1. Chapter 14: Social Psychology Lectures 20, 21, & 22

2. Learning Outcomes
Define social psychology.
Explain why people obey authority figures and conform to social norms.
Define attitude and discuss factors that shape it.

3. Learning Outcomes
Define social perception and describe the factors that contribute to it.
Describe how and why people behave differently as group members than as individuals.

4. People act in accord with their consciences.
Truth or Fiction?
People act in accord with their consciences.
We appreciate things more when we have to work for them.
Truth or Fiction? People act in accord with their consciences. False
Truth or Fiction? We appreciate things more when we have to work for them. True.

5. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Opposites attract.
Truth or Fiction?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Opposites attract.
Truth or Fiction? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. False.
Truth or Fiction? Opposites attract. False.

6. Truth or Fiction?
We tend to hold others responsible for their misdeeds but to see ourselves as victims of circumstances when we misbehave.
Most people will torture an innocent person if they are ordered to do so.
Truth or Fiction? We tend to hold others responsible for their misdeed but to see ourselves as victims of circumstances when we misbehave. True.
Truth or Fiction? Most people will torture an innocent person if they are ordered to do so. True.

7. Truth or Fiction? Seeing is believing.
Nearly 40 people stood by and did nothing while a woman was being stabbed to death.
Truth or Fiction? Seeing is believing. False.
Truth and Fiction? Nearly 40 people stood by and did nothing while a woman was being stabbed to death. True

8. 1. What is Social Psychology?
Study of the nature and causes of people’s thoughts and behavior in social situations

9. 2. Social Influence Obedience to Authority
Milgram Studies (60s)
Majority complied to demands of authority even when that required they ‘inflict’ a harmful shock on innocent people

10. Figure The Experimental Setup in the Milgram Studies (VIDEO) When the “learner” makes an error, the experimenter prods the “teacher: to deliver a painful electric shock.

11. 4. Factors Contributing to Obedience to Authority
Socialization
Lack of social comparison
Perception of legitimacy of authority figures
Foot-in-the-door technique (other techniques)
door-in the-face technique; low-ball technique
Inaccessibility of values
Buffers between perpetrator and victim
Foot- in –the door technique- compliance to a larger request is gained by preceding it with a very small request

12. 5. Conformity
Conform – when we change our behavior to adhere to social norms
Social norms – widely accepted expectations concerning social behaviors
Conformity- A change in behavior, belief, or both to conform to a group norm as a result of real or imagined group pressure

13. 6. Conformity
Asch Study (1955)
Most people will conform, even when they are wrong

14. 7.

15. 8. Factors Contributing to Conformity
Collectivist culture
Desire to be liked by group members
Low self-esteem
Social shyness
Lack of familiarity with task
Group size
Social support

16. 9. How Groups Influence Us? Social Facilitation
Presence of others facilitates performance AKA social facilitation (audience)
Increased arousal or motivation
Evaluation apprehension
Presence of others impairs performance (part or a group)
Social loafing
Diffusion of responsibility

17. 10. The Bystander Effect and the Kitty Genovese Case.
The probability of a person’s helping in an emergency is greater when there are no other bystanders than when there are other bystanders
Need to decide if this is an emergency
Decide if personally responsible or not
Decide how to help
Students share their experiences Re their adjustment to college.(Darley & Latane, 1968).
Truth and Fiction? Nearly 40 people stood by and did nothing while a woman was being stabbed to death. True. It is true, as evidenced by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City more than 40 years ago.
Strength in Numbers? Maybe not. (See text for a discussion on the impact of increasing numbers on helping behavior.

18. 11. Altruism and the Bystander Effect
Altruism-selfless concern for the welfare of others
Factors that influence decision to help
Good mood
Empathic
Believe an emergency exists
Assume responsibility to act
Know what to do
Know the people who need help
Similarity to people who need help
Truth and Fiction? Nearly 40 people stood by and did nothing while a woman was being stabbed to death. True. It is true, as evidenced by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City more than 40 years ago.
Strength in Numbers? Maybe not. (See text for a discussion on the impact of increasing numbers on helping behavior.

19. 12. Mob Behavior and Deindividuation
Highly emotional crowds may induce “mob behavior”
Deindividuation
The loss of self-awareness and self restraint in a group situation that fosters arousal and anonymity
lower concern of social evaluation

20. 13. Polarization and the “Risky Shift”
Polarization – taking an extreme position
Or strengthening of the group prevailing opinion about a topic following group discussion
Risky shift

21. 14. Groupthink originated by Irving Janis 1982
Unrealistic group decision making in which external realities are ignored
Influenced by
Cohesiveness of group
Dynamic group leader
External threat

22. 15. Contributors to Groupthink
Feelings of invulnerability
Group’s belief in its rightness
Discrediting of information contrary to decision
Pressure for group conformity
Stereotyping of members of out-group

23. 16.Group Decision Making
Social decision schemes
Majority-wins
Truth-wins
Two-thirds majority
First-shift rule

24. 17. Attitude
A relatively stable evaluation of a person, object, situation, or issue, along a continuum ranging from positive to negative, including behavioral tendencies that follow.
Attitudes are largely learned, and they affect behavior.

25. 18. Components of an Attitude Attitude toward Exercise
Cognitive component (thoughts and believes about attitudinal object)
“Exercise is good for your health,” it’s good stress reliever,” “it improves my appearance”
Emotional Component (Feelings toward attitudinal object)
“Exercise make me feel great”
Behavioral Component (Predisposition to act toward attitudinal object)
“I exercise every day,” “I read articles about exercise”
“I buy exercise equipment”

26. 19. Is Our Behavior Consistent w/Our Attitude?
Factors that affect the link between Attitudes (A) and Behavior (B)
Specificity
Strength of attitudes
Vested interest
Accessibility
Truth or Fiction? People act in accord with their consciences. False. The links between attitudes (A) and behaviors (B) tend to be weak to moderate.

27. 20. Attitude Formation
Learned attitudes
Conditioning or learning by observation
Cognitive Appraisal
Form opinion after appraisal and evaluation of situation

28. 21. Changing Attitudes Through Persuasion
Elaboration likelihood model- describes the way in which people respond to persuasive message
Central route of persuasion
Inspires thoughtful consideration of evidence and arguments
Peripheral route of persuasion
Associate with positive or negative cues

29. 22. The Persuasive Message
Repeated exposure to things and people enhances their appeal
“Fear” appeal is more persuasive than facts

30. 23. The Persuasive Communicator
Characterized by:
Expertise;
Trustworthiness
Attractiveness
Similarity to their audience
Selective avoidance and selective exposure

31. 24. The Context of the Message
Alcohol
Complements
Aspects of immediate environment (music)
Agreement and praise.

32. 25. The Persuaded Audience
High self-esteem
Low social anxiety are more likely to resist social pressure.
“I was worried about what the other person think of me if I refuse”
“It is better to help others than to be self-centered.”
“The other person might be hurt or insulted if I refuse.”
“It does not matter what the other person thinks of me.”
“I am perfectly free to say no.”
“This request is unreasonable.”

33. 26. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
When attitudes and behavior are inconsistent, individuals are motivated to reduce that inconsistency
Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)
Attitude-discrepant behavior
People paid less rated the task more interesting
Effort justification
Truth or Fiction? We appreciate things more when we have to work for them. True. An example of effort justification, we do tend to appreciate things more when we have to work for them.

34. 27.Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudice - attitude
Cognitive level – expectation that members of target group will behave poorly
Behavioral – avoidance, aggression and discrimination
Stereotypes – fixed conventional attitudes
May be positive or negative

35. 28. Prejudice and Discrimination
Sources of Prejudice
Dissimilarity
Social conflict
Social learning
Information processing
Social categorization

36. Interpersonal Attraction
Selection of a Partner
Romantic Love

37. 29. Interpersonal Attraction
Factors contributing to attraction
Physical appearance, similarity, and reciprocity
Physical appearance
Standards for beauty are cross-cultural
Large eyes, high cheekbones, narrow jaws
Truth or Fiction? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. False. Although there may be individual preferences, it does not seem that standards for beauty are so flexible that they are fully “in the eye of the beholder.” Many standards for beauty appear to be cross-cultural.

38. 30.Interpersonal Attraction
Attraction-Similarity Hypothesis
Our partners tend to be like us
Similarity in Attitudes
We are attracted to people who share our attitudes
Factors that influence our preferences
Propinquity
Truth or Fiction? Opposites attract. False. Despite the familiar saying “Opposites attract,” it seems that people who are similar are more likely than opposites to be attracted to one another

39. 31. Selecting a Partner
Gender differences in preferences
Males – physical appearance
Females – professional status

40. 31. Love
Triangular model of love
Intimacy
Passion
Commitment
Romantic love combines intimacy and passion
Consummate love combines all three

41. Social Perception

42. First Impressions
First impressions matter a great deal
We infer traits from behavior
Primacy effect
Recency effect

43. Attribution Theory
Process by which one draws conclusions about the influences on another’s behavior
Dispositional attributions
Internal factors
Situational attributions
External factors

44. Actor – observer effect Fundamental attribution error
Attribution Theory
Actor – observer effect
Fundamental attribution error
Attribute too much of other’s behavior on dispositional
Cultural bias – individualistic cultures
Self-serving bias
Truth or Fiction? We tend to hold others responsible for their misdeed but to see ourselves as victims of circumstances when we misbehave. True as evidenced by the fundamental attribution error.
Actor – observer effect - Behavior of others – dispositional; Behavior of self - situational
Self-serving bias - Successes attributed to internal factors; Failures attributed to external factors

45. Body Language
Communication through posture and gestures
Touching
Gazing and Staring
Gazing and holding hands game

46. Slides to help expand the lectures
Beyond the Book
Slides to help expand the lectures

47. Factors Contributing to the Attribution Process
Dispositional factors
Low consensus
High consistency
Low distinctiveness
Situational factors
High consensus
Low consistency
High distinctiveness

48. Video Connections: Stereotype Threat
Agree or disagree: The solution to stereotype threat lies in society and not in the individual
Learning Objectives of Video Connections: Stereotype Threat.
To understand some of the stereotypes that exist in our society, and how they affect people’s behavior.
To understand the theory of stereotype threat and how it is applied.
Explain how Claude Steele induced and reduced stereotype threat in his experiment.

49. Stereotype Threat
PLAY
VIDEO