Social Psychology Chapter 16

Social Psychology The scientific study of the ways in which the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of one individual are influenced by the real, imagined, or inferred behavior or characteristics of other people The scientific study of the ways in which the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of one individual are influenced by the real, imagined, or inferred behavior or characteristics of other people

Impression Formation What do we think of others’ behavior? Primacy effect: early information is a greater determinant of attitudes Primacy effect: early information is a greater determinant of attitudes –Early information about someone makes a greater impact than later information in forming impressions –“Cognitive Misers”  Humans don’t like to spend too much time figuring people out  Go with the initial impression to save time Self-fulfilling prophecy Self-fulfilling prophecy Stereotyping Stereotyping

Attribution: How do we explain behavior? Theory that addresses the question of how people make judgments about the causes of behavior Theory that addresses the question of how people make judgments about the causes of behavior –e.g. “Why did I fail the test?” –e.g. “Why did my best friend stop talking to me?” Personal vs. Situational attribution Personal vs. Situational attribution Fundamental Attribution Error Fundamental Attribution Error Self-Serving Bias Self-Serving Bias Just-World Hypothesis Just-World Hypothesis

Attitudes Is a person’s behavior a reflection of his/her attitudes? Attitudes are relatively stable beliefs, feelings, and behaviors directed toward something/someone Attitudes are relatively stable beliefs, feelings, and behaviors directed toward something/someone Sources of Attitudes: imitation, peers, role models, mass media Sources of Attitudes: imitation, peers, role models, mass media Attitude Change Attitude Change –Persuasion – Central vs. Peripheral Route Roles e.g. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1971) Roles e.g. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1971)Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study Mere Exposure Effect Mere Exposure Effect Cognitive Dissonance Theory – Leon Festinger Cognitive Dissonance Theory – Leon Festinger Conformity – unspoken pressure to go along with group e.g. Asch Experiment Conformity – unspoken pressure to go along with group e.g. Asch Experiment Asch Experiment Asch Experiment Compliance – spoken request Compliance – spoken request Obedience – command (e.g. Milgram experiment) Obedience – command (e.g. Milgram experiment)

Group Influence Social Facilitation: In the presence of others, performance is stronger on easier tasks Social Facilitation: In the presence of others, performance is stronger on easier tasks Altruistic behavior: helping behavior that is not linked to personal gain Altruistic behavior: helping behavior that is not linked to personal gain –Bystander effect and Diffusion of Responsibility: Helpfulness decreases as bystanders increase –Kitty Genovese Case and the bystander effect Kitty Genovese Case and the bystander effectKitty Genovese Case and the bystander effect Deindividuation: Loss of personal sense of responsibility in a group Deindividuation: Loss of personal sense of responsibility in a group Risky Shift: Increased willingness of individual to take risks when making decisions as a group as opposed to making decisions as individuals. Risky Shift: Increased willingness of individual to take risks when making decisions as a group as opposed to making decisions as individuals. Group Polarization: Shift of the group toward a more extreme position following group discussion between like-minded individuals Group Polarization: Shift of the group toward a more extreme position following group discussion between like-minded individuals

Group Decision Making: Effectiveness of Groups The more people in the group… The more people in the group… –The more stable the group is –The less cohesive/efficient the group may become Social loafing Social loafing –Tendency to expend less effort when part of a large group –Decrease in individual accountability Groupthink Groupthink –Pressure to conform to group makes everyone in the group have same beliefs and attitudes –Realistic and logical decision making gives way to the desire to have consensus amongst group members Hawthorne Effect Hawthorne Effect –Behavior improves when one is being studied by others –Based on studies of Hawthorne Works Electric Factory ( )

Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice Prejudice –An intolerant, unfavorable, and rigid attitude toward a group of people; negative stereotypes. –Ultimate Attribution Error: tendency to use stereotyped beliefs about a group to make internal attributions about shortcomings and external attributions about successes. Discrimination Discrimination –An act or series of acts that denies opportunities and social esteem to an entire group of people or individual members of that group

Sources of Prejudice: Where does it come from? Frustration-aggression theory Frustration-aggression theory –People who are frustrated in their goals may turn their anger away from the proper target toward another, less powerful target Authoritarian personality Authoritarian personality –Personality pattern characterized by rigid conventionality, exaggerated respect for authority, and hostility toward those who defy social norms Racism Racism –Prejudice and discrimination directed at particular racial group based on the belief that certain groups are innately inferior –Institutionalized Racism Scapegoat Theory Scapegoat Theory –Blame others for when things go wrong for us –Tendency is to blame a “weaker” group/group in minority –e.g. antisemitism during the plague or during the economic depression of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe

Inducing Prejudice: Jane Elliot Elementary education teacher Jane Elliot wanted to teach her class about discrimination after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Elementary education teacher Jane Elliot wanted to teach her class about discrimination after the assassination of Martin Luther King. She designed an experiment to show how easily children could be transformed into prejudiced monsters. She designed an experiment to show how easily children could be transformed into prejudiced monsters. A Class Divided: video on Elliot’s work A Class Divided: video on Elliot’s work A Class Divided A Class Divided Update on the Elliot experiment with Phil Zimbardo Update on the Elliot experiment with Phil Zimbardo Update on the Elliot experiment Update on the Elliot experiment

Reducing Prejudice Recategorization Recategorization –Assumes prejudice can be linked to categorization, or how we group - usually based on stereotypes –Try to expand our schema for a particular group –What qualities are shared between groups? Controlled processing Controlled processing –Train ourselves to be more mindful of people who differ from us –Think about examples that fall outside the stereotypes Improving contact between groups Improving contact between groups –Group members must have equal status –Need one-on-one contact with other group –Relations are improved when groups come together to cooperate –Social norms should encourage contact

Leadership Great person theory Great person theory –Personal qualities qualify one to lead Right place-right time theory Right place-right time theory –Circumstances are optimal for individual with particular characteristics Fielder’s Contingency Theory Fielder’s Contingency Theory –Depends on the traits of the leader, the circumstances, and the interaction of the group itself. –Task-Oriented vs. Relationship Oriented Leaders –In extreme circumstances – very good or very bad – best to be task oriented. –In moderate circumstances, best to be relationship oriented.