2. The Power of Social Situations to Control Human Behavior
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
The Power of Social Situations to Control Human Behavior

3. What is the Social Context?
Social Psychology
The branch of psychology that studies the effects of the social context and cognition on individual behavior and social interactions
What is the Social Context?

4. Social Psychology
Social Context: The Real, Imagined, or Symbolic presence of:
People
Activities and interactions among people
The setting in which behavior occurs
The expectations and social norms governing behavior in that setting
Call on a specific student and ask them to give two examples of how they would act different?
Why is imagined or symbolic presence in the definition?
Can you give an example of an imagined presence?

5. Situationism vs. Dispositionism
Introduce the question to a few students:
Think of you as a person. What drives who you are? Your actions and decisions?
Before continuing to next slide ask?
- how do you interact with friends? Family? Team? Etc?

6. Social Psychology
Social Roles: A socially defined pattern of behavior that is expected of persons in a given group or setting.
Does the social role a person in sometimes conflict with what he/she wants to do?
What is your social role of being a high school student?
Can be organized by gender, age, interest, and can change.

7. Social Psychology
Social Norm: A group’s expectations regarding what is appropriate and acceptable for members attitudes and behaviors.
Start teaching on top of a desk (yeah that’s right Dead Poet’s society).
Show Seinfeld Clip.
Collect and Discuss Social Norms Assignment
- show Seinfeld clip and train station clip
- What were people’s reactions?
- Explain how you felt.
If I ask you to teach class what would you do?
Act out difference in Cultural Norms!

8. Differences in social norms across cultures?

9. If I asked you to come up to the class and teach?
Watch how students fill the social script of being a teacher.

10. You have a schema of the characteristics and norms that go along with being a teacher.
This causes you to act according to a social script.

11. Social Psychology
Conformity: the tendency for people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of other members of the group
Asch Affect
2/3 of people conform

12. Conditions for Conformity
Try to expand these conditions to any social situation
Size of group (3 or more)
Making a public commitment rather than private
Ambiguity
Make up of majority
Self-esteem
Power of an Ally
Independents

13. Is conformity bad / good?
We are social animals. Our well-being is very dependent on being part of social groups. Conformity allows us to be more like the group.
Friends
Conformity amongst friends

14. Group Think
Poor judgments and bad decision made by members of groups that are overly influenced by perceived group consensus of the leader’s point of view.
Show fibeus and ferb video

15. What contributes to group think?
Direct Dominant Leadership High Group Cohesiveness Lack of Procedures Homogeneity of Members High Stress Environment
Less Assertive Ladder Differing Views Strict Procedures Heterogeneity of Group Members Low Stress Enviornment
Sadly this seems like a lecture for slides (make sure this is limited)

16. Conduct Mini Experiment
What is this experiment testing?
Describe the results in one sentence?
What are the implication of these results?
Do a flipped classroom: Have students watch this video (Maybe actually make video for class?). HW should take 10 minutes at most.
I have so much more time now! (take 2 minutes to collect homework in beginning of class)
When you get to this part in lesson ask students
- What is this experiment testing?
- Describe the results in one sentence
- What are the implications of these results
- How do they relate to the rest of the this lesson?
- I showed you a short video. What is missing from this study if this were an actual experiment. (Hint: Is one person reliable)
Next show the students results of actual test.

17. This slide is here to help plan how you will introduce the bystander problem ( not a slide for class )
Read the Kitty Genovese story or show a video on it.
Ask the students: Can we explain why these people did not call 911? Does this relate to the video you did for HW? Were these bad people? Would you act like this?
Once they have identified that it is the power of the situation ask: What about the situation causes people not to act do you think?”

18. Diffusion of Responsibility
Dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared with all group members or accepted by the leader
Highlight the part of the definition that says “accepted group leader” do you think you can apply this same principle to group think?
Time?
Kitty Video: 5 minutes
Discussion: 10 minutes
Conclusion:
5 minutes

19. How can we fight the bystander effect?
You learning about it just helped you act instead of being a bystander when you meet another situation like this.
Rush?
Ask for help
Reduce Ambiguity of Situation
Identify Specific Individuals
First bullet point – can you think of situations where you do nothing? (bullying, car on road, etc…)
Good Samaritan Study is FASCINATING!!