Chapter 14 Social Psychology This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. ISBN:

Situationism – View that environmental conditions influence people’s behavior as much or more than their personal dispositions do (Person vs. Situation) How Does the Social Situation Affect our Behavior?

Social Standards of Behavior Social roles – socially defined patterns of behavior in a given setting or group Scripts

The Prison Study Subjects were physically and mentally healthy young men who volunteered to participate for money. They were randomly assigned to be prisoners or guards. Those assigned the role of prisoner became distressed, helpless, and panicky. Those assigned the roles of guards became either nice, “tough but fair,” or tyrannical. Study had to be ended after 6 days.

Individuals in Groups Conformity. Groupthink. Obedience Deindividuation

Conformity The Asch studies A123 Standard line Comparison lines

Groupthink - polarization If a group is like-minded, discussion strengthens its prevailing opinions High Prejudice Low Before discussionAfter discussion Low-prejudice groups High-prejudice groups

Groupthink Symptoms of groupthink include –Illusion of invincibility. –Self-censorship. –Pressure on dissenters to conform. –Illusion of unanimity. Groupthink can be counteracted by: –Creating conditions rewarding dissent –Include “devil’s advocate”.

Why Do We Obey Authority?

Obedience Milgram’s obedience experiment The shocking results…

Social Influence Milgram’s obedience experiment XXX ( ) Percentage of subjects who obeyed experimenter Slight (15-60) Moderate (75-120) Strong ( ) Very strong ( ) Intense ( ) Extreme intensity ( ) Danger severe ( ) Shock levels in volts The majority of subjects continued to obey to the end

The Bystander Problem The murder of Kitty Genovese Why didn’t people help?

Bystander Intervention in an Emergency

Deindividuation In groups or crowds, the loss of awareness of one’s own individuality. Factors influencing deindividuation. –Size of city, group. –Uniforms or masks. Deindividuation can influence unlawful as well as friendly behaviors.

The judgments we make about others depend not only on their behavior but on our interpretation of the social situation What Influences Our Judgments of Others?

Social Cognition How do people’s perceptions of themselves and others affects: –Their relationships, thoughts, beliefs and values. Attribution Theory Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

Social Thinking Negative behavior Situational attribution “Maybe that driver is ill.” Dispositional attribution “Crazy driver!” Tolerant reaction (proceed cautiously, allow driver a wide berth) Unfavorable reaction (speed up and race past the other driver, give a dirty look)

The Actor Observer Effect Consists of the observer attributing the action of the actor to the actor and his own actions to the situation Two explanations…

Attributions: more… Self-serving bias Just-world hypothesis “Bad people are punished and good people are rewarded.”

Attitudes A relatively stable opinion containing beliefs and emotional feelings about a topic. Affect (like – dislike) Belief (ideas about) Behavior (approach – avoid)

Changing attitudes * Peripheral route & Central route * Peripheral: Source of communication expertise, credibility, attractiveness, status, similarity Validity effect (a.k.a., mere exposure effect) * Central: slow & difficult * Face to face communication is thought to be more effective

Persuasion and Influencing Others: Social Reciprocity Other persuasive techniques: –“Foot-in-the-Door” –“Door-in-the-Face”

Factors Influencing Attitude Change Change in social environment Change in behaviors. Due to a need for consistency. –Cognitive Dissonance

Classic Experiment on Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger & Carlsmith) Procedures 1. boring tasks 2. lie to another student 3. Paid either $1 or $20 4. Interviewed on feelings toward task

In the interview, one of these groups ($1 or $20) expressed a negative attitude toward the task (similar to the Control Group’s) while the other group expressed a positive attitude. ? Question: According to the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, which group should form a positive attitude, and why? Answer: The $1 group should form positive attitude. They said something they didn’t believe with a minimum amount of justification.

Need for Cognitive Consistency

Stereotypes Summary impressions of a group, belief that members share a common trait or traits (positive, negative, or neutral). Allow us to quickly process new information and retrieve memories. Distort reality in 3 ways. –Exaggerates the differences between groups. –Produce selective perception. –Underestimates the similarities between groups.

Origins of Prejudice Psychological functions. Social and cultural functions. Economic functions.

Reducing Prejudice and Conflict Groups must have equal legal status, economic opportunities, and power. Authorities and community institutions must endorse egalitarian norms and provide moral support and legitimacy for both sides. Both sides must have opportunities to work and socialize together, formally and informally. Both sides must cooperate, working together for a common goal.