Social Psychology AttitudeAttractionGroup Behavior

Social Psychology- OUR LAST CHAPTER  Scientific study of how we think about, influence, & relate to one another. AttitudeAttractionGroup Behavior

Attribution Theory Tries to give a explanation for someone’s behavior It is either a…. Situational Attribution Dispositional Attribution – Or your personality / general mood

Attribution Theory Example A Child’s Hostility: – Does she have an aggressive personality Dispositional – Or is she reacting to stress or abuse? Situational

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 How do you view your teacher’s behavior? You probably attribute it to their personality rather than their profession. But do you really know?

Attitudes Belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events Advertising is ALL based on attitude formation. – Mere Exposure Effect DO OUR ATTITUDES GUIDE OUR ACTIONS? P.698 DO OUR ACTIONS AFFECT OUR ATTITUDE?

Role Playing affects Attitudes: Zimbardo’s Prison Study Philip Zimbardo has students at Stanford U play the roles of prisoner and prison guards in the basement of psychology building. They were given uniforms and numbers for each prisoner. What do you think happened?

Cognitive Dissonance Theory  We act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent  when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes Usually they will change their attitude. You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!! The teacher was really bad so in that class it is OK.

How do we influence each other? How are we affected by the pressure to conform and obey and by group interaction? Behavior is contagious!

Conformity Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Asch’s Study of Conformity

Asch’s Results About 1/3 of the participants conformed. 70% conformed at least once. To strengthen conformity: The group is unanimous The group is at least three people. One admires the group’s status

Why do people conform? Normative social influence People conform because the want to gain approval or avoid disapproval Informational social influence People conform because of their willingness to accept other’s opinion about reality.

Milgram’s Study Of Obedience

What did we learn from Milgram? Ordinary people can do shocking things. Ethical issues…. Would not have received approval from today’s IRB (Internal Review Board).

Results of the Milgram Study

How do Groups Influence our Behavior?

Social Loafing The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable.

Group Polarization Groups tend to make more extreme decisions than the individual.

Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination Stereotype: Overgeneralized idea about a group of people. Prejudice: Undeserved (usually negative) attitude towards a group of people. Discrimination: An action based on a prejudice.

Does perception change with race, age, or gender?

Social Roots of Prejudice Social Inequality – The “haves” & the “have nots” – Money, power, prestige Ingroup – “Us” Outgroup – “Them” Ingroup bias – Tendency to favor one’s own group Scapegoat Theory – That prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame – Arabic people after 9/11

Combating Prejudice Contact Theory Contact between hostile groups will reduce animosity if they are made to work towards a superordinate goal. Election of Obama? War on Terrorism

Attraction Factors of Attraction

Proximity Geographic nearness – Possibly the most powerful predictor of friendship Mere exposure effect: Repeated exposure to something breeds liking. The more you see, the more likely you are to begin to like what’s around you. P. 729

Physical Attractiveness

Physically attractiveness predicts dating frequency (they date more). They are perceived as healthier, happier, more honest and successful than less attractive counterparts. True? Physical attractiveness varies among cultures

Similarity Couples are likely to share common beliefs & interests Birds of the same feather do flock together. Similarity breeds content.

Last Slide! Please know Ch. 18 Vocab…there is a lot Also, read the “Review & Reflect” of Ch. 18 – Pg. 702 – 713 – Ch. 18 exam next class