SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

FUNDAMENTA ATTRIBUTION ERROR Def: the tendency to overemphasize personal factors and underestimate situational factors when making attributions about the cause of another person’s behavior Helps us maintain the “just-world phenomenon” Also: Saliency bias---situational factors are less noticeable, so we focus on visible personality traits

SELF-SERVING BIAS Def: we take credit for our successes and blame external forces for our failures Helps maintain self esteem

CULTURE AND ATTRIBUTION Individualistic culture: emphasize independence and personal responsibility More likely to commit FAE Collectivist culture: emphasize interdependence and collective responsibility Less likely to FAE

ATTITUDE Def: a positive, neutral, or negative evaluation of a person, object, or issue Creates reactions to people, issues, or objects

PERSUASION/ATTITUDE CHANGE Central Route: focus on logical arguments, thoughtful analysis Peripheral Route: focus on emotional appeals Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: strategy to get a person to agree to a small first request as a set-up for a much larger request later

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE Def: the state of psychological tension, anxiety, and discomfort that occurs when an individual’s attitude and behavior are inconsistent Think of it as a defense mechanism Saying/knowing one thing, but doing the opposite

THE INFLUENCE OF GROUPS

SOCIAL FACILITATION Def: tendency for an individual’s performance to improve when in the presence of others

SOCIAL INHIBITION Def: an individual’s performance declines in the presence of others

SOCIAL LOAFING Def: people don’t work as hard when they work in a group rather than alone Causes: ppl feel no personal importance; some feel they can get a free ride

DEINDIVIDUATION Def: the reduction of self-awareness and personal responsibility when part of a group whose members feel anonymous Causes: become immersed in the group; anonymity lowers accountability (no longer responsible for their personal actions) Stanford Prison Experiment

BYSTANDER EFFECT Def: individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present Called the diffusion of responsibility (someone else will do it) The larger the group, the more likely to experience Bystander

GROUP DECISION MAKING

GROUP POLARIZATION Def: a group’s main opinion becomes stronger/more extreme after an issue is discussed

GROUPTHINK Def: when a cohesive decision-making group ignores or dismisses reasonable alternatives Ways to prevent: encourage other views, get outside experts, play devil’s advocate

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

CONFORMITY Def: when ppl adopt the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of other members of a group A response to real or imagined pressure Asch Conformity experiments: 76% will simply agree with an incorrect majority opinion to avoid causing problems Factors that promote: size of the majority; unanimity of the majority; characteristics of the majority; difficulty of the task

OBEDIENCE Def: performance of an action in response to direct orders from a perceived authority Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: 65-70% will harm others if directed to do so (women are less likely) Factors that promotes: cultural values; pressure to conform

DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT OF GROUP MEMBERS

IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP In-group: those with whom you identify In-group bias: tendency to judge the behavior of in-group members favorably and out-group members unfavorably Out-group: do not identify with Out-group homogeneity: to view out-group members as very similar to one another

STEREOTYPES Def: mental image of a group that exaggerates or oversimplifies their characteristics Can be positive or negative

PREJUDICE Def: a learned prejudgment directed toward ppl solely b/c they belong in a specific social group Can be positive or negative Social divisions and inequalities contribute Frustration and perceived threats intensify prejudice

DISCRIMINATION Def: differential treatment, usually negative, directed at members of a group It is an action (prejudice is the attitude)

INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION DEF: THE POSITIVE FEELINGS TOWARD ANOTHER PERSON

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE ATTRACTION 1) Physical attractiveness: men place greater value on youth and physical attractiveness; women place greater value on financial resources, maturity, and ambition Matching Hypothesis: a romantic pair is most likely judged by others as similar in physical attractiveness 2) Proximity: nearness; we make more friends among those we live and work close to; familiar ppl are safe and approachable Mere exposure effect: repeated exposure increases likelihood of developing attraction 3) Similarity: most attracted to ppl who share our interests, values, and experiences

ROMANTIC LOVE VS. COMPANIONATE LOVE Romantic Love: intense feelings of attraction (typically fades after 6 to 30 months) Companionate Love: strong feelings of admiration, respect, and commitment; strengthened by mutual sharing (intimacy)

AGGRESSION DEF: BEHAVIOR THAT IS INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM

INFLUENCES Biological: evolutionary psychs believe humans are instinctively aggressive; testosterone is linked to aggression Psychosocial: Frustration-aggression hypothesis—frustration leads to anger, anger leads to aggression; social rejection, minimal parental control (esp by father), parental models all contribute to aggressive tendencies

REDUCING AGGRESSION Superordinate goals: shared goals; Robbers Cave Experiment Conciliatory acts: reciprocity promotes trust Communication: no guarantee