Module 34: Social thinking and Social Influence

Attribution Theory

people tend to explain the behavior of others as an aspect of either an internal disposition or the situation, our behavior is situational, result of the situation, other people's behavior is disposition, reflection of their personality 

Fundamental Attribution Error

 the tendency to attribute the behavior of others to inner dispositions rather than situation

Attitude

a belief and feeling that predisposes someone to respond in a particular way 

Factors that Increase likelihood that Attitudes will predict Behavior

outside influences are minimal and we are strongly aware of our attitudes 

Foot in the Door Phenomenon

 tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request- escalating actions fuel the attitudes

Door in the Face Phenomenon

 first make large unreasonable request that will be refuses, then make a smaller more reasonable request

Role

 when you take on a new role at first you feel like you are “acting” soon you will actually feel and become the role

Stanford Prison Experiment

 true identities disappeared, roles took over- normal people can do terrible things in certain situations

Cognitive Dissonance

when feel discomfort (dissonance) when our thoughts (cognitions) and actions are inconsistent 

Ways to Reduce Dissonance

change perception of action- then change the belief

Conformity

 adjusting behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Asch Study

1955 conducted conformity studies where 75& conformed at least once, and overall participants conformed 33% of the time 

Informational Influence

- an attempt to reach the correct answer

Normative Influence

 an attempt to be accepted and liked by the group 

Factors that Influence Conformity-

 social support= single ally will decrease conformity- incompetent/insecure feelings increase conformity- attraction/commitment to the group increase conformity- size of the group increases up to 6-7 then decreases 

Obedience

 tendency to comply with orders, implied or real, from someone perceived as authority 

Milgram Study

 you are told shocks may cause extreme pain- 30 switches with increasing voltage, no one stopped before 300 volts, 66% obeyed and flipped all 30 switches 

Implications of Milgram Study

ordinary people can be corrupted by an evil situation- situational factors such as the presence of an authority figure have tremendous impact on behavior 

Social Facilitation-

 improved perfomranc of tasks in the presence of others- being watched increases arousal- improves performance with well learned/simple task- decreases performance on things not yet mastered 

Social Loafing

individuals in a group exert themselves less when pooling their efforts as a result of feeling less accountable and thinking their best effort isnt necessary 

Deindividuation-

loss of seld awareness and self restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity 

Group Polarization-

the enhancement of a groups already existing attitudes through discussion within the group

Groupthink-

the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives- we go along with a decision to get along with other people

Ways to Prevent Groupthink

assign people to identify problems, be open to, and welcome to various opinions, invite experts to critique plans in various stages of development

Self-fulfilling Prophecies

when we believe something to be true about others (or ourselves) and we act in ways that cause this belief to come true

Minority Influence

 minorites can sway majorities but only if they stand firm 

Altruism-

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Kitty Genovese Case

people watched her call out for help and didnt do anything because they thought someone else would do something

Bystander Effect-

tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Diffusion of Responsibility

as number of bystanders in an emergency increases, the greater is the belief that someone else will help so i dont have to

Factors that Increase Helping Behavior

believe the victim is similar to us- just saw someone else beign helpful- believe the victim deserves help- not in a hurry- in a good mood- in a small town or rural area

Factors that Create Attraction-

proximity, physical attractiveness, similarity 

Proximity-

 people we like to date, and even marry are typically people close to us,

Physical Attractiveness

first filter- want to know vs dont- judged as happier, healthier, and more successful by others- 

Similarity-

reluctance to include people dissimilar from us in our circle of friends- friends share your interests, attitudes, age, iq, economic status, beliefs on religion, smoking, and race realtions- the more alike longer reationsip will last 

Mere Exposure Effect-

 repeated exposure to novel/new stimuli increases our liking of them

Passionate Love-

beginning of a love relationship- aroused state of intense positive absorption in another- eventually the fire will go out

Companionate Love

 a deep affectionate attachment for those with whom our lives are intertwines- mature steady love fosters friendshi and commitment based on affection, not obsession- develop it through equity and self discloure

Prejudice-

an unjustifiable(an usually  negative attitude toward a group and its members)

Stereotypes-

generalized beliefs about a group of people

Discrimination

taking action against a group because of stereotyped beliefs or prejudiced attitudes

Ingroup

”us” people with whom we share a common identity- tendency to favor members of our own grou 

Outgroup-

“them” those perceived as different or apart from “us”

Scapegoat Theory

 prejudice offers an outlet for anger by giving us someone to blame- frustration intensifies prejudice against another group- putting down others boosts our self esteem

Just-World Phenomenon

 people get what they deserve and deserve what they get