social psychology: seeks to explain how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are...

Social Psychology: Seeks to explain how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors

are influenced by interactions with others

Social Cognition: Focuses on how we perceive, store and retrieve information

about social interactions

*What is your first impression of the woman in this photo? The man?

*What do you think he/she does for a living?

What if SHE….

Looked like THIS…

or like THIS…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Primacy Effect - form lasting opinion of someone based on initial impression

•Physical Appearance•Nonverbal Cues•Associations with Others•Eye Contact

SCHEMAS

Set of assumptions we develop about any person or eventWe develop a schema for every person we knowSchemas include behaviors we expect in certain situationsExplain and predict behaviors of others

FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR

Attribute other people’s behavior personal characteristics rather than external factors

Ex. Traffic Light and Honking

ACTOR-OBSERVER BIAS

Actor when explaining own behavior, observer when explaining othersEx. I am smiling because I’ve had a great day; She is smiling because she is a happy person.

Self-Serving Bias

Tendency to claim success is due to our efforts, while failure is due to circumstances beyond our controlEx. I got an A on the test because I am smart and work hard or I got a D on the test because of a biased test

Social PsychologyWhy do we choose the friends we have?

What attracted us to our friends in the first place?

Why do you (or do you) need friends?

Have your reasons for needing friends changed throughout the years?

On the Agenda for Today….Interpersonal Attraction!

Why we need friends

How we choose the friends we have

WHY WE NEED FRIENDS

Our psychological health depends on healthy friendships … why??

» Anxiety Relief» Companionship» Compare Experiences» Reduce Uncertainty

How do we acquire the friends we have?

# 1) ProximityEasy, and SAFE

#2) Reward Values*Stimulation Value = the ability of a person to

interest you or to expose you to new ideas and experiences

*Utility Value = the ability of a person to help another achieve his or her goals

*Ego- Support Value = the ability of a person to provide another person with sympathy, encouragement, and approval

#3) Physical Appearance*MANY studies in this area*More attractive people are consistently perceived to

possess more positive attributes*Moderate to below average attractive = better developed and finely honed skills in other areas /

professional*See figure 18.5 on page 525 of text

Many references to beauty/looks in our language* “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”* “Looks aren’t everything”* “Beauty is skin deep”

Other factors…

#4) Approval – We feel better about ourselves when people support us and agree with us

#5) Similarity

Why might this be?

#6) Complimentary = The attraction that often develops between opposite types of people because of the ability of one to supply what the other lacks

Six Factors involved in choosing friends

Misery loves company

Psychologist Stanley Schachter tested this theory….

10

As it turns out, Misery loves company…As Long As…THE COMPANY IS ALSO MISERABLE!!!