CHAPTER 16: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

AP Psychology

Study of how others influence our thoughts, feelings, and actionsFocuses on: •How large social forces bring out the best and worse in us•Why people act differently in the same situations and why the same person might act differently in different situations

Social Psychology

Our Thoughts About Others

AttributionsAttributions An explanation for the cause

of behaviors and events

Mistaken Attributions Fundamental Attribution Fundamental Attribution

ErrorError Misjudging the causes of

others’ behavior as due to internal (dispositional) causes rather than external (situational) ones

Attribution

Fundamental Attribution Error

Other Attribution Errors

Saliency BiasSaliency Bias Focusing on the most noticeable

(salient) factors when explaining the cause of behavior

Just-World PhenomenonJust-World Phenomenon Tendency to believe that people

generally get what they deserve Self-Serving BiasSelf-Serving Bias

Taking credit for our successes and externalizing our failures

Self-Serving Bias

Attitudes

AttitudeAttitude Learned predisposition to respond

cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally to a specific object

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive DissonanceCognitive Dissonance A feeling of discomfort resulting

from a mismatch between an attitude and a behavior or two competing attitudes Example: smoking! Example: Festinger and

Carlsmith’s study

Cognitive Dissonane

Cognitive Dissonance

Group Processes

RolesRoles Sets of behavioral patterns connected with

particular social positions Philip Zimbardo’s Prison Study (1971)

Deindividuation

DeindividuationDeindividuation Reduced self-

consciousness, inhibition, and personal responsibility that sometimes occurs in a group, particularly when members feel anonymous

Group Decision Making

Group PolarizationGroup Polarization Group’s movement

toward either riskier or more conservative behavior, depending on the member’s initial dominant tendency

Why? As people interact and

share opinions, they find new and more persuasive information that supports their original idea

Group Decision Making

GroupthinkGroupthink Faulty decision making that occurs when a

highly cohesive group strives for agreement and avoids inconsistent information Examples: Kennedy and Bay of the Pigs, war in

Iraq, failure to anticipate Pearl Harbor attack, etc.

Other Group Behavior

Social FacilitationSocial Facilitation Improved performance of simple tasks in

the presence of others If the task is difficult or unpracticed, a

person will do worse worse in the presence of others

Other Group Behavior

Diffusion of ResponsibilityDiffusion of Responsibility The diffusion of personal

responsibility for acting by spreading it among other group members Example: Kitty Genovese murder

Bystander EffectBystander Effect Presence of other people reduces

helping behavior Example: Bystander Experiment,

Chinese Girl Hit, Homeless Man Stabbed

Other Group Behavior

Social LoafingSocial Loafing Phenomenon of people exerting less effort

to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they are alone

Social Loafing – Rope Pulling

Our Feelings About Others

PrejudicePrejudice A learned, generally negative, attitude

towards members of a group (includes thoughts, feelings, and potential behaviors)

StereotypeStereotype A set of beliefs about the characteristics of

people in a group that is generalized to all group members (Average Asian)

DiscriminationDiscrimination Negative behaviors directed at members of

a group

Prejudice

Why does prejudice exist?

1.1. LearningLearning Learned through media, parents, friends, etc.

2.2. Personal ExperiencePersonal Experience One bad experience, people generalize to all

3.3. Mental ShortcutsMental Shortcuts Attempts to simplify and make quick

judgments Ingroup favoritism, outgroup homogeneity

4.4. Economic & Political CompetitionEconomic & Political Competition

5.5. Displaced AggressionDisplaced Aggression Scapegoat

Interpersonal Attraction

Interpersonal AttractionInterpersonal Attraction Positive feelings towards

another Most important determinants?

1.1. Physical AttractivenessPhysical Attractiveness2.2. ProximityProximity

Mere exposure effect

3.3. SimilaritySimilarity Opposites attract? Need complementarity, need

compatibility

Love

Romantic LoveRomantic Love Intense feeling of

attraction to another within an erotic context and with future expectations

Usually short-lived Companionate LoveCompanionate Love

Strong and lasting attraction characterized by trust, caring, tolerance, and friendship

Grows stronger with time

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Our Actions Towards Others

ConformityConformity Changing behavior because of

real or imagined group pressure Solomon Asch’s experiment

(1951)

Asch’s conclusions:Asch’s conclusions: Subjects often conform to a

group, even when obviously wrong

Conformity increases with the size of the group, but only when the group is unanimous

Why conform?

Normative Social InfluenceNormative Social Influence Conforming out of need for

approval and acceptance Informational Social InfluenceInformational Social Influence

Conforming out of need for information and direction

Reference GroupsReference Groups People we conform to because

we like and admire them and want to be like them

Chameleon Effect

Chameleon EffectChameleon Effect Our tendency to unconsciously mimic those

around us Examples: yawning, picking up on people’s

moods

Obedience

ObedienceObedience Following direct commands, usually from an

authority figure Stanley Milgram’s Study (1961)

Have times changed?

Why Obey?

Foot –in-the-Door TechniqueFoot –in-the-Door Technique A first, small request is used as a

setup for a later, larger request Door-in-the-Face TechniqueDoor-in-the-Face Technique

A large request is made knowing it will probably be refused so that the person will agree to a much smaller request

Lowball TechniqueLowball Technique An initial agreement is made before

all of the details are explained ReciprocityReciprocity

Extra Credit Opportunity!

You may ask for 5 or 10 points of extra credit.

If everyone asks for 5 points, everyone gets 5 points.

If you ask for 10 points, you will get 10 points…UNLESS more than 6 people ask for 10 points, THEN everyone gets 0 points.

Write your name on your slip of paper and either “5” or “10” written. DO NOT LET ANYONE SEE YOUR PAPER!

Social Trap

People do what is in their best interest, even though it may hurt the group

Short-term gains vs. long-term loss for group Examples:

overfishing, logging

Aggression & Altruism

Aggression: Any form of behavior intended to harm or injure another living being

Where does aggression come from? - Instincts - Genes - Brain & Nervous System - Substance Abuse - Mental Disorders - Hormones & NTs - Aversive Stimuli (e.g. noise, heat, pain, bullying, frustration), Culture & Learning, Violent media/video games

Altruism: Actions designed to help others with no obvious benefit to the helper

Why are we altruistic?Evolutionary Perspective: favors survival of genes

Egoistic Model: motivated by anticipated gain

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis: motivated by concern for others