wade and tavris © 2005 prentice hall 10-1 invitation to psychology carol wade and carol tavris...

Wade and Tavris © 2005 Prentice Hall

10-1

Invitation To Psychology

Carol Wade and Carol TavrisPowerPoint Presentation by

H. Lynn BradmanMetropolitan Community College-Omaha

Wade and Tavris © 2005 Prentice Hall

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Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

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10-3

Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

• Roles and Rules• Social Influences on Beliefs• Individuals in Groups• Us Versus Them: Group Identity• Group Conflicts and Prejudice

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Roles and Rules

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Roles and Rules

• The Obedience Study• The Prison Study• The Power of Roles

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The Obedience Study

• Stanley Milgram and coworkers investigated whether people would follow orders, even when the order violated their ethical standards.

• Most people were far more obedient than anyone expected.– Every single participant complied with at

least some orders to shock another person• Results are controversial and have generated

much research on violence and obedience.

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The Power of Roles

• Factors that cause people to obey– Allocating responsibility to the authority– Routinizing the task– Wanting to be polite– Becoming entrapped

• Entrapment: A gradual process in which individuals escalate their commitment to a course of action to justify their investment of time, money, or effort.

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Social Influences on Beliefs

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Social Influences on Beliefs

• Attributions• Attitudes

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Attributions

• Attribution Theory: – The theory that people are motivated to explain their own and other peoples’

behavior by attributing causes of that behavior to a situation or a disposition.• Fundamental Attribution Error:

– The tendency, in explaining other people’s behavior, to overestimate personality factors and underestimate the influence of the situation.

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Attitudes

• Attitude: – A relatively stable opinion containing

beliefs and emotional feelings about a topic.

• Validity Effect: – The tendency of people to believe that

a statement is true or valid simply because it has been repeated many times.

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Influencing Attitudes

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Coercive Persuasion

• Person is under physical or emotional duress.• Person’s problems are reduced to one simple

explanation, repeated often.• Leader offers unconditional love, acceptance,

and attention.• New identity based on group is created.• Person is subjected to entrapment.• Person’s access to information is controlled.

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Individuals in Groups

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Individuals in Groups

• Conformity• Groupthink• The Anonymous Crowd• Courage and Nonconformity

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A B CSample

No, it’snot hard!

Conformity

• Subjects in a group were asked to match line lengths.• Confederates in the group picked the wrong line.• Subjects went along with the wrong answer on 37% of

trials.

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Groupthink

• In close-knit groups, the tendency for all members to think alike and suppress disagreement for the sake of harmony.

• Symptoms of Groupthink:– Illusion of invincibility– Self-censorship– Pressure on dissenters to conform– Illusion of unanimity

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The Anonymous Crowd

• Diffusion of Responsibility: – In organized or anonymous groups,

the tendency of members to avoid taking responsibility for actions or decisions because they assume that others will do so.

• Deindividuation: – In groups or crowds, the loss of

awareness of one’s own individuality.

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Courage and Nonconformity

• Situational factors contributing to nonconformity:– You perceive the need for intervention or

help.– Situation makes it more likely that you will

take responsibility.– Cost-benefit ratio supports your decision to

get involved.– You have an ally.– You become entrapped.

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10-20

Us Versus Them: Group Identity

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Us Versus Them: Group Identity

• Ethnic Identity• Ethnocentrism• Stereotypes

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Ethnic Identity

• Social Identity: – The part of a person’s self-concept that is

based on identification with a nation, culture, or group or with gender or other roles in society.

• Ethnic Identity: – A person’s identification with a racial,

religious, or ethnic group.• Acculturation:

– The process by which members of minority groups come to identify with and feel part of the mainstream culture.

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Acculturation Strategies

Ethnic Identity is Strong Weak

Strong Bicultural Assimilated

Acc

ult

ura

tion

is

Weak Separatist Marginal

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Ethnocentrism

• The belief that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or religion is superior to all others.

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Robbers’ Cave Experiment

• Boys were randomly separated into two groups– “Rattlers” and

“Eagles”• Competitions fostered

hostility between the groups.

• Experimenters contrived situations requiring cooperation for success.

• Cross-group friendships increased.

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Stereotypes

• Stereotype: – A cognitive schema or a summary

impression of a group, in which a person believes that all members of the group share a common trait or traits (positive, negative, or neutral).

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Group Conflicts and Prejudice

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Group Conflicts and Prejudice

• The Origins of Prejudice• Varieties of Prejudice• Reducing Prejudice and Conflict

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Reducing Prejudice and Conflict

• Groups must have equal legal status, economic opportunities, and power.

• Authorities and community institutions must endorse egalitarian norms and provide moral support and legitimacy for both sides.

• Both sides must have opportunities to work and socialize together, formally and informally.

• Both sides must cooperate, working together for a common goal.

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Bridging the Cultural Divide

• Tips for Successful Travel:– Be sure you understand the other

culture’s rules, manners, and customs.– When in Rome, do as the Romans do

as much as possible.– Avoid stereotyping.