Social Forces on Decision-Making in PSYC 101 (Fall 2025)

Big Question 5

  • Decisions, decisions, everywhere!

  • How do we make decisions about the world (and why are we sometimes so bad at it)?

Social Psychology

  • Definition: Examines the powerful influence of our social and cultural environment on individual and group actions.

  • Influences on Behavior:

    • Psychological factors

    • Biological factors

    • Social factors

    • Cultural factors

Core Motivations in Social Psychology

  • Need to perceive ourselves positively

  • Need to feel control

  • Need to belong

  • Social Psychology: Putting People in Context

    • Core motivations influence interaction with and understanding of the social world.

Today's Goals

  1. Consider the forces of norms, conformity, and obedience

  2. Understand how we make decisions regarding our behavior versus others' behavior

  3. Describe how social biases help maintain a positive self-view

Understanding Social Norms

  • Definition of Social Norms: Rules about how we are supposed to act.

  • Enforcement methods:

    • Threats of punishment for violations

    • Promises of reward for adherence

  • Significance of Norms:

    • Conventions that make interactions predictable and orderly

Conformity

  • Definition of Conformity: The tendency to act and think like the people around us.

Reasons for Conformity

  1. Normative Influence:

    • People conform out of concern for others' perceptions of them.

  2. Informational Influence:

    • People conform as the actions of others provide information on social appropriateness.

    • Recognition that perceptions and biases filter our experiences imperfectly.

Obedience

  • Definition of Obedience: Compliance with orders or commands from authority figures.

  • Key Concepts in Obedience:

    • Legitimization of Authority

    • Entrapment

Obedience to Authority

  • Can people be compelled to commit harmful acts under obedience?

  • The Milgram Experiments:

    • Focus: Individuals' willingness to obey authority figures despite ethical considerations.

    • Key Conclusion: Situational power greatly affects behavior.

    • Resulted in the development of Research Ethics Review Boards.

Attribution in Behavior

  • Attributions: Causal explanations for events, actions, or outcomes.

  • Types of Attributions:

    • External/Situational (e.g., someone is late to work due to an emergency)

    • Internal/Dispositional (e.g., someone is late due to being irresponsible)

Fundamental Attribution Error            Definition: The tendency to overlook situational influences on behavior and emphasize personality traits.

  • Example:

    • If an interviewer meets a candidate (Valerie) late for an interview, the fundamental attribution error might lead them to see her as irresponsible rather than considering external factors like traffic.

Cultural Differences in Attribution

  • Fundamental Attribution Error and Culture:

    • Western cultures (individualistic) tend to favor internal attributions for behavior, while collectivist cultures emphasize situational attributions.

Explanations of Our Own Behavior

  • Self-Serving Attribution:

    • We attribute successes to our internal traits and failures to external factors.

  • This bias affects how we perceive our actions positively.

Self-Serving Biases

  1. Better-Than-Average Effect: Individuals tend to view themselves as better than average in various traits or abilities.

  2. Just-World Hypothesis: Belief that the world is fair and people get what they deserve.

Attitudes and Decision-Making

  • Definition of Attitude: An individual’s orientation towards a stimulus can influence choices and decisions.

  • Influences include the dichotomy of comforting lies versus unpleasant truths.

Assessment of Attitudes

  • Questions for Self-Evaluation (Rating Scale: 1-5):

    • How much do you value exercise?

    • How important is charity donation?

    • How critical is saving for retirement?

Behaviors Assessment

  • Questions for Self-Evaluation:

    • Frequency of exercise last week?

    • Most recent charity donation?

    • Amount saved for retirement?

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

  • Definition: The theory that individuals are motivated to appear consistent in thoughts, actions, and beliefs.

  • Cognitive dissonance arises when inconsistency between beliefs and actions occurs, leading to psychological tension that individuals seek to minimize.

Mechanisms to Reduce Dissonance

  • Change attitudes to match behavior or vice versa.

    • Examples: If someone believes "Smoking is bad" but smokes, they may change their belief to see smoking as justifiable.

Cognitive Dissonance Research

  • Classic Experiment by Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith (1959):

    • Investigated how forced behavior inconsistent with beliefs alters opinions.

  • Scenario: Belief of "I'm not cheap" conflicts with lying for a small sum of money.

    • Outcomes involve re-evaluating tasks to alleviate dissonance.

Implications of Cognitive Dissonance

  • How do individuals reconcile forced actions with private beliefs?

  • This often leads individuals to reframe their rationale for actions to reduce tensions.

Popular Culture References

  • Cognitive Dissonance depicted in media (e.g., TV shows).

Reading Assignments

  • Review chapters 15.9 - 15.19

  • Hock #37 (A Prison by Any Other Name)

  • Hock #39 (To Help or Not to Help?)