Social Psychology Todd J. Farchione, Ph.D.

What is social psychology?  Dominant sub-discipline within psychology  Views behavior as a function of people and their environment  Major topics fall under:  Social influence  Social perception  Social interaction

Historical Perspective  Became more prominent in the ‘20s and ‘30s  World War II  Analysis of propaganda  Social factors underlying atrocities Gender issues Racial prejudice Social problems

Conformity  Major motives  Informational social influence  Normative social influence  Muzafer Sharif (1908 – 1988)  Solomon Asch (1920 – 1996)

Compliance  Factors in promoting compliance  Direct pressure  Friendship/liking  Scarcity  Reciprocity  Authority  Stanley Milgram (1933 – 1984)  Cialdini (1975)

Group Decision-Making and Dynamics  Polarization  Groupthink  Facilitation vs. Interference  Kurt Lewin (1890 – 1947)  Group productivity  Communication  Social perception  Intergroup relations  Group membership  Training leaders

More on Group Dynamics  Conflict resolution

Social Influence  Phillip Zimbardo – Stanford Prison Experiment  Bystander Effect

Social Cognition Research  Attributions  Internal (dispositional) vs. External (situational)  Attributional biases and errors  Heuristics  Stereotypes  Schemas Internal AttributionsExternal Attributions Attributions About OneselfPositive: I did a good job because I’m smart Negative: I did a bad job because I’m inept Positive: I did a good job because the task was easy Negative: I did a bad job because there wasn’t time Attributions About OthersPositive: She did a good job because she’s smart Negative: She did a bad job because she’s inept Positive: She did a good job because it was easy Negative: She did a bad job because there wasn’t time