Rathus_PSYCH_7e_PPT_CH14

Chapter 14: Social Psychology

Icebreaker: Discussion Prompt

• Is it possible to change someone’s attitude or behavior if that attitude or behavior is based on a firmly held belief? Discuss the reasons for your viewpoint.

Chapter Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define attitude and discuss factors that shape attitudes.

• Discuss prejudice and discrimination.

• Discuss factors contributing to interpersonal attraction and love.

• Define social perception and describe influencing factors.

• Explain why people obey authority figures and conform to social pressure.

• Discuss factors contributing to aggression.

• Describe differences in behavior as individuals versus as group members.

Section 14-1: Attitudes

Understanding Attitudes

• Social Psychology: The study of behavior and mental processes in social settings.

• Attitudes: Enduring behavioral and cognitive tendencies expressed by evaluating people, places, or things with favor or disfavor.

  • Formed mostly through learning, with some innate predispositions.

Predicting Behavior from Attitudes

• Cognitive Anchors: We evaluate new ideas based on existing attitudes.

• The A-B Problem: Weak to moderate link between attitudes (A) and behaviors (B).

• Factors influencing prediction of behavior from attitudes:

  • Specificity of attitude

  • Strength of attitude

  • Vested interest

  • Accessibility of the attitude.

Changing Attitudes Through Persuasion

Modes of Persuasion

• Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Describes how people respond to persuasive messages through two routes:

  • Central Route: Engages thoughtful consideration of evidence and arguments.

  • Peripheral Route: Associates objects with positive or negative cues.

Key Aspects of Persuasion

• Familiarity breeds content: Familiar items are generally more persuasive.

• Fear Appeals: More persuasive than presenting facts alone.

• Persuasive Communicators: Characteristics include expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and similarity to the audience.

• Selective Attention: Attention can be diverted from inconsistent information.

Contextual Influences

• Agreement and praise enhance persuasion.

• Individuals high in self-esteem and low in social anxiety resist social pressures more effectively.

Cognitive Dissonance in Attitude Change

Cognitive-Dissonance Theory

• Motivates individuals to reduce inconsistency between attitudes and behavior.

  • Attitude-Discrepant Behavior: Behavior inconsistent with an attitude can modify that attitude.

  • Effort Justification: Individuals seek justification for strenuous efforts made.

Section 14-2: Prejudice and Discrimination

Understanding Prejudice

• Prejudice: Negative attitudes towards a group that influence judgments of its members.

  • Cognitive level: Expectations of negative behavior.

  • Emotional level: Involves negative feelings.

• Leads to behavior that causes discrimination and aggression.

Stereotyping

• Misguided assumptions about group traits can be both negative or positive.

  • Example: Attractive individuals are treated more favorably.

Sources and Combating Prejudice

• Sources of Prejudice: Dissimilarity, social conflict, social learning, information processing, and social categorization.

• Combating Prejudice:

  • Encourage intergroup contact and cooperation.

  • Combat discriminatory behavior.

  • Promote discussion and introspection on personal beliefs.

Section 14-3: Attraction and Love

Factors of Attraction

• Physical appearance, similarity, and reciprocity drive attraction.

• Standards of beauty have cross-cultural consistency.

Gender Differences in Partner Selection

• Females value professional status, kindness, and dependability.

• Males emphasize physical appearance, thrift, and cooking ability.

The Attraction-Similarity Hypothesis

• People prefer partners who share similar traits, including attractiveness and background.

• Propinquity: We tend to live near similar others.

• Reciprocity: Interaction dynamics are influenced by perceived mutual interest.

Sternberg’s Triangular Model of Love

• Defined by three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.

• Consummate Love: Ideal interaction of all three components.

Section 14-4: Social Perception

Understanding Social Perception

• Examines impression formation and modification.

• Influenced by:

  • Primacy Effect: First impressions are crucial.

  • Recency Effect: Most recent experiences significantly affect evaluations.

  • Attribution: Assessing behavior’s context and reasons.

Attribution Theory

• Differentiates between dispositional (internal) and situational (external) attributions.

• Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to attribute behavior to personality traits rather than situational contexts.

• Self-Serving Bias: Attribute personal successes to internal factors and failures to external causes.

Section 14-5: Social Influence

Forms of Social Influence

• Examines how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others are altered.

  • Can lead to either conformity or deviant behavior.

Obedience to Authority

• Milgram Studies: Majority of participants complied with harmful commands from authority figures.

  • Insights into socialization, perception of authority, and the mechanisms of conformity.

Conformity Factors

• Influenced by cultural background, self-esteem, group size, and situational context.

Section 14-6: Aggression

Understanding Aggression

• Influences include genetic factors, brain chemistry, societal norms, and psychological perspectives.

  • Different theories (Freud’s instinctive view, cognitive perspectives, etc.) explain aggression variably.

Section 14-7: Group Behavior

Social Facilitation and Its Effects

• Performance can be enhanced or impaired in groups due to social presence.

Group Decision-Making Dynamics

• Various schemes (majority-wins, truth-wins, etc.) govern how groups make decisions.

• Groupthink: Dangerous consensus seeking in cohesive groups leading to poor decisions.

Altruism and Bystander Effect

• Altruism: Selfless concern for others.

• Bystander Effect: Hesitation to help in emergencies due to the assumption that others will intervene.

Summary

• Social perception involves impression management influenced by primacy and recency effects, attribution biases, and group dynamics.

• Understanding factors behind conformity and aggression can guide personal and societal behaviors.