Unit 3: Social Psychology

Social Psychology

“We cannot live for ourselves alone.”- Herman Melville

- Social Psychologists study how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Unit Breakdown Social Thinking

Attribution Theory Attitudes and Actions

Social Influence Conformity and Obedience Group Influence

Social Relations Prejudice, Aggression, Conflict, Attraction, Altruism,

Peacemaking

Social Thinking

Analysis of why people act the way they do

Attribution Theory: we tend to give a causal explanation for someone’s behavior, crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Attribution Theory

E.g. In class Julie seldom talks. While enjoying a cup of coffee, Jack talks non-stop. Therefore, Julie is shy and Jack is outgoing…? BUT in class Jack may be just as quiet as Julie At a party Julie may be hardly recognizable

We tend to overestimate the role of disposition and underestimate the influence of situation= Fundamental Attribution Error

Attribution Theory

Fundamental Attribution Error: the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

An almost irresistible phenomena.

Attribution Theory Example: Researchers had Williams College

students talk, one at a time, with a young woman who acted either critical or friendly. Half of the students were told her behavior would be spontaneous, the other half were told she had been instructed to act a particular way.

The students were asked to give an opinion of the woman…what effect do you think their knowledge of whether or not she was acting had on their opinions?

Attribution Theory

…None! If the woman acted friendly, she really

was a warm person If she acted critically, she really was cold

In other words, they attributed her behavior to her personal disposition, NOT the situation

Consequences are real, and can be severe!

Attitudes

Attitudes: beliefs or feelings that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and events.

Critical Thinking Question: Does attitude inform behavior, or does behavior shape our attitudes?

What do you think? Discuss

Attitudes Guide BehaviorUnder certain circumstances, our

attitudes WILL guide our behaviors:

1. Outside Influences on what we say and do are minimal

2. The attitude is specifically relevant to the behavior

3. We are aware of our attitudes.

Behavior Affects Attitudes However, research has shown that

attitudes can also follow behavior:

The Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon

Tendency for people who agree to a small request to comply later with a larger one. E.g. Chinese war camps during Korean

War

Behavior Affects Attitudes

Role-Playing Affects attitudes: When you adopt a new role, your

behavior may seem, at first, to be forced (as if you are acting) e.g. “playing house” in a new marriage e.g. acting like a soldier in the first

weeks of trainin Before long, these new roles become

you, and your behavior no longer seems like acting

Behavior Affects Attitudes Example: Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo, 1972

Video

Behavior Affects Attitudes Why did the participants in these

studies change their attitudes to match with their behaviors?= We feel motivated to justify our actions

When we are aware that our attitudes and actions don’t agree, we experience cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance TheoryCognitive Dissonance Theory:

We act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

e.g. when our awareness of our attitudes and our awareness of our actions collide

We can eliminate the dissonance by changing our attitudes

Example:

“The Fox and the Grapes” Aesop

Attitude

Grapes are great for

quenching thirst

Behavior

The fox is unable to reach the

grapes

Cognitive Dissonance

The grapes will taste

good, the fox knows he

can’t reach them

Dissonance Resolved

The grapes must be sour

Your Turn!

Think of a personal example where you have changed your attitude in order to remove cognitive dissonance.

Implications?

One of the positive implications of this theory is that we can influence our attitudes by altering our behavior

We can become more loving by behaving as if we are – by doing thoughtful things, expressing affection, and giving affirmation.

Reflection

Think of an attitude that you would like to change about yourself. Using the attitude-follows-behavior principle, how might you go about changing that attitude?