Social Pyschology ch. 14
Social psychology: focuses on development and expression of attitudes, attributions, how we are influenced and how we influence, and how we interact.
Social Loafing: the tendency for any individual of a group to put less effort as a result of being in a large group.
Social roles: A defined pattern of behavior expected of a person in a given setting.
Social Norms: unwritten rules on how we should behave.
Deindividuation: The loss of individuality, to become submerged in the group. Happens in relationships, to let others boss you around- to the extent of the loss of self.
The Stanford jail experiment.
To see if acquiring power is what makes you brutal, or whether brutality is part of human nature.
Social facilitation
When another person helps your performance
Social impairment
When another person worsens your performance
Conformity: When you change upon a group of people; If there are more than 3, you will begin to change.
The status of the group is a factor.
Doctors - these guys know whats up
Factory workers - these guys don't know anything
If decisions are made in public you are more likely to conform, especially if it is unanimous, If they are in private, then you are less likely to conform.
ASCH Conformity experiment.
Solomon and ash experiment
6 people are taking the experiment, but only one is actually taking,
37% of the people conformed
With a partner, it goes down to a 5% chance that you will yield to the group
Informational conformity: when the group convinces us they are right
Normative conformity: when you conform in fear of rejection or exclusion from a group
If you answer, the conformity reduces further.
Identified three factors that would influence whether a person will yeld to group pressure.
1) The size of the majority
2) The presence of a partner who dissented from the majority
3) The size of the discrepancy between the correct answer and the majority’s postion.
A person is more likely to confrom when
A judgement task is difficult or ambiguous
The group members are perceived as especially competent
Responses are given publicaly rather than privately
The group majority is unanimous- once that unanimity is broken, the rat eof conformity drops dramatically.
Kitty Genovese
She was stabbed several times, the guy who did it, came back 4-5 times, the people who saw did nothing.
The more people that are in a group, the less there is a response.
Also if you don't have a relationship with that person, you are more likely to help.
The Fusion of responsibility
Stereotypes: Are attitudes about what members of different groups are like.
Prejudice is an underserved, negative, attitude toward a group of people.
Causes - could be a defense mechanism
Perception: if you see someone who is different from you, you place them at a social distance.
Discrimination is treating categories of people of race, age, sex, gender, or ability differently. (behavior)
Ethnocentrism: The belief that one’s culture is superior to others.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: (Leon Festinger) Based on the idea that people are motivated to have consistent attitudes and behaviors. When someone’s behavior does not match their beliefs, they experience mental tension or ‘dissonance’. Attitude is differnet from behavior.
Someone who wants to live a long life will have cognitive dissonance if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Cognitive Misers: Susan Fiske and Shelley Taylor; idea that human thinkers are stingy with our mental efforts; Example: we keep our first impressions of despite evidence to the contrary
Attribution Theory: Tries to explain how people determine the cause of what they observe. To find cause for someone’s behavior.
Attributions are either dispositional (internal, referring to one’s personality or set of skills, talent innate ability, or IQ) or situational (beyond the person's immediate control).
Attributions can also be Stable or Unstable
Example: Robert is a math whiz and always does well in math. This is a personal-stable attribution.
Robert simply studied very hard for this test. This is a person-unstable attribution.
Robert’s teacher, Mr. Smith always gives easy math tests. This is a situation-stable attribution.
Mr. Smith, Robert’s teacher, gave one easy test. This is a situation-unstable attribution.
The kinds of attributions people make are based on three kinds of information. Consistency, Distinctiveness, and Consensus.
Consistency refers to how similarly the individual acts over time (does this person always do this?)
Distinctiveness refers to how similar some situation is to other situations in which you’ve seen somebody act (did they act like this before?)
Consensus refers to taking into consideration how others in the same situation would have acted (would someone else have done this?).
Fundamental attribution error: When looking at the behavior of others, people tend to overestimate the importance of dispositional (personality) factors and underestimate situational factors.
In addition, people are more likely to view others' behavior as disposition, but in judging their own behavior, they are more likely to say that their behavior depends on the situation.
Central Route of Persuasion focuses on details, statistics, and facts about the object service to convince an audience.
Peripheral Route of Persuasion is using tactics other than the facts of logical arguments to persuade an audience. These could be using an attractive person, flashing lights, pleasant sounds, an authoritative figure, or something else.
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, where the desire for harmony or conformity results in irrational or dysfunctional decision-making. Members suppress dissenting viewpoints, fail to critically analyze alternatives, and prioritize consensus over the quality of the decision. This can lead to poor outcomes and a lack of innovation.
Seven
Interpersonal Theory is a psychological framework that emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships in shaping personality and behavior. Developed by Harry Stack Sullivan, it posits that human interactions are fundamental to understanding mental health and development.
Key Factors:
Anxiety: A central concept; interpersonal relationships can alleviate or exacerbate anxiety.
Self-System: The way individuals perceive themselves based on interactions with others.
Personification: The way individuals internalize and respond to others' behaviors.
Interpersonal Needs: Includes needs for affection, approval, and security, influencing relationships.
Foot-in-the-Door Policy: This technique involves making a small request first, which is likely to be accepted, followed by a larger request. The initial compliance increases the likelihood of agreeing to the second request.
Door-in-the-Face Policy: This strategy starts with a large request that is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request. The contrast makes the second request more appealing.
Reward Theory of Attraction: This theory posits that we are attracted to individuals who provide us with maximum rewards (e.g., support, affection) at minimal costs (e.g., time, effort).
Proximity: Physical closeness increases the likelihood of attraction. The more frequently we encounter someone, the more likely we are to form a connection.
Similarity: Shared interests, values, and attributes enhance attraction. People tend to be drawn to those who are like them.
Self-Disclosure: Sharing personal information fosters intimacy and strengthens relationships.
Physical Attractiveness: This plays a significant role in initial attraction, influencing perceptions and interactions.
Key Terms
Compliance: Agreement to a request.
Attraction: The feeling of being drawn to someone.
Intimacy: Close familiarity or friendship.
Psychological Biases Explained
Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute positive events to one's own character but attribute negative events to external factors.
False Consensus Effect: The belief that one's own opinions and behaviors are more common than they actually are, leading to overestimating the extent to which others share those views.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.
Just World Hypothesis: The belief that the world is fundamentally just, leading people to rationalize injustices as deserved by the victims.
Leads to Victim blaming, bad things happen to people who have done bad things, good things happen to people who have done good things.
Halo Effect: The cognitive bias where the perception of one positive trait (like attractiveness) influences the perception of other traits (like intelligence).
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Definition: A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a belief or expectation about a person or event leads to behavior that causes the belief to come true.
Example: If a teacher believes a student is gifted, they may give that student more attention, leading to improved performance, thus confirming the teacher's initial belief.
Self-Serving Bias
Definition: Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to one's own actions while attributing negative outcomes to external factors.
Example: A student who receives a good grade may attribute it to their intelligence or hard work, while a poor grade may be blamed on the difficulty of the exam or unfair grading.
Stereotype Threat
Definition: Stereotype threat refers to the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about one's social group, which can hinder performance.
Example: A woman taking a math test may perform worse if she is reminded of the stereotype that women are not good at math.
Differentiation
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Focuses on how expectations influence behavior and outcomes.
Self-Serving Bias: Centers on how individuals perceive their own actions and outcomes, often skewing their self-assessment.
Stereotype Threat: Highlights the impact of societal stereotypes on individual performance, particularly in high-pressure situations.
The Milgram obedience experiment, conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s, investigated the extent to which individuals would obey authority figures, even when the orders given could result in harm to another person. Participants were instructed to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to a "learner" (who was actually an actor and not receiving real shocks) whenever that learner gave incorrect answers to questions.
Key findings from the experiment included:
High Levels of Obedience: A significant majority of participants (around 65%) continued the shocks despite the learner's protests and apparent suffering, demonstrating a strong tendency to obey authority figures.
Situational Factors: The study highlighted how situational pressures can lead ordinary people to commit acts against their ethical beliefs when instructed by an authority figure.
Psychological Conflict: Many participants experienced stress and guilt during the experiment, evidenced by signs of extreme tension and reluctance to continue.
Reactions to Authority: The results suggested that people's willingness to obey could be influenced