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Social Psychology
Branch of psychology concerned with the way individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.
Effect of physical appearance◦ We should know better than to judge on this, but do
we?
◦ What do studies reveal?
Why might people do this?
Attractiveness even influences perceptions of competence:
Research related to jobs:
People have a tendency to make snap judgments about people
We tend to weigh initial perception much more heavily than later information◦ Examples
These are especially hard to overcome
Every person is unique, yet we tend to categorize people◦ Why?
Stereotype- Widely held belief that people have certain characteristics because of membership to a particular group
Discussion of common stereotypes:
Why do we stereotype people? Is there some truth to them? Are all stereotypes negative?
It is normal to stereotype people
We have cognitive schemas for how we expect certain people to behave:◦ Cognitive schema – Organized cluster of ideas
about categories of social events and people
People are likely to interpret what they see in a way that is consistent with expectations
Illusory Correlation- People estimate they have encountered more confirmations of an association between social traits than they have actually◦ What does this mean◦ Examples◦ Research studies
According to evolutionary perspective, humans are programmed to immediately classify people as members of ingroup or outgroup
Ingroup-
Outgroup –
Discussion: is there truth to this?
Attributions- Inferences people draw about causes of events, others behavior and own behavior◦ Why do we need to make these?
People tend to explain their behavior as result of personal or environmental factors:◦ 1.) Internal Attributions◦ 2.) External Attributions
Causes of behavior due to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings.◦ Examples
Causes of behavior due to situational demands and environment◦ Examples
◦ Examples from class Give internal and external explanation
1.) Fundamental Attribution Error- People tend to explain other people’s behavior as a result of internal attributions◦ In other words….
Examples
2.) Self-Serving Bias- People tend to attribute their success to personal (internal) factors and their failures to situational (external) factors
◦ Examples
Physical Attraction◦ What is the first thing most people notice?
“Get acquainted” study:◦ What was done
Other studies back up the prominence of physical attractiveness in the initial dating stage
“Friend Zone” Discussion
Matching Hypothesis- Proposes males and females of approximate equal physical attractiveness are likely to select each other as partners
◦ Class discussion: Is this true? Why or Why not?
Similarity Effects◦ Far more support for people being attracted to
those who are similar Married and dating couples tend to be similar in age,
race, religion, social class, education, attractiveness, and attitude.
Class thoughts
Attitude Similarity- Similarity seems to cause liking◦ Study Findings◦ Discussion
Hazan and Shaver believe relationships in adulthood follow same forms as attachment during infancy
Think back to attachments: what would children with these attachment styles look for in adult relationships:◦ Secure
◦ Anxious-Ambivalent
◦ Avoidant
Learning theory
◦ Classical Conditioning How might attitudes form (about products for
example)
◦ Operant Conditioning Agreement from others can serve to shape
behavior/attitudes
◦ Observational Learning Observe others attitude and reinforcement
Cognitive Dissonance – State of tension created when something we say or do contradicts actual beliefs◦ We thus alter beliefs to reduce tension
Festinger and Carlsmith Study:◦ Male college students performed excruciating dull tasks
for one hour◦ Afterwards, offered money to tell subjects in waiting
room that the study was fun◦ Wanted participants to do something inconsistent with
beliefs (to create dissonance)◦ Some subjects given $1; some given $20
Which group rated task as more enjoyable?
Other examples
Conformity- Occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pressure.◦ Examples
Solomon Asch Line Study- 1951◦ http://video.google.com/videosearch?
sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#q=conformity+experiment&hl=en&emb=0
◦ Young men conformed on 37% of trials
Variations on Asch Study◦ What happened if the group size was lower (one
person)?
◦ What happened if group size was larger (more people)?
◦ Discussion: What factors make us conform
Obedience – Form of Compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in authority
Participants told study concerned with effects of punishment on learning
◦ Randomly assigned to either be “teacher” or “learner” Participant was always “teacher”; Research accomplice was
“learner”◦ “learner” was strapped to electrified chair and told they
would be answering questions from “teacher”◦ “teacher” taken to adjacent room and given shock
generator Told to shock “learner” for each mistake, increasing voltage
each time Apparatus was fake (although participant did not know)
http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#
DV- level of shock participants willing to administer
15V- slight shock 135V- strong shock 375V- Danger: Severe shock 450 V- XXX (last stage)
How many do you think went all the way to final voltage?
Controversy of study
Class Discussion
Philip Zimbardo wanted to investigate why prisons tend to become abusive environments
He recruited college aged males for study of prison life through newspaper ads
Coin flip determined who would be “guards” and who would be “prisoners”
“Prisoners” arrested at homes and brought to simulated prison at Stanford U.◦ There they were stripped, deloused, given uniform,
given ID, and put in cell “Guards” given uniforms, billy clubs, glasses
◦ Told to run prison any way they saw fit, without physical punishment
What happened in study?
http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS304US304&q=milgram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#q=zimbardo+prison&hl=en&emb=0&start=0
Possible explanations:◦ Social Roles
Bystander Effect- People are less likely to provide needed help when they are in groups than when they are alone◦ Diffusion of responsibility