Chapter 16: Social Thinking and Social Influence

lecture & textbook

social psychology

study of how individuals think and behave in social situations

ingroup

any group to which you feel a sense of belonging

outgroup

any group to which you do not belong

ingroup favouritism

attributing positive qualities to our ingroups and negative qualities to our outgroups

social roles

positions within a group that have specific expectations about how you should behave

social norms

widely accepted standard for appropriate behaviour within a group

social cognition

process of thinking about ourselves and others in a social context

attributions

determining why people act as they do

internal attributions

explaining a person’s behaviour as being the product of their personality

external attributions

explaining a person’s behaviour as being the product of their situation

fundamental attribution error

tendency to attribute the behaviour of others to internal causes without regard for external influences

actor-observer bias

we are more likely to ascribe our own behaviour to extrenal causes and the behaviour of others to internal causes

self-serving attributions

we like to see ourselves in a positive light - explaining positive outcomes with internal causes and negative outcomes with external causes

self-handicapping

placing obstacles in the way of your success to protect your self-esteem from possible future failure - creates plausible excuses for poor performance

attitude

positive or negative perception of people, objects or issues; summarizes how you feel about something

3 components of an attitude

beliefs, emotions, actions

cognitive dissonance

state of psychological discomfort resulting from inconsistency between our beliefs and behaviours

ways people reduce dissonance

1. Change behavior to match beliefs:

2. Change beliefs to match behavior:

3. Diminish importance of dissonant thoughts:

4. Focus on consonant thoughts:

5. Reduce amount of perceived choice:

6. Attribute the belief–behavior mismatch to an external cause:

social facilitation

presence of others improves performance

social interference

presence of others impairs performance

social inhibition

tendency to restrain or suppress expression of emotions and behaviors in social interactions

social loafing

tendency to exert less effort when part of a group than when alone

conformity

changing behaviour to be in agreement with others

lecture example social conformity

Solomon Asch’s study of conformity

• 75% of participants conformed and gave the wrong answer at least once, even though they knew it was wrong

• when no actors were involved, nobody gave incorrect answers

compliance

bending to the requests of another person who has minimal authority over you

foot-in-the-door effect

person who complies with a small request is more likely to comply with a larger demand later

lowballing

get a person to commit to the act, then, once they are committed make the terms less desirable

door in the face effect

people are more likely to comply with a moderate request after they have first refused a much larger one

obedience

complying with the requests of someone in a position of authority

example of obedience from lecture

Milgram’s study

• 65% of people agreed to deliver the maximum (450v) shock marked red on the machine

coercion

forced to change beliefs or behaviour against your will

3 components of brainwashing

create a feeling of entrapment, introduce new beliefs, offer promises of leniency

group structure

network of roles, communication pathways, and power a group holds e.g. army = high degree of structure

group cohesiveness

degree to which members of a group want to remain in that group e.g. sports teams

role conflict

two or more social roles have conflicting demands

social status

degree to which other group members admire the person

social power

degree to which a group member possesses the capacity to control other group members’ behaviours

social comparison

comparing your own behaviours to others’

downward comparison

contrasting yourself with someone ranked lower to make yourself feel better

upward comparison

contrasting yourself with someone ranked slightly higher to act as motivation

situational demands

pressures/norms that influence behaviour in particular settings and social situations

open-ended interview

freely expressed attitudes are presented

social distance scale

people rate the degree to which they would be willing to have contact with a member of another group

attitude scales

statements of various possible views that are presented and responded to on a 5-point scale

reference group

group that person uses as a standard for social comparisons

social influence

changes in behaviour induced by others

mere presence

tendency to change behaviour just because people are nearby

group sanctions

rewards and punishments administered by groups to enforce conformity

groupthink

sacrificing critical thinking to conform to a group

persuasion

deliberate attempt to change beliefs/behaviour with info and arguments

brainwashing

forced attitude change of a captive audience

cult

social group defined by its unquestioning devotion to unusual ideas being put forward by charismatic leader

self-assertion

direct, honest expression of feelings and desires