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

2. Chapter 16: Social Behavior
Social Psychology
Person perception
Attribution processes
Interpersonal attraction
Attitudes
Conformity & obedience
Behavior in groups
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3. 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
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4. 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)
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5. The 3 Potential Components of Prejudice as an Attitude
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6. Relationship between Prejudice & Discrimination
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7. Examples of Social Schemas
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8. 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.
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9. 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.
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10. 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
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11. Chapter 16: Social Behavior
Bias in the Attributions used to explain success & failure by men & women
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12. 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.
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13. An alternative view of the fundamental attribution error
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14. 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.
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15. 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.
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16. 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.
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17. Infant attachment & Romantic Relationships
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18. 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
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19. The Possible Components of Attitudes
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20. Overview of the Persuasion Process
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21. Cognitive Dissonance Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) study
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22. Bem’s Self-Perception Theory
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23. 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
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24. Yielding to Others: Conformity
Comparison lines
Standard lines 1 2 3
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25. 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
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26. 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.
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