Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

P.P. #1

Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

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OverviewRoles and rules

Social influences on beliefs

Individuals in groups

Us vs. Them: Group identity

Group conflict and prejudice

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Objectives

• Define who studies culture and society• Explain Norms and give 2 examples of them• Analyze and Summarize the Obedience Study• Analyze and Summarize the Zimbardo Prison

Study• Infer why we follow orders

Who studies this?

• Social psychologists study how social roles, relationships, and groups influence people to do things they wouldn’t normally do on their own.

Social cognition

An area in social psychology concerned with social influences on thought, memory, perception, and other cognitive processes.

Researchers are interested in how people’s perceptions of themselves and others affect. . .RelationshipsThoughtsBeliefsValues

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Culture

• Cultural psychologists study the broader influence of culture and ethnicity on roles and relationships in society

• Together these fields explore range of study: kindness, sacrifice, heroism ON THE OTHER HAND cruelty, selfishness, and war

Definitions

NormsRules that regulate human life, including social conventions, explicit laws, and implicit cultural standards

RoleA given social position that is governed by a set of norms for proper behavior

CultureA program of shared rules that govern the behavior of members of a community or society, and a set of values, beliefs, and attitudes shared by most members of that community

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Roles and Rules

• Norms are rules that regulate social life, including explicit laws and implicit cultural conventions

• How you are supposed to act: enforced by punishment if break rules, reward if follow

• Predictable and ordinary • Every society has norms form conducting courtship,

for raising children, for behaving in public, for making decisions

• Law- only beat up a guy in self defense• Society- beat up man questions masculinity

Know your role

• Roles are a given social position that is governed by a set of norms for proper behavior for a man and a woman

• Occupational roles: manager- employee; teacher- student

• Family roles: parent-child, husband wife• Aspects of every role must be carried out or

penalties: financial, emotional or professional• But you bring in own personalities and interests

Obedience Study

• Early 1960’s , Stanley Milgram- designed Study• Would you obey authority figure when directly

ordered to violate their own ethical standards?• Participants thought they were in a study about

effects of punishments on learning• Each was assigned, apparently at random, to role

of “teacher”.• another person, introduced as fellow volunteer,

was the learner

The obedience studyStanley 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.Two-thirds shocked the learner to the full extent.

Results are controversial and have generated further research on violence and obedience.

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Design

Shock box

Obedience study cont…

• When “Learner” recited words wrong, “teacher” gave electric shock by pressing lever

• With each error voltage went up 15 volts (0-450 volts)

• Categories: slight shock, danger, severe shock, XXX

• “ Learners” were part of experiment, had script

Obedience study

• Before study, poll- survey, of how people would react

• Most psychiatrists said most refuse past 150 volts

• Hypothesis : If learner first demanded to be freed, 1/1000 would administer highest voltage (XXX)

• Only sadistic or disturbed

Well…..Results

• Every single person gave some shock!• 2/3rds, of all ages and walks of life= obeyed to

fullest extent• Many protested to experimenter, but backed

down when he calmly said• “ the experiment requires that you continue”• No matter how much the victim shouted to stop! • Sweat, tremble, stutter, bite lip, groan, dig

fingernails in self….but still administered shock

3,000 more studies similar after Milgram

• 90% in Spain, Netherland showed same findings so cross cultural

• Milgram and team subsequently set up similar studies

• Changed study, guy said heart condition, screamed, passed out. Still shocked

• HOWEVER People were most likely to disobey under following conditions

Factors of experiment

• When the experimenter left the room (lie about amount of volts)

• When the victim was right there in the room• When two experimenters issued conflicting

demands (one say do it another no)• When the person ordering them to continue

was an ordinary man (no lab coat)• When the subject worked with peers who

refused to go further (some one else says no)

Factors leading to disobedience

When the experimenter left the room

When the “learner” was in the same room

When the experimenter issued conflicting orders

When the person ordering them to continue was an ordinary man

When the subject worked with peers who refused to go on

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CONCLUSION

• Milgram said more the situation than the personalities of the participants

• Ordinary people, gripped by social forces

Stanford Prison Study

• Philip Zimbardo• Students Random assigned to guards or

prisoners• Cells, uniforms, nightsticks• Prisoners =become dramatic, emotional,

physical ailments• Guards =become enjoy of new power, few

abusive, 1 John Wayne• Shows power of roles

The prison study

Subjects were physically and mentally healthy young men who volunteered to participate for money.

They were randomly assigned to be prisoners or guards.

Those assigned the role of prisoner became distressed, helpless, and panicky.

Those assigned the role of guards became either nice, “tough but fair,” or tyrannical.

Study had to be ended after six days.

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Why People Obey

1. Allocating responsibility to the authority “ I’m just following orders”

2. Routinizing the task- “Busy work” f.e. keeping records of genocide, Nazi’s; Cambodia Khmer Rouge

3. Wanting to be polite “don’t want to rock boat”; study lady kept apologizing do I go right to the end sir? I hope he is O.K.

4. Becoming entrapped- escalate commitment. Once first 15 volt shock, then next “only “30 …or if you date someone you like moderately then before you know it been together so long can’t break up ( mafia- godfather)

Factors in obedienceAllocating responsibility to the authority

Routinizing the task

Wanting to be polite

Becoming entrappedEntrapment: 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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Summary

• Roles, Rules • Milgram• Prison study• Why do we obey?