social psychology (vs. personality psychology in prev. module)

social psychology

-scientific study of how individuals think about, influence, and relate to each other

personality psychologists

study personality traits and processes that explain why people may act differently in a given situation

social psychologists

study social influences that explain why the same person may act differently in situations

conformity

refers to adjusting our behavior to thinking to fit in with a group standard

the power of conformity has many components and forms, including

-automatic mimicry, affecting behavior
-social norms affecting our thinking
-normative and informational social influence

automatic mimicry

some of our mimicry of other people is not by choice, bit automatic:
-contagious yawning, arm folding, hand wringing, face rubbing, etc.
-adopting accents, grammar, vocbulary
-empathetic shifts in mood
-adopting coping styles of parents or peers, including violence, yelling, withdrawal

responding to social norms

-when we are with other people we percieve a social norm (a “correct” or “normal” way to behave or think in this group), our behavior may follow the norm rather than following our own judgement
-asch conformity studies

asch conformity studies

square w/ 5 sides
results: about 1/3 of people will agree with obvious mistruths to go along with the group

what makes you more likely to conform

when...
-you are not firmly committed to set of beliefs or style of behavior
-the group is medium sized and unanimous
-you admire or are attracted to the group
-the group tries to make you feel incompetent, insecure, and closely watched
-your culture encourages respect for norms

normative social influence

ex. going along with others in pursuit of social approval or belonging (and to avoid disapproval/rejection)
-the Asch conformity studies; clothing choices

informational social influence

ex. going along with others because their ideas and behavior make sense, the evidence in our social environment changes our minds
-deciding which side of the road to drive on

obedience

response to commands

miligram

wanted to study the influence of direct commands on behavior (shock test)
the question: under what social conditions are people more likely to obey commands?
the experiment: an authority figure tells participants to administer shocks to a “learner” (who was actually a confederate of the researcher) when the learner gives wrong answers
--> voltage increases; how high will people go?
-15-450

compliance in milligrams study

-in surveys, most people predict that in such a situation they would stop administering shocks when the “learner” expressed pain.
-but in reality, even when the learner complained of a heart condition, people complied with the experimenter’s directions:
-“please continue”
-“you must continue”
-“the experiment requires that you continue"

how far did compliance go?

majority of participants (65%) obeyed to the end

results of milligram’s experiments, by condition

-65% obeyed (almost most) when experimenter was immediate and learner was distant
-39% when experimenter and learner immediate
-30% when experimenter immediate and learner EXTREMELY immediate
-23% when experimenter distant, learner immediate
-10% when disobedient companion is present
-93% when obedient companion is present (MOST)

what factors influence obedience

-when orders were given by
--> someone with legitimate authority
-->someone associated with a prestigious institution (Yale)
--> someone standing close by
-when the “learner”/victim is in another room
-when other participants obey and/or no one disobeys (no role model for defiance)
BAD NEWS: in war, ppl choose not to fight and kill at beginning, but obedience escalates and they end up killing even innocent ppl
GOOD NEWS: strengthens heroism, soldiers and others risk/sacrifice themselves even more when under orders

lessons from the conformity and obedience studies

-when under pressure to conform or obey, ordinary, principled people will say and do things they never would have believed they would do.
-->the real evil may be in the situation
-to look a person committing harmful acts and assume that the person is cruel/evil would be to make the fundamental attribution error

social influence: group behavior

besides conformity and obedience, there are other ways that our behavior changes in the presence of others, or within a group:
-social facilitation
-social loafing
-deindividuation
-groupthink
-group polarization

social facilitation

-individual performance is intensified when you are observed by others
-experts excel, people doing simple activities show more speed and endurance in front of an audience,,, but novices, trying complex skills, do worse

Why would the presence of an audience “facilitate” better performance for everyone but newcomers?

being watched, and simply being in crowded conditions, increases one’s autonomic arousal, along with increasing motivation for those who are confident, but anxiety for those who aren’t

social loathing

the tendency of people in a. group to show less effort when not held accountable
- someone slaking off in a group project

when does social loafing happen?

-when your contribution isn’t rewarded or punished, you might not care what people think
-people may not feel their contributions are needed, that the group will be fine
-people may feel free to “cheat” when they get an equal share of the rewards anyway
-note: ppl in collectivist cultures don’t slack off as much in groups even when they could. why?

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint
-ex.: riots, KKK rallies, concerts, identity-concealing online bullying
-happens when people are in group situations involving anonymity and arousal

group polarization

-when people of similar views form a group together, discussion within the group makes their views more extreme
-thus, different groups become MORE different, more polarized, in their views.
-ppl in these groups may have only encountered ideas reinforcing the views they already held

social influence: the power of individuals

despite all of these forces of social influence, individuals till have power:
-some people resist obeying and conforming
-individuals can start social movements and social forces, not just get caught up in them
-groupthink can be prevented if individuals speak up when a group decision seems wrong.