Social Psychology – Ch 18 Social Cognition

Review of Ch 17 – Key Ideas  Social Psychology – scientific study of the ways that people’s behavior and mental processes are shaped by the presence of others.  Social Facilitation – simple tasks; social inhibition – complex tasks  Deindividuation – group situations minimize recognition of personal identity  Bystander Effect – reduced responsibility in the presence of others  Compliance - *important*  Obedience – Milgram study – 65% obey all the way  Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo) – institutional norms  Group Polarization and Risky Shift – Stoner and hypothetical dilemmas  Groupthink – group consensus is paramount

Stereotypes  We think and remember through schemas to increase the efficiency of cognition (preview to cognitive unit). This leads us to categorize people into groups as well.  A stereotype is a schema for a group of people  Activation of a stereotype can cause it to become automatic.  Do you hold stereotypes? Are you prejudiced?   Primacy effect plays a role in the development of stereotypes.  Self-fulfilling prophesies can reaffirm stereotypes.  Stereotype threat – the impact of stereotypes on a stereotyped individual; standardized testing research

Individuation  Assessing an individual’s qualities on a person-to-person basis.  Categorization happens immediately – why?  It increases efficiency in our thinking.  We think in ways that are influenced by culture.  We have a tendency to try to confirm our initial thinking.  Structured, cooperative contact fosters individuation.

Attribution  Trying to understand the cause of others’ behavior.  Dispositional vs. Situational Attribution  Fundamental Attribution Error – attribute behavior of others to dispositional factors  Steps of Attribution  1. Dispositional Inference  2. Situational Correction – cognitive resources to carefully think about the automatic processing.

Culture and Cognition  Does the Fundamental Attribution Error exist everywhere?  Is it an emic?  Individualist vs. Collectivist cultures – people in both cultures can commit the error, however role playing the situation caused those in a collectivist culture to be more in tune with situational constraints.  Challenges the notion of universality in cognition and social cognition.

Attitudes  Favorable or unfavorable evaluations of and reactions to the things around us.  There is a COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, and BEHAVIORAL component to them.

Persuasive Communication  Elaboration Likelihood model – persuasion depends on the likelihood we will pay attention/think  If we’re focused – persuasion follows a central route  If we’re not – persuasion follows a peripheral route  Central route: individual responds to the content of an argument; ends as a sort of self-persuasion  Peripheral route: individual responds to non-content cues of an argument

Problems with Attitudes and Behavior  LaPiere study showing that people did not follow up on their stated prejudices.  Behavior is also constrained by the situation.  Peer pressure can influence behavior.  However, strong and consistent attitudes are much more likely to predict behavior.  Specific attitudes are better predictors of behavior than general attitudes.

Interpersonal Attraction  Physical attractiveness plays a large role in our attitudes about others…why?  Evolutionary explanation – what is a beautiful face, voice, body, etc?  Cultural explanation – culture values a specific kind of beauty, we are a part of that culture.  Why are you friends with your friends?  Mere Exposure Effect – familiarity means liking  Similar cultural characteristics lead to relationships  We also seek others we perceive to be at our level of physical attractiveness

Sternberg’s Triangle of Love  Why do we love?  Self-expansion as exhilarating  In close relationships we view the other as very close to our self.  Passionate, Companionate, and Intimate Love  Emotions tend to run high early in relationships, but feelings of affection are what make relationships last.