PSY 201 - Lecture 3 - Social Psychology (Part 2)

Background: Stanley Milgram (1933-1984) was inspired by Asch's research on conformity.
Concept of Obedience:
- Defined as the act of deferring to someone in a position of power.
- Milgram sought to understand how far individuals would go to obey an authority figure.

Study Setup: Participants were asked to administer shocks to a subject (who was actually an actor) for wrong answers.
Results:
- 2/3 of the participants delivered the maximum shock.
- Demonstrated striking willingness to obey authority despite apparent moral conflict.

Emotional Stress: Participants experienced significant emotional distress during experiments.
Debriefing Issues: Many claimed they were never properly debriefed.
Argument: While critics viewed it negatively, Milgram's study highlighted complex aspects of human behavior and obedience.
- Contradictory Findings: Milgram ran 24 versions of the study, where many participants often disobeyed authority.

Observational Learning:
- Peer modeling encourages obedience.
Situational Factors:
- When the victim was not visible, or authority was in a high status (e.g., wearing a white coat).

Definition: When people fail to help someone in need, assuming someone else will take responsibility.
Diffusion of Responsibility:
- Individuals feel less compelled to act because they feel the responsibility is shared.
Research Findings: In larger groups, individuals took much longer to call for help.

Concept: People often attempt to infer reasons for others’ behaviors.
Example: Study by Jones and Harris (1967) where participants judged the attitudes of essay authors regarding Fidel Castro, regardless of assigned essay topics.
Fundamental Attribution Error:
- Tendency to overemphasize personal traits while underestimating situational factors.

Definitions:
- Prejudice: Negative attitudes towards individuals based on perceived group membership.
- Discrimination: Negative actions towards individuals based on group membership.
In-Group vs. Out-Group Dynamics:
- In-Group: Group an individual identifies with.
- Out-Group: Groups perceived as different or adversarial.

Key Factors:
- Dissimilarity and Social Distance: Perceived differences between groups.
- Economic Competition: Fear of resources being taken by others.
- Scapegoating: Attributing faults or problems to another group.
- Conformity: Adhering to societal norms regarding out-groups.
- Media Influence: Stereotypes perpetuated through media.
- Dehumanization: Viewing out-group members as less than human.

Background: Zimbardo (1933-2024), a close associate of Milgram, conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment to study the influence of social systems on behavior.
Experiment Setup:
- A simulated prison environment was created in the basement of Stanford’s Psychology department.
- Participants were assigned roles of prisoners and guards.
- Ethical considerations arose as guards began enforcing strict, abusive behaviors.
Observations: Guards became increasingly authoritarian; some exhibited sadistic behaviors.

Zimbardo's View: Normal individuals engaged in horrific actions due to the roles assigned to them by a social system; institutional support played a significant role.
Criticism:
- Training and Precedents: Guards were briefed on behaviors, raising ethical and methodological concerns.
- Demand characteristics: Guards acted in ways they thought the experimenters wanted.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that social and institutional pressures can lead to extremes in behavior under authority.