Module 9: Social Psychology

Social Influence

Changes in beliefs due to social pressure.

Conformity

Adjusting behaviors to match group norms.

Sherif's Autokinetic Effect

Illusion of light movement in darkness.

Asch's Line Study

Experiment demonstrating group pressure on judgments.

Normative Influence

Conforming to be liked or accepted.

Informational Influence

Conforming to be correct or accurate.

Private Acceptance

Changing beliefs privately and publicly.

Public Compliance

Changing public behavior without private belief change.

Milgram Experiment

Study on obedience to authority figures.

Shock Levels

Range from 15 to 450 volts administered.

Teacher-learner Role

Participants act as teachers administering shocks.

Experimenter Prompts

Commands to continue the experiment despite distress.

Deception in Studies

Misleading participants about study's true nature.

Psychiatric Follow-ups

Post-study assessments for long-term effects.

Destructive Obedience

Obeying commands leading to harmful outcomes.

Distance of Victim

Influences likelihood of obedience in experiments.

Legitimacy of Authority

Authority figure's perceived legitimacy affects obedience.

Cog in a Wheel

Feeling of being part of a system.

Group Pressure

Influence exerted by majority on individual responses.

Critical Trials

Key trials in Asch's study with incorrect answers.

Control Participants

Individuals tested alone with minimal errors.

Conformity Rates

Percentage of participants conforming in studies.

Attribution

Explaining causes of behavior in others and ourselves. (Why'd they do that?)

Post Talk Rationalization

Assigning cause to behaviour after the fact. (not always accurate)

Personal/Internal Attribution

Behavior caused by individual characteristics. (doesn't change from situation to situation)

Situational Attribution

Behavior caused by external circumstances. (could easily change from situation to situation)

Actor-Observer Bias

Differing perceptions of own vs. others' behavior. (biased)

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasis on personal factors for others' behavior, and situational factors for our own. "He didn't do well on the test because he isn't smart, I just didn't sleep well"

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to personal factors and failures to situational factors. (protects self esteem)

Is influenced by culture and psychological state. (eg. depression)

Cultural Influence on Attribution (individualistic vs Collective cultures)

Individualistic cultures - tend to adopt self serving bias more often

Collectivist cultures - tend to not do so