Social Psychology

What is the focus of social psychology?

the situation and the social influences that explain why the same person will act differently in different situations

Attribution Theory

explains someone else’s behavior by crediting either the situation (church or concert) or the person’s disposition (introvert or extrovert)

Fundamental Attribution Error

we overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations

Self Serving Bias

when explaining our own behavior we more readily attribute it to the influence of the situation

Attitudes

feelings that are influenced by our beliefs that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and events

Peripheral Route Persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues

Central Route Persuasion

offers evidence and arguments to influence attitudes

What is superior about central route persuasion v.s. peripheral route persuasion

more durable and less superficial than peripheral route persuasion means its more likely to influence behavior

how can attitudes affect our actions

when other influences are minimal and the attitude has to be specific, easily recalled, and stable in order to be effective in affecting our actions

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request , now more likely to comply later w/ a bigger request

role

set of expectations about a social position

What will role playing a certain role do?

through role playing it will affect our behavior

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Bring our attitudes into line w/ our actions to reduce stress/ discomfort (dissonance)

How does changing our behavior affect ourselves

Changing our behavior can change how we think about others & how we feel about ourselves

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Chameleon Effect

Our unconscious tendency to imitate others expressions, postures, & voice tones

What does the chameleon effect help us do?

Helps us to empathize = feel what others are feeling

When are we more likely to conform

• -are made to feel incompetent or insecure

• -are in a group

• -are in a group where everyone agrees

• -admire the group’s status (attractiveness)

• -have not made a prior commitment to any response

• -know that the others in the group are observing us.

• -are in a culture that strongly encourages social standards.

Who created collective perception

Solomon Ash

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person’s desire to belong or avoid disapproval

what is Normative Social Influence also known as

peer pressure

Informational Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions

Stanley Milgram’s Experiment

demonstrates that strong social influences can make ordinary people conform to falsehoods or give in to cruelty. (NAZI) - good example of obedience

Obedience was highest when:

-the person giving the orders was nearby & perceived as a legitimate authority figure.

-the research was supported by a prestigious institution

-the victim was depersonalized or at a distance

-there was no role model for defiance

Social Facilitation

The presence of others can help/hinder performance

In the presence of others, performance is improved when:

the task is simple or well known/farmiliar

In the presence of others, performance is worsened when:

tougher tasks or less familiar tasks are required

Home field advantage

home team wins about 60% of all athletic contests

Social Loafing

Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

3 Causes of Social Loafing

1. People acting as part of a group feel less accountable = worry less what others think

2. Group members may view their individual contributions as unimportant, minor, or nonessential.

3. When group members share equally in the benefits, regardless of how much they contribute, some may slack off.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness & self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal & anonymity

Group Polarization

The beliefs & attitudes we bring to a group grow stronger as we discuss them with like-minded others

Groupthink

occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives