Week 11 Social Thinking & Social Influence
Page 1: Course Introduction
Social Thinking and Social Influence
Instructor: Allura Casasnova, PhD
Course: PSY 203 - Fall 2024
Page 2: Announcements
Exam grades updated in CANVAS, please check your results.
Voting proof submission updates will occur if submitted after 11pm.
Page 3: Table of Contents
What is Social Psychology?
Attribution
Attribution Theory
Fundamental Attribution Error
Persuasion
Peripheral-Route and Central-Route Persuasion
Conformity
Asch Conformity Study
Normative & Informational Social Influence
Obedience
Milgram Study
Group Behavior
Social Facilitation
Social Loafing
Page 4-5: What is Social Psychology?
Definition: The study of how individuals think about, influence, and relate to one another.
Page 6: Questions Addressed by Social Psychologists
How can we persuade people to change their attitudes or beliefs?
Why do some individuals risk their lives to save others?
How do we influence one another’s thoughts and behaviors?
What causes individuals to exhibit violence despite legal restrictions?
Page 7-8: Attribution
Definition: An inference about the causes of a person’s behavior.
Example Inquiry: Why is Laura late?
Page 9-12: Types of Attribution
Dispositional Attributes: Inferences made about stable personality traits affecting behavior.
Situational Attributes: Inferences based on temporary or external circumstances affecting behavior.
Example:
Dispositional: Laura is unreliable.
Situational: There was a traffic jam.
Page 13-17: Attribution Theory
Attribution Theory: Explains behavior through either situational or dispositional factors.
Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to overestimate personality influences and underestimate situational influences.
Factors contributing to this error:
Difficulty recognizing situational attributions
Cultural aspects affecting perception of behavior.
Page 18-24: Persuasion
Definition of Persuasion: A process wherein attitudes or beliefs are influenced through communication.
Types of Persuasion:
Peripheral-Route Persuasion (PRP): Quick shifts in beliefs through emotional or habitual appeals (e.g., tugging at heartstrings).
Central-Route Persuasion (CRP): Involves logical and thoughtful arguments, resulting in more durable attitude changes.
Page 25-27: Types of Persuasion Approaches
Understanding message types based on audience involvement:
Central route: More effective for highly involved audiences.
Peripheral route: Effective for less involved audiences, but results in weaker persuasion effects.
Page 28-34: Conformity
Definition of Conformity: Adjusting behaviors or thoughts to align with group standards.
Asch Conformity Study: Demonstrated group influence where participants conformed to incorrect group judgments.
Reasons for Conformity:
Normative Social Influence: Desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
Informational Social Influence: Relying on others for guidance in uncertainty.
Page 35-44: Obedience
Explored through Stanley Milgram’s Study which assessed the effects of authority on obedience to harmful commands, inspired by historical contexts of WWII.
Conditions influencing obedience studied include: presence of authority figures, distance from victims, and lack of role models for defiance.
Page 46-52: Group Behavior
Social Facilitation: Performance can improve or decline based on the presence of others; simple tasks improve performance, while complex tasks may hinder it.
Social Loafing: Group members often put in less effort compared to individual efforts. Reasons include perceived lack of accountability and overestimation of personal contributions.
Other concepts include:
Deindividualization: Loss of self-awareness in group settings.
Group Think: Compromise of critical analysis in favor of group consensus.
Page 53: Closing Remarks
Reminder: Complete Module 41 and review grades.
Additional Concept to Study: Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon.