1. Social Psychology: Social Thinking Module 43
How do we explain other peoples’ behavior?
How do we form our beliefs and attitudes”
What is the relationship between what we think and how we behave?
Module 43, 44 and 45

2. Social Thinking – how we form impressions of other people
Attributions Judgments about Why others act like they do?
Module 43 & 44a

3. Is it them (dispositional) or the situation (situational)?
Consensus - did others act like this?
Consistency- does he/she do this all the time?
Distinctiveness - in all situations?
Module 43 & 44a

4. Heuristics (short cuts)
Fundamental Attribution Error.
Other people - due to dispositional factors.
more common in western than East Asian cultures.
Less with people we know well.
More when the behavior is bad.
Module 43 & 44a

5. When judging our own actions. . . .
Self-serving Bias
When judging our own actions
Own Successes have internal causes.
Own failures have external causes.
Module 43 & 44a

6. Attributions were more likely when seen from the actor’s perspective.
Changing the perspective of video presentation can change peoples attributions. Situational
Attributions were more likely when seen from the actor’s perspective.
Module 43 & 44a

7. Looking back on our past selves, we are
more likely to attribute past behaviors to dispositional factors (traits).
Political perspective also effect attributions!
Conservative vs. Liberal Point of View.
Module 43 & 44a

8. The world is a just (fair) place.
Blaming the Victim
When bad things happen to other people we tend to see it as their own fault.
Just World Hypothesis
The world is a just (fair) place.
If something bad happens to someone, they
must deserve it.
- I’m a good person, so it can’t happen to me.
Module 43 & 44a

9. Attitudes and Actions
Attitudes – feelings and beliefs that predispose our reactions (behaviors)
Attitudes
Behaviors
Module 43 & 44a

10. Changing Attitudes Can Change Behaviors
Peripheral Route Persuasion - gut level
- appeal to feelings rather than reason.
Central Route Persuasion – logic driven
Appeals to reason and evidence
Module 43 & 44a

11. Changing Behaviors Can Change Attitudes
Cognitive Dissonance - people feel uncomfortable
when their behavior and attitudes are not consistent
- change behavior and attitudes may follow.
- people change their attitudes when they can’t
find a reason to justify their behavior.
- I did this, so I must feel that way.
c14(1)

12. Lowball Sales Techniques
Cognitive Dissonance
Lowball Sales Techniques
c14(1)

13. Changing Behaviors Can Change Attitudes
Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon - you ask for a small request first, and people are more likely to agree to a bigger one afterwards.
Module 43 & 44a

14. Role Playing Can Change Attitudes Zimbardo Prison Experiment.
- Normal, healthy college students
- randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners
in a role playing exercise.
Soon became them against us.
Module 43 & 44a

15. Module 44 Social Influence Conformity Obedience Group Behaviors
Module 43 & 44a

16. Conformity: Behavior is Contagious Elevator
Chameleon effect – allows us to blend in with others. How to start a movement!
Module 43 & 44a

17. Asch Study
 - Line Judgment Task
Module 43 & 44a

18. Factors that increase conformity - status of others - number of others
Results:
Overall, subjects conformed to wrong answer on 37% of target trials
75% of subjects conformed on at least one trial
50% of subjects conformed on more than half of the trials
Factors that increase conformity
-        status of others
-        number of others
-        unanimous agreement
-        responses made public
Module 43 & 44a

19. Obedience: Responding to Direct Orders Milgram Study
Original study: 63% shocked innocent “learner” to maximum level!
Video
Module 43 & 44a

20. Factors that Increase Obedience status of the experimenter
     distance between teacher and learner
responsibility
   sequential nature of the task
no role models for defiance
Module 43 & 44a

21. “The ordinary person who shocked the victim did so out of a sense of obligation -- an impression of his duties as a subject -- and not from any peculiarly aggressive tendencies.” (Milgram, 1974)
Module 43 & 44a

22. Group Behavior Social Facilitation Crowding Effect Social Loafing
Tug-of-war studies.
Deindividuation
Why are internet trolls so mean?
Group Polarization
Myers and Bishop study on group polarization and prejudice.

23. Groupthink
Overconfidence, conformity, self-justification and group polarization.
When are two heads better than one? – when there are a diversity of opinions and open communication.
The power of the Individual

24. Module 46 Prosocial Relationships
Attraction
Proximity
Mere exposure effect
Bailenson study on preference for political candidates and facial feature similarity

25. Physical Attractiveness Speed dating studies Uof Minnesota Welcome Week dance study Gaze time studies of Babies and physical attractiveness. Diener’s studies on attractiveness, self-esteem and happiness. What type of features do people find attractive? Similarity

26. Altruism: Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
Kitty Genovese (1964) 38 witnesses and none helped or called the police. Bystander Effect Diffusion of Responsibility

27. Does number of people matter?
Subways Studies
Alone - 80% helped
Others - 30% helped
- took longer to respond
c14(1)

28. Factors that effect Helping
Person appears to need and deserve help. Similarity to self Being female Having just observed someone else being helpful Not in a hurry Less in large cities Feeling guilty Focused on others (not self absorbed) Good Mood

29. Norms for Helping
Social Exchange Theory – cost-benefit analysis - if rewards exceed costs you will help. Reciprocity Norm – expectation that we should help not harm others who have helped us. When other is on equal status - equate giving and receiving.

30. Social-responsibility Norm
We should help those in need, even if the costs outweigh the benefits. Wesley Autrey was waiting on a subway station in NY with his 2 daughters. He saw a man fall onto the tracks after having a seizure. Autrey jumped down onto the tracks to try to get Hallopeter back up before the oncoming train arrived.

31. He realized it would be too late and, instead of jumping to safety, he lay Hallopeter down between the tracks, placing himself on top as protection from the train. The train came to a stop over the top of them after five carriages had passed over. Neither were harmed by the train – Autrey’s hat simply had some grease on it. In an interview with the New York Time, Autrey said, “I don’t feel like I did something spectacular; I just saw someone who needed help. I did what I felt was right.”

32. Characteristics of Helpers
- higher in belief in “just World”
- Internal locus of control
- sense of social responsibility
Other Factors
Do you know what to do?
Being told what to do?