Social Psychology

Social Psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

social psych takes _____ into consideration

social context

social context

real or symbolic presence of other people, activities and interactions among people, setting in which behavior occurs, and expectations / social norms in the setting

Attribution theory

can attribute someone’s behavior to their situation or personal disposition (character / traits)

Fundamental Attribution error

tendency for observers when analyzing other’s behaviors to underestimate the impact of the situations and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition, self-serving bias

Self-serving bias

want to see ourselves in a more positive light

Social influence

most people learn to judge their social circumstances and conform their behaviors to situational demands

Social roles

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position defining how the positions should behave ex: a teacher, sister, newlywed

Social Norms

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior, “proper” behavior but as implicit rules (not written), only notice when they are broken ex: elevator ride

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to match with group, individual response ex: say line that neighbor said

Asch Study

line study, increase in accuracy with one other person saying, low accuracy when alone

Asch effect is most likely to occur when

in a group everyone else agrees, larger the size of the group, admire the group’s status, responses are given publicly

Normative social influence

conform to avoid rejection or gain social approval, highly motivated for approval

Findings indicate that there are different brain regions involved in ___ vs ___

independent judgement vs conformity

Groupthink

the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives, group with one decision, can result in poor judgment and bad decsions

Groupthink is conformity in

group decision making

groupthink can be prevented when a leader

welcomes a variety of opinions, assign people to troubleshoot, critics of developing plan

open debate

often shapes good decisions, good with diverse groups with variety of opinions

Individuals can also ______

influence groups, people’s temple

Milgram’s obedience experiment

teacher- participate administrating shock, learner- collaborator, predicted 1% would shock to death, showed 65%

Miligram experiment found

it was situational factors and not dispositional factors that appeared to effect people’s levels of obedience

we obey authority when

perceived as a legitimate authority figure, learner was depersonalized / distanced, a peer models obedience

Prejudice

unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members, negative emotions and stereotyped beliefs

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members, based on something we don’t choose - less acceptable, something we choose - more acceptable

Target of prejudices

racial ethic minories, women, LGBTQ

Racial and women

explict / expressed prejudice has decreased over decades but subtle implicit remains

LGBTQ

explicit and implicit prejudice persists for individuals

Just - world phenomenon

people get what they deserve, perceptions of outgroup homogeneity and stereotypes rationalize inequalities, root of prejudice

in group bias

tendency to favor our group vs thiers

Scapegoat theory

prejudice provides an outlet or scapegoat for anger by providing someone to blame

Robber Cave study

boys summer camp teams against in competition vs together tasks —> decreased prejudice

Tools for combating prejudice

equal status and cooperative contact, new role models, legislation

Psychology of attraction

proximity (online dating), physical attraction (more competent), similarity

Sternberg’s triangle of love

passion, intimacy, commitment; passionate vs companionate love

Passion

sexual attraction

intimacy

self-disclosure, conversation

commitment

dedication, want to marry

complete love

all of them are high: passion, intimacy, commitment

Sternberg’s triangle of love with age

passion decrease but intimacy and commitment / companionate love increase

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander Effect def

a given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

bystander effect experiment

seizure over the intercom, researched timed how long it would take the students to ask for help, the larger group —> slower response, diffusion of responsibility