Social Thinking § Attitude § belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events

Social Thinking § How we explain someone’s behavior affects how we react to it Tolerant reaction Situational attribution (proceed cautiously, allow “Maybe that driver is ill. ” driver a wide berth) Negative behavior Unfavorable reaction Dispositional attribution(speed up and race past the “Crazy driver!” other driver, give a dirty look)

Social Thinking § Our behavior is affected by our inner attitudes as well as by external social influences Internal attitudes External influences Behavior

Social Thinking § Attitudes follow behavior § Cooperative actions feed mutual liking

Social Thinking § Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon § tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request http: //youtu. be/Yz. Qnq. Zz. PHDU

Social Thinking § Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Leon Festinger) § we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent § example- when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes

Social Thinking § Cognitive dissonance

Social Influence § Conformity § adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard § http: //youtu. be/f. QI 8 p. ZJi. Me 0 (Candid Camera) § http: //youtu. be/Tr. NIu. Frso 8 I (Info. )

Social Influence § The chameleon effect Number of times 0. 8 0. 7 0. 6 0. 5 0. 4 0. 3 Participant rubs face Confederate rubs face Participant shakes foot Confederate shakes foot

Social Influence The effect other people have on us Conformity this is the way in which our thoughts and actions are affected by the presence of those around us. - conscious and unconscious behavior

Social Influence § Asch’s conformity experiments http: //youtu. be/i. Rh 5 qy 09 n. Nw

Asch Aim – To see if social influence was as strong if the task was less ambiguous Method – Asked participants to match a test line to 3 different lines, one of which was clearly a good match. He used actors for most of the group and asked them to say the wrong line. He then recorded the response of the naive participant Results – Participants conformed saying the obviously wrong answer 32% of the time (1 out of 3 conformed) Conclusion – social influence still occurs but is less strong with a less ambiguous task

Deutsch and Gerrard suggested there were 2 main reasons for social influence Informative social influence Normative social influence

The ‘need to be right’ Informative social influence When we are in ambiguous situations we are unsure how to act so we look to see what other people are doing and copy them because we assume they are right. This is particularly true if we believe the people around us to have superior knowledge e. g. older more experienced The ‘need to be liked’ Normative social influence When we are in a social situation we have a strong desire to be liked by the rest of the group and therefore do or say things to make this more likely. However, our desire to be liked may be higher for certain groups of people and therefore our need to conform may go up

Can you think of examples when you have experienced a) Normative social influence b) Informative social influence

What type of conformity do these instances show? • Wearing the same style of clothes as your friends • Answering a difficult question the same as someone else because you don’t know the answer • Walking past a screaming child because everyone else is • Joining a queue without checking what it is for • Wearing your tie half undone • Saying ‘in-it’ at the end of a sentence • Copying a spelling mistake made on the power. Point • Starting to wear make up in year 8

Do you think all culture conform to the same extent? Studies have shown that Japanese cultures conform the most. The Japanese government are trying to reduce the conformity in their schools to try to increase the level of creative thinking and innovation The French have a very low level of conformity and are well known for striking against things they do not like

Social Influence § Deindividuation § loss of self-awareness and selfrestraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Social Influence 50% Difficult judgments 40 Percentage of conformity to confederates’ wrong answers Conformity highest on important judgments 30 20 10 0 Easy judgments Low High Importance § Participants judged which person in Slide 2 was the same as the person in Slide 1

Social Influence § Some individuals resist social coercion

Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment 1971 OBEDIENCE AND SOCIAL ROLES… http: //youtu. be/s. Zwf. Ns 1 pq. G 0 (Info. site) http: //youtu. be/s. Zwf. Ns 1 pq. G 0 (youtube video)

Social Influence § Social Facilitation § improved performance of tasks in the presence of others § occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered

Social Facilitation

Social Influence § Milgram’s follow-up obedience experiment http: //youtu. be/Bcv. SNg 0 HZwk

Social Loafing -Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable How could you test this at school? With your table, design a study and share out in 2 minutes…

Think about What could affect the level of social loafing? Size of Group The Task Performed Culture

Social Relations § Bystander Effect § tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present http: //youtu. be/Jozm. WS 6 x. YEw http: //youtu. be/t. Ga. Jrgi_Sp. E

Diffusion of responsibility poem Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, And Nobody This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

Obedience Following orders of someone in authority Conformity Change in a persons behaviour or opinions as the result of group pressure Deindividuation Social Loafing Bystander Effect The state of losing out sense of individuality and becoming less aware of our own responsibility for our actions when people do not put in as much effort as a member of group as they do as an individual People are less likely to help when they are in a crowd because responsibility is diffused

Social Influence § Group Polarization § enhancement of a group’s prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group § Groupthink § mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives § http: //youtu. be/q. Ypb. St. Myz_I

Social Influence § If a group is like-minded, discussion strengthens its prevailing opinions

Social Relations § Prejudice § an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members § involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action § Stereotype § a generalized (sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Origins of Prejudice Socialization We are not born with stereotypes, but we grow to imitate those who we respect Realistic Group Conflict Theory When groups are forced to compete for scarce resources (e. g. , good jobs, nice homes, college educations), they threaten each other in a very negative manner ‘Our group is better than yours’ becomes justification for greater access to these positive resources

Social Relations § Does perception change with race?

Stereotypes If we use schemas to form overall impressions of others because we are cognitive misers… Stereotypes: group schemas, containing a set of beliefs about people in a particular social category Stereotype Threat: http: //youtu. be/n. GEUVM 6 Qu. Mg

Social Relations § Americans today express much less racial and gender prejudice

Social Relations § Vivid cases (9/11 terrorists) feed stereotypes

Ways to Reduce Prejudice Allport’s Contact Theory Under certain conditions, direct contact between members of different groups will improve relations Contact must involve: Mutual interdependence A common goal Equal status of groups Informal, interpersonal contact Multiple contacts Social norms of equality

Social Relations § Ingroup § “Us”- people with whom one shares a common identity § Outgroup § “Them”- those perceived as different or apart from one’s ingroup § Ingroup Bias § tendency to favor one’s own group

Social Relations § Scapegoat Theory § theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame § Just-World Phenomenon § tendency of people to believe the world is just § people get what they deserve and deserve what they get § http: //youtu. be/a 0 j. Zz. BEKIMc

Social Relations § Aggression § any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy Assertiveness Behavior intended to express dominance or confidence Assertiveness is not aggression § Frustration-Aggression Principle § principle that frustration – the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal – creates anger, which can generate aggression

Violence U. S. has highest murder rate in the world among developed countries More than 15, 000 murders every year More than 92, 000 reported rapes More than 7 million reported violent acts overall Every 5 minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime More than 50% of 5 th graders report being a victim of violence (70% of those have seen weapons used) Guns kill an American child every 3 hours

Biological Theories Aggressive impulses may be hereditary Twin studies: Correlations of aggression higher among monozygotic twins than dizygotic pairs Aggression is associated with Low levels of serotonin High levels of testosterone Activation of the amygdala can lead to aggressive behaviors (though it still depends on situational factors)

Gender Differences in Aggression Men use more physical, direct forms of aggression Men’s aggression is more likely to do physical harm, and thus gets more attention Girls and women use more indirect forms of aggression (e. g. , spreading rumors). There is no clear sex difference in reporting feelings of anger

Gender Differences in Aggression Provocation: The great equalizer? Men are more likely to attack physically when unprovoked than women What happens when people are irritated, frustrated, or threatened by another person? Bettencourt & Miller (1996) Conducted a meta-analysis of gender differences in aggression Found that when provocation is involved, the typical gender difference in physical aggression is reduced or eliminated

Physical Discomfort & Aggression Heat Humidity Pain Noxious fumes Poverty Crowding

Social Relations

Media Violence More TV sets in United States than toilets Media consumption is #1 pass-time among Americans, particularly youth 60%-70% of all TV programs contain violence 70%-80% show no remorse, criticism, or penalty for the violence By the time the average American child graduates from elementary school: More than 8, 000 murders More than 100, 000 other acts of violence (e. g. , assaults, rape)

Media Violence More recently, video games have become kids’ favorite form of media 90% of kids age 2 -17 play regularly Majority of popular games are violent

Media Violence Since at least 1970, researchers have known of a link between violent media and aggression Weakened inhibitions against violent behavior Imitation of specific violent acts Aggression primed as a response to anger Desensitization to violence Overestimation of prevalence of violence in real life VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES: http: //youtu. be/k. H 38 gqv. PUu. A

Effects of VVGs (Bushman & Anderson, 2001) Findings from a meta-analysis Correlation with VVG Exposure 0. 3 0. 2 0. 1 0 -0. 1 -0. 2 -0. 3 Aggression Helping Hostile Thoughts Hostile Affect Arousal

VIOLENCE AS BEHAVIOR: From a psychological perspective, what “causes” violence?

Social Relations § Conflict § perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas § Social Trap § a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Social Relations Person 1 Person 2 Choose B Choose A Choose B Optimal outcome Probable outcome § Social trap § by pursuing our self-interest and not trusting others, we can end up losers

ATTRACTION, LOVE, & RELATIONSHIPS “I knew we had a lot in common, I’m crazy too!” 59

Social Relations- Attractiveness repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of § Mere Exposure Effect § them § Conceptions of attractiveness vary by culture

Mere Exposure Effect

Social Relations § Passionate Love § an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another § usually present at the beginning of a love relationship § Companionate Love § deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined

Attraction and Relationships Relatively new to social psychology Psychologists generally only focus on individuals Romance and attraction isn’t a ‘scholarly’ thing to study Relationships have a number of important health benefits.

What Leads to Friendship and Attraction? Proximity Interaction Mere exposure

What Is Love? Passionate love A theory of passionate love Two-factor theory of emotion Variations in love: Culture and gender Companionate love http: //youtu. be/KFmp 3 D 1 CZ 14

Arousal=Love? Misattribution of arousal… http: //www. corriehunt. com/uploads/5/0/6/4/5064667/t he_bachelor_. wmv 66

Overview What leads to attraction? Proximity Mere exposure Physical attractiveness Similarity Matching 67

Social Relations § Equity § a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give § Self-Disclosure § revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others § Altruism § unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Social Relations § Social Exchange Theory § theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs § Superordinate Goals § shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Prosocial Behavior (a. ka. Altruism) Prosocial Behavior Any act that helps or is meant to help others It doesn’t matter what the helper’s motivation is

Mood & Helping People are more willing to help when they are in a good mood Isen & Levin, 1972 84% of those who found dime helped, only 4% of those who did not find dime helped Why do good moods increase helping? Interpret events sympathetically Mood-maintenance Good moods increase self-attention People in a bad mood will help under certain conditions Negative-state relief hypothesis People help to alleviated their own sadness and distress

Smoke-Filled Room Study 80 Percent who report smoke 60 40 20 0 Alone With 2 other real subjects With 2 calm confederates

Social Relations § Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-reduction (GRIT) § a strategy designed to decrease international tensions § one side announces recognition of mutual interests and initiates a small conciliatory act § opens door for reciprocation by other party

Two Routes to Persuasion: How do we get people to change their attitudes? Central Route: Persuasion occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts. Peripheral Route: Persuasion that results when people are influence by incidental cues such as the speaker’s attractiveness.

Computer Ad from 1989

Cigarette Ad: Low on Substance High on Image

Comparing the two Ads Can you imagine an ad for a cigarette that would look like the ad for the computer? Is that a ludicrous idea? Which “peripheral” cues are being used in the cigarette ad? Can you imagine such peripheral cues in the computer ad?