Exam 2 - Applied Social Psych

Milgram Electroshock Study

Stanley Milgram's experiments showing a high rate of obedience to authority in administering shocks.

Stanford prision expirement

Shows that people CONFORM to the ROLES they are given, those given the GUARD role behaved more like real guards

Laird cartoon study

if you SMILE while watching a cartoon you LIKE it -- if you FROWN you DISLIKE it -- This is bc EMBODIMENT

Festinger and Carlsmith knob study

People had to turn a knob then lie to another group that it was fun, those GIVEN 20 enjoyed it and those GIVEN 1 enjoyed it more they said BECAUSE JUSTIFYING LYING

Marijuana Study

Students given 2 reports that Marijuana was bad, some got the doctor report and some got one from a bio student, same info but they trust the doctor more

Banks fear study

Women had to watch a mamogram vidoes, half had to watch a fear inducing video that no mamogram will kill you, others got a positive message it can save your life. The scary one convinced more women

Freedman and Sears presentation study

Two groups of highschool students: one group is given no info about a speech, another is given the title of the presintation

Line experiment Asch

People were in a classroom and shown 3 lines, everyone says the short line is the longest, so the participant agrees even though it's wrong

Conditions for Attitudes Predicting Behavior

When there aren’t external influances and the behavior is EASY to do - plus the attitude is STRONG

Bogus Pipeline Manipulation

A procedure where participants are led to believe a machine can read their true feelings, encouraging honest responses.

Theory of Planned Behavior

Proposed by Icek Ajzen; intent is what drivers behavior, it is shaped by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control.

Subjective Norms

An individual's perception of social pressure from others regarding whether to perform a behavior.

Perceived Control

An individual's belief in their capability to execute a target behavior easily or successfully.

Behavior Intention

A conscious plan or decision to exert effort in carrying out a specific behavior, acting as a precursor to the action.

Roleplaying

Adopting a defined social role which leads to internalizing related attitudes over time.

Self-Presentation Theory

The idea that people adjust their attitudes to match their actions to create a desirable impression on others.

Self-Perception Theory

Daryl Bem's theory that individuals infer their attitudes from observing their own behavior.

Insufficient Justification

Participants paid less justified their actions inwardly, changing their attitude to match their behavior.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Messages go through either the central or peripheral route

Central Route to Persuasion

Persuasion that occurs when individuals focus on compelling arguments, resulting in enduring attitude change.

Two-Step Flow of Communication

The process where influence occurs through opinion LEADERS who interpret and SHARE media content.

Lifecycle vs Generation Explanations

Lifecycle explanation suggests attitudes change with age, while generational explanation posits stable attitudes formed in youth.

Conformity

Change in behavior or belief due to real or imagined group pressure.

Compliance Techniques

Methods used to induce others to comply with requests.

Norm of Reciprocity

The social expectation that people return benefits for benefits.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for those who agree to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A strategy where a large request is made first, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request.

Optimal Distinctiveness Theory

Marilynn Brewer's theory that individuals balance the need for belonging and the need for uniqueness.

Attitude

A favorable or unfavorable evaluation of a person -- Can be a positive or negative reaction toward a thing

Subjective Norms

What people around us think

We think the action is easy and accessable

Role

A set of norms which dictate how we should behave

Criticisms for Self-Presentation Theory

People only change EXPRESSED attitudes but keep their real ones in PRIVATE

Self-Perception Theory

We change to match behaviors bc we DON'T know our attitudes

Embodiment

Our brain drawing info from our body -- EXAMPLE: I am smiling so I must be happy

Self-Justification///Cognitive Dissonance Theory

We change our attitudes to align with our behaviors bc otherwise there is TENSION —- EXAMPLE: a SMOKER starts to JUSTIFY that smoking is healthy to REDUCE the GUILT of smoking

Balance theory

We try to balance our RELATIONSHIPS and ATTITUDES towards other people EXAMPLE: girl and her boyfriend LIKE the SAME stuff = good, otherwise there is TENSION

All negatives make a

Negative triad

All positives make a

Positive triad

Two people having a positive relationship but both negative to something is

Positive triad

Persuasion

A message attempts to change your beliefs, attitudes, or behavior

Persuasion examples

PSAs, Ads, Politics

Central route

Thinking carefully about comminication and influanced by strenth of arguements

Elaboration

thinking about and scruntizing arguements or information in a communication

Peripheral route

We don't think carefully about a communication but instead swayed by superficial cues

Heuristic Processing

related to the Peripheral route, not thinking too hard - SHORTCUTS

Audience factors

How the audience feels

Audience factors for central vs peripheral

CENTRAL: audience cares and it EFFECTS THEM: high motivation---PERIPHERAL: audience has NO personal STAKE: low motivation

Persuasion outcome

CENTRAL leads to more long term change in attitude, while PER. is more brief

The Sleeper Effect

An initially unconvincing message becomes more persuasive over time

Source likability

Things like attractive messeneger, or a similar/relatable messenger to yourself

Reason Vs Emotion based messages

Reason focuses on facts/figures (more central) -- Emotion focuses on more subconcious emotion stuff

Emotion based message Example

'Arms of The Angels' shelter dog ads

The power of positive feelings

Messages are more persuasive when paired with good feelings.

Why does feeling good lead to persuasion?

1. Positive emotions are distracting, cant process stuff as well 2. When in a good mood, we want to stay in a good mood, so ignore negative information 3. Good mood signals all is well, we let our guard down and become lazy processors

Fear appeals

Scaring people into listening to your message

Issues with fear appeals

Better when preventing bad outcomes -- Offer a solution -- Overuse loses effect

Primacy Effect

The first info we see (typically in a list) has the most persuasive influence

Recency effect

The last info we see (typically in a list) also has the most persuasive influence

Active Experience Vs Passive Reception

Active Experiences are more effective and persuasive since we actually engage with them

Need for cognition (individual difference measure)

High = like to think

Forewarning and resistance

Forwarned people are less prone to persusion

Attitude Innoculation

Exposing people to weak counteragruments to increase larer resistance to future stronger persuasive arguements -- giving a reasoning shot against a counter agruement

Conformity

Change in behavior as a result of real or imagined group pressure

Acceptance

When one believes the groups idea is correct

Normative influence

Conforming to fulfill expectations, wanting to be ACCEPTED by the group and avoid consequences of being deviant -- FOR SOCIAL REASONS

Informational influence

Confomring because you believe they are RIGHT -- CONFORMING OUT OF TRUST THEY ARE CORRECT

Factors which influence conformity

Personality, Unanimity,

OCEAN

Openess, Consceinciousness, Extraversion, Argeeableness, Neurotisicm

Unanimity

A group where everyone agrees

Cohesion

How close knit is the group you disagree with - we want to DISAGREE with our FAMILY LESS

Status

We are more influanced by higher status people

Are we more likely to conform in private or public?

Public

Prior commitments

If we argeed before we might be embarssed to disagree

Cultures effects on conformity

Collectivist cultures conform more than individualistic

Compliance

Changes in behavior because of DIRECT REQUEST

Compliance vs Conformity

Conformity is social norms while compliance is an explicit direct request

Norm of Reciprocity

When someone does something kind to you, you feel like you need to RE-PAY them

Foot-in-the-door

Ask for something small, than something larger later

Door-in-the-face

“Give me $20, actually I only need $5”

Low-balling

Get them to agree to small request but then increase via undisclosed fees - SPIRIT AIRLINES

Thats-Not-All-Trick

Start with an inflated request, then decreasing the size by offering a discount - “Buy now and we will throw a second one in FREE!”

Cupcake study

Selling cupcakes at a fair, one selling for 75 cents, another for 1 dollar, crossed out then 75 cents. The SECOND one SOLD MORE because it seemed like a DEAL

Ellen Langer 1978

Assistants had to cut in line the library copy machine. One group cuts with no because and one uses the word because and MORE people argee to let the BECAUSE GROUP CUT

Obedience

Changes in behavior in responce to a direct order by an authority figure

Milligram Electroshock study

People had a test subject an a experimenter, their job was to shock people when they got things wrong, they often were willing to KILL the SUBJECT if the AUTHOIRTY figure SAYS SO

Factors determing obience

• Distance from subject'

• Closeness of authority figure

• Legitimacy of authority

• Group Influence

Institutional Authority

Do they repersent a legit insitution — EXAMPLE: Police, Scientists, etc

Fundemental Attribution Error of Evil

We assume bad acts are because of ‘evil’, but it is more because of psychology and their surroundings and influence

Asserting Uniqueness

Reactance

Reactance

A motive to protect or restore our freedom - EXAMPLE: you tell me I cant drink? Now I want to drink!

Optimal Distictivenss Theory

We want to balance fitting in while being unique and our own person

Ellen Langer 1978 Copy Machine Study

An experiment demonstrating automatic heuristic compliance where individuals allowed someone to cut in line simply because the request included a justification using the word 'because'.

Cupcake Study

Research demonstrating the 'that's-not-all' technique, showing that selling a cupcake and cookies together for a single reduced price outsold offering the same bundle separately.

Sherif's Autokinetic Study

An experiment on norm formation where individuals in a dark room judged the apparent movement of a stationary pinpoint of light, gradually converging toward a shared group estimate.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

A computer-driven assessment that uses reaction times to gauge how quickly individuals pair social concepts with positive or negative evaluations.

Overjustification Effect

The result of bribing individuals to perform an activity they already enjoy, leading them to attribute their participation to external rewards rather than intrinsic motivation.

Self-Affirmation Theory

Claude Steele's model proposing that people compensate for self-image threats in one area by reflecting on and asserting unrelated positive personal values.