social psychology

How do we perceive others?

• We form first impressions

• Personal characteristics

• Attribution

What is attribution?

judgement about the cause of a person’s behavior

How long does it take to form first impressions?

Very rapidly

*i think she’ll release the specific time

Are first impressions accurate?

Yes?

When speed dating, people were able to accurately predict compatibility

Behavior is viewed as a result of a combinations of?

Dispositional attribution and situational sttribution

Dispositional attribution

A judgement assigning the cause of a person’s behavior to personal qualities or characteristics

• ex. she did good on the test because she’s smart

Situational attribution

A judgement assigning the cause of a person’s behavior to the environment

• ex. she did bad on the test because she was distracted with her boyfriend and family

correspondence bias

The tendency to view behavior as a result of disposition even when behavior can be explained by the situation

• ex. “you did this because that’s the kind of person you are”

fundamental attribution error

A failure to consider situational variables while making an attribution, leading to an overestimation of dispositional contributions

BASICALLY overestimating dispositional (personality) while underestimating situational

• ex. assuming a driver who cuts you off is a "reckless jerk" rather than considering they might be rushing to an emergency

actor-observer bias

Emphasizing dispositional attributions to explain the behaviors of others while emphasizing situational attributions to explain our own behavior

BASICALLY we say their dispositional attribution (personal) is SHIT and we’re better because our situationnnnn

• ex. If I cut someone off while I am driving like a pro it’s because “everyone makes mistakes,” if someone cuts me off it’s because they are a B word piece of mierda

self-serving bias

Attributing success to dispositional factors while attributing failure to situational factors

• ex. I got a A on this test because I worked hardddd. OR I failed this test because the questions sucked and it’s not my fault

***This is the opposite in people who are depressed

What are the pros and cons of self-serving bias?

Pros: it helps us feel better about ourselves

Cons: You don’t learn from your experiences

*did yew know athletes have less self-serving bias because they work hard aha

Just World belief

The assumption that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people

• People with a stronger just world belief have an increased negative bias towards poor people, people with HIV/AIDS, and the unemployed

How are our attitudes influenced by others?

• Personal experiences

• Conditioning

• Observational learning

• Genetics

• Peripheral Cues (emotional appeals)

How do we form attitudes? Genetic?

Twin study done where they were raised in two different homes, they ended up with similar views

Traditionalism

• Being obedient to authority figures

How do we change our attitudes?

Cognitive Dissonance & Persuasion

What is cognitive dissonance?

Unpleasant state that occurs when behaviors and attitudes do not match and that can be resolved through altitude changes

• ex. let’s say you cheat on your ho. you know it’s bad, but you’re like alalala they deserve it because blah blah blah

• ex. A person knows smoking is harmful (belief) but continues to smoke (action), justifying it by saying, "It relaxes me" or "I only smoke a few".

What is persuasion? How easy is it to persuade people?

Persuasion: a change in attitudes in response to information provided by another person

idfk how easy it is

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

A method of persuasion with two pathways

Central Route: consider arguments carefully; attitudes more enduring, resistant to counter persuasion, predictive of behavior

• more effective route

Peripheral Route: respond to peripheral cues: ex. number of arguments, manner in way the message is presented (speed, accent), characteristics of the speaker, emotions

• not very resistant to change

Why are we prejudiced?

Prejudice: a prejudgement, usually negative, of another person on the basis of membership in a group

Supported by stereotypes (simplified set of traits associated with membership in a group or category

Leads to Discrimination (unfair behavior based on stereotyping and prejudice

Ex. the stereotype is that blondes are dumb. so when I meet a blonde person I think she’s dumb. so I do not like blondes. and then I discriminate

What are the outcomes of prejudice?

Subtle or overt discriminatory behavior

Affect the way we view our own behavior

• ex. defendants that look more “Black” were more likely to be convicted

How can we reduce prejudice?

she did not go over this in the lecture videos

Why do we go along with the group?

Acceptance of the group

• causes us to conform to social norms

• gain approval, avoid rejection

Conformity

matching behavior and appearance to perceived social norms

Compliance

agreement with a request from a person, even when the person has perceived authority

What factors affect compliance?

• perceived similarity

• physical attraction

• perceived social connection

• reciprocation

What is door in the face?

A persuasive technique in which compliance with a target request is preceded by a large, unreasonable request

• You ask someone for a big favor and they say no, so you then ask for a smaller favor and they’re more inclined to say yes

Obedience

compliance with a request from an authority figure

Milgram: What if there is an authority figure?, What influenced whether or not people obeyed?

• The study where they had a participant being “shocked” with the volts and it went higher and higher until they went silent; participant was the one doing the shocking and the authority figure was telling them to do it

• - Proximity also plays an influence

• 65% went all the way

What if no one is trying to make you do anything?

lose their morality and shit

Conforming with expectations associated with roles

Standford prison experiment (that crazy thing where half were prisoners and half were guards and the guards went evil)

How do groups work together?

Social Facilitation: a situation in which th presence of other people changes individual performance

How is our behavior different when we’re around other people than when we’re alone?

idk i think when she releases answers

What are examples or social facilitation?

• Higher max bench press

• walk faster during exercise

• work out harder during virtual reality-based exercise

  • even with a virtual competitor

social loafing

Reduced motivation and effort shown by individuals working in a group

Who is more likely to engage in social loafing?

Men (compared to women), western cultures (compared to eastern)

people performing simple tasks (compared to complex)

people performing tasks they like less (compared to tasks they like more)

How do we behave in groups when no one know who we are?

Deindividuation - immersion of an individual within a group, leading to anonymity

• can result in uncharacteristic behavior

How well do we get along with others?

Attraction and liking

• physical and nonphysical

• the more contact we have with someone, the more attractive we find thm

• exposure effect: the more we see something, the more we like it

What dominates romantic attraction?

Physical appearance

• we all know what beautiful is by 3 months old

• average is beautiful

What makes a face more attractive?

• Symmetry (link between symmetry and physical health)

• Masculine male face, feminine female face

• perceived healthiness

• same sex friends look more like you

• opposite sex look less like you

• someone who looks trustworthy you’re less likely to lust over