Chapter 16: Social Behavior The way individuals’ thoughts, feelings, & behavior are influenced by others 1 Chapter 16: Social Behavior

Chapter 16: Social Behavior Social Psychology Person perception Attribution processes Interpersonal attraction Attitudes Conformity & obedience Behavior in groups Chapter 16: Social Behavior 2

Chapter 16: Social Behavior Social Thinking Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later w/ a larger request Cognitive Dissonance Theory we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when 2 of our thoughts are inconsistent Chapter 16: Social Behavior 2

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others Effects of physical appearance. We ascribe desirable personality characteristics & more competent to those who are good looking. They have better jobs & get paid more. Cognitive schemas. Social schemas. Are organized clusters of ideas about categories of events & people. (Dates, meetings, dumb jokes) Stereotypes. Are products of schemas shared by cultures, that people have certain characteristics b/c of their membership of the group. (sex, age, ethnicity, job) Chapter 16: Social Behavior 3

The 3 Potential Components of Prejudice as an Attitude Chapter 16: Social Behavior 23

Relationship between Prejudice & Discrimination Chapter 16: Social Behavior 24

Examples of Social Schemas Chapter 16: Social Behavior 4

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others Subjectivity in person perception. Perception is subjective to what they see & how they see it. Illusory Correlation. People overestimate the encounters that confirm a stereotype and underestimate # of disconfirmations. Selective Attention. Selectively recall facts that fit with their schemas & stereotypes. Spotlight Effect. Assume that the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it actually does. Illusion of Asymmetric Insight. Tendency to think that their knowledge of their peers is greater then theirs peer knowledge of them. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 5

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others Evolutionary perspectives. Argue that many biases seen in social perception were adaptive of humans’ ancestral environment. Categorizing traits, help us separate friend from foe. In-group. Us Out-group. Them In-group Bias. Favor one’s own group Scapegoat Theory. prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame Just-World Phenomenon. People believe the world is just. People get what they deserve & deserve what they get. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 6

Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior Attributions. Inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others’ behavior & their own behavior Internal. The cause of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, & feelings. External. The cause of behavior is to situational demands & environmental constraints. Weiner’s model of attributions 4 Types of Attributions for Success & Failure Lack of ability Inadequate effort Too much competition Bad Luck Chapter 16: Social Behavior 7

Chapter 16: Social Behavior Bias in the Attributions used to explain success & failure by men & women Chapter 16: Social Behavior 25

Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior Biases in attributions Fundamental attribution error. Observer’s bias in favor of internal attributions in explaining others’ behavior, actor favors external attribution. Defensive attribution. Blame victims for their misfortune, so that you feel less likely to be victimized Self-serving bias. Attribute your success to personal factors & failure to situational factors. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 8

An alternative view of the fundamental attribution error Chapter 16: Social Behavior 9

Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior Cultural influences Individualism. Putting personal goals ahead of group goals & defining one’s identity in terms of personal. Collectivism. Putting group goals ahead of personal goals & defining one’s identity in terms of group. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 10

Close Relationships: Liking & Loving Key factors in attraction Interpersonal Attraction. Positive feelings towards another. Physical attractiveness. In the initial stage of dating it continues to influence the course of commitment. Matching hypothesis. People of approximately equal physical attractiveness are likely to select each other as partners. Similarity. ”birds of a feather flock together” Reciprocity. Liking those who show that they like you. Romantic Ideals. People want their partner to measure up to their ideals & we evaluate our partner to those standards. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 11

Close Relationships: Liking & Loving Perspectives on love Hatfield & Berscheid Passionate love. Complete absorption in another intense emotions of ecstasy. Companionate love. Warm, trusting, tolerant affection for another whose life is deeply intertwined. Sternberg Intimacy. Warm, closeness & sharing in a relationship Commitment. Intent to maintain a relationship in spite of difficulties & costs that may arise. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 12

Infant attachment & Romantic Relationships Chapter 16: Social Behavior 13

Attitudes & Attitude Change 3 components cognitive, affective, and behavioral Factors in changing attitudes Source. Person who sends the communication Message. Info transmitted by the source. Receiver. The person whom the message is sent to. Theories of attitude change Learning theory. Classical/Operant/Observational Cognitive Dissonance theory. Inconsistent & Contradicts Self-perception theory. Infer attitudes from behavior Elaboration likelihood model. Central Route/Peripheral Route Chapter 16: Social Behavior 14

The Possible Components of Attitudes Chapter 16: Social Behavior 15

Overview of the Persuasion Process Chapter 16: Social Behavior 16

Cognitive Dissonance Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) study Chapter 16: Social Behavior 17

Bem’s Self-Perception Theory Chapter 16: Social Behavior 18

Yielding to Others: Conformity Conformity – Solomon Asch (1950s) When people yield to real or imagined social pressure Classic experiment Group size. 2 to 4 participants increase Group unanimity. When pressure is on we tend to follow the leader. Video Clip Chapter 16: Social Behavior 19

Yielding to Others: Conformity Comparison lines Standard lines 1 2 3 Chapter 16: Social Behavior 19

Yielding to Others: Obedience Obedience – Stanley Milgram (1960s)/ Philip Zimbardo (1973) Form of compliance when following direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority. Controversial landmark experiment 65% obeyed “I was just following orders” presence of a dissenter Video Clip Chapter 16: Social Behavior 20

Behavior in Groups: The Influence of Other People The bystander effect - Darley and Latane (1968) People are less likely to help when they are in groups than when they are alone Diffusion of responsibility Group productivity Social loafing. Reduction in effort by individuals when working in groups as compared to when they work by themselves. Decision making in groups Polarization. Occurs when group discussion strengthens a group’s dominant point of view & produces a shift towards a more extreme decision in that direction. Groupthink. Occurs when members of a cohesive group emphasizes concurrence at the expense of critical thinking in arriving at a decision. Cohesiveness. Refers to the strength of the liking relationships linking group members to each other & to the group itself. Chapter 16: Social Behavior 21