Social Psychology Notes

Definition: The scientific study of how a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence and are influenced by social groups.

Social Influence: How the real or implied presence of other people can change feelings, thoughts, or actions.
Social Cognition: The mental processes that help individuals make sense of the social world.
Social Interaction: The relationships between people, both casual and intimate.

Conformity: Changing behavior to fit in with the actions of others.
Main Findings from Solomon Asch's Research (1951):
- Conformity varies across eras and cultures.
- Both men and women conform; women tend to conform slightly more publicly.
Reasons for Conformity:
1. Normative Social Influence: Pressure to act a certain way for social acceptance.
2. Informational Social Influence: Following others' behavior when unsure of how to act.

Definition: Changing behavior because a person or group requests it.
Importance: Most significant in consumer psychology.
Techniques for Gaining Compliance:
1. Foot-in-the-door Technique: Request a small favor first, then a larger one.
2. Door-in-the-face Technique: Start with a large request (expected to be refused), then ask for a smaller, more reasonable request.
3. Lowball Technique: Get a commitment followed by a cost hike.
4. That’s-not-all Technique: Make an offer and add something extra before the decision is made.

The belief that if someone does something for you, you reciprocate.
Techniques Utilizing Reciprocity:
- Door-in-the-face: You feel the requester has made sacrifices, leading to agreement.
- That’s-not-all: Feels like a favor, increasing the chance of agreement.

Definition: Changing behavior due to an authority figure's command.
Difference from Compliance: Authority is exercised over the person, unlike requests from peers.
Milgram's Research (1964): Explored how far individuals would go in obeying authority, even if it involved harming others. Results indicated a high likelihood to obey if the authority figure appears legitimate.

Key Concepts: Groupthink, group polarization, social facilitation and impairment, social loafing, and deindividuation.
Groupthink: Prioritizing agreement over rational decision-making leading to errors.
Group Polarization: Group discussions lead to more extreme opinions than those held individually.
Social Facilitation: Improved performance on easy tasks when being watched.
Social Impairment: Poorer performance on hard tasks when being observed.
Social Loafing: Reduced effort when working in a group compared to working individually.
Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness and accountability in group settings.

Definition: Processes for making sense of social surroundings.
Three Aspects:
1. Attitudes: Learned predispositions toward objects, persons, or situations.
2. Impression Formation: First impressions are crucial; initial perceptions can bias further judgments.
3. Attribution: Explaining one’s own and others’ behaviors, consisting of situational versus dispositional causes.

Formation Methods: Direct contact, instruction, social interactions, observational learning.
Changed by: Persuasion, which involves reasoning and emotional appeals.

Factors: Source credibility, message content, audience, delivery medium, and processing method.
Elaboration Likelihood Model: Two routes of processing persuasive messages:
1. Central-route: Focus on content and logic.
2. Peripheral-route: Decision based on superficial cues.

Definition: Distress when behavior does not match beliefs.
Resolution Methods: Changing behavior, changing beliefs, or forming new cognitions to justify behavior.

Prejudice & Discrimination: Negative attitudes and differential treatment based on group memberships.
In-group vs Out-group Mentalities: Identifying with one's group can lead to bias against others.
Realistic Conflict Theory: Prejudice rises in conflicts over scarce resources.
Reducing Prejudice: Promoting equal status contacts and collaboration.

Factors:
- Physical Attractiveness: Initial factor in many relationships.
- Proximity: Geographical or physical closeness enhances relationships.
- Similarity: Attraction is higher for those similar in attitudes and beliefs.
- Reciprocity of Liking: People are drawn to those who reciprocate their feelings.

Definition: A complex emotional state characterized by attachment and concern for another.
Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love: Defines love’s dimensions as intimacy, passion, and commitment, with the strongest relationships incorporating all three.
Variations in Relationships: Different types of relationships emphasize different components of love (e.g., friendships focus on intimacy and commitment, while sibling relationships emphasize commitment).