Social Psychology

I. Theories of Social Psychology

A. Definition: The study of how we think about, influence and relate to one another

B. Attribution Theory1. Do we explain behavior by crediting the

situation or disposition?

C. Fundamental Attribution Error1. Tendency for observers to underestimate

the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition when analyzing another’s behavior and do the opposite when analyzing our own

2. Ex: Judging a teacher’s personality based on what you see in the classroom

D. The Foot in the Door Phenomenon1. Tendency for people who agree to a small

action to comply later w/a larger one

2. Ex: First asking parents for a slightly later curfew followed by asking for a much later one

E. Role-Playing Affects Attitudes1. Role: set of expectations about a social

position, defining how people in the position ought to behave

2. Philip Zimbardo’s prison study

F. Cognitive Dissonance Theory1. We act to reduce the discomfort we feel

when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

2. Ex: Justifying smoking even though you know it’s unhealthy

G. Attitudes-Follow-Behavior Principle1. Changing our behavior can change how

we think about others

2. Act as though you like someone, and you soon will

H. Chameleon Effect1. Unconsciously mimicking others’

expression, postures and tone of voice

2. Ex: If a group of people is looking up, passersby will likely do the same

3. Ex: Suicides and copycat crimes

II. Conformity

A. Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide w/a group standard

B. Conditions that strengthen conformity1. One is made to feel incompetent or insecure2. Group has at least 3 people3. Group is unanimous4. One admires the groups status5. One has made no prior commitment to any response6. Others in the group observes one’s behavior7. One’s culture strongly encourages respect for social

standards

III. Obedience

A. Stanley Milgram’s Experiment

B. Obedience was highest when1. Person giving orders was close at hand and was

perceived to be a legitimate authority figure

2. Authority figure was supported by a prestigious institution

3. Victim was depersonalized or at a distance

4. There were no role models for defiance

A. Social facilitation1. Stronger responses on simple or well-

learned tasks in the presence of others

2. Ex: Home field advantage

3. People perform more poorly on tougher tasks when observers are present

B. Social loafing1. Tendency for people in a group to exert

less effort when pooling their efforts toward a common goal than when individually accountable

2. Ex: Group vs. individual projects, tug of war

C. Deindividuation1. Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint

in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

2. Ex: Ku Klux Klan; crowd of people yelling at a referee

D. Group polarization1. Enhancement of a group’s prevailing

inclinations through discussion within the group

2. Ex: when high-prejudice students discussed racial issues, they became more prejudiced

E. Groupthink1. Mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for

harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

2. Ex: failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba

3. People suppress their opinions to maintain perceived group harmony

4. Different from conformity, where people just don’t want to be different

IV. Prejudice

A. Unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members

B. Social Roots of Prejudice1. Social Inequalities

a. Tendency of the “haves” to develop attitudes that justify things as they are

b. Ex: slave owners justifying slavery

2. Us vs. Them: Ingroup and Outgroupa. Ingroup: “us” - people w/whom we share

a common identityb. Outgroup: “them” - those perceived as

different or apart from our ingroup c. Ingroup bias: tendency to favor our own

group– Ex: identity w/Arcadia and not with GET

C. Emotional Roots of Prejudice1. Scapegoat theory: theory that prejudice

offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

2. Ex: Feeling good when a rival does poorly after we’ve done poorly; lashing out at Arabs post-9/11

D. Cognitive Roots of Prejudice1. Categorization

a. We overestimate the similarity of those within other groups but recognize how greatly we differ from others in our group

b. Other-race effect: tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

2. Vivid Casesa. Judging the frequency of events by

instances that readily come to mind

b. Ex: believing all terrorists are Muslim

3. Just-World Phenomenon - tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people get what they deserve

Rules for “The Pairing Game"

1. Do not look at your own number or tell anyone else what their number is.

2. Your task is to pair off with another student. The pair with the highest number will receive a reward.

3. The offer to form a pair is made by extending your hand to another person, as if to offer a handshake. The other person can choose either to accept or reject your offer.

4. If your offer is accepted, stand together with your partner at the edge of the room.

5. If your offer is rejected, continue looking until you have formed a pair.

V. Psychology of Attraction

A. Proximity1. Geographic nearness is friendship’s most powerful

predictor2. Mere exposure effect: phenomenon that repeated

exposure to new stimuli increases liking of them

B. Physical attractiveness1. Attractiveness most affects first impressions2. People’s attractiveness is unrelated to self-esteem and

happiness3. If led to believe someone has appealing traits (honesty,

humorous), people perceive the person as more physically attractive

Psychology of Attraction -cont-

C. Similarity1. Opposites retract

2. The more alike people are, the more their liking endures

VI. Altruism

A. Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

B. Bystander effect: tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to help if other bystanders are present– Ex: Kitty Genevieve case

Altruism -cont-

C. The best odds of us helping someone occur when1. Person appears to need and deserve help

2. Person is in some way similar to us

3. We have just observed someone else being helpful

4. We are not in a hurry

5. We are in a small town or rural area

6. We are feeling guilty

7. We are not preoccupied

8. We are in a good mood