http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPVIXZhH4M4

Social PsychologyHow we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Fundamental Attribution Theory/Error:Tendency to attribute others behaviors to dispositional causes and our own to situational causes.

Fundamental attribution errorSocial liberals are more likely to ascribe poverty to situational attributes than social conservatives.

Difference between theory and error?

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

Attitudes will guide our actions if:Social pressure is minimal.Attitude is specifically relevant to behavior: cheating on taxes, isnt cheating.We are keenly aware of attitude.

Persuasion and DecisionsCentral Route: is when you think and analyze people focus on facts/arguments and respond w/favorable thoughts

Peripheral Route: people influenced by incidental cues using heuristics, famous peoples endorsements, jokes to persuade, or sound bytes. Think no child left behind

Foot in the door phenomenon: tendency to comply with larger request after we have complied with a smaller one. Gateway drugs. Stealing. Racism. People can be move away from their attitudes because they begin rationalizing behavior at smaller steps.

Role (cluster or prescribed actions) playing can affect attitudes.

At first role will feel unnatural, but eventually you become the role. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0

Look familiar?

The Lucifer Effectacting out a certain group/role moves you to act in a way that you believe a person in that role should act.Deindividuation strengthened when

Why do actions change attitudes?

We feel motivated to justify our actions. When aware of conflict between attitude and behavior we feel tension called cognitive dissonance. The more dissonance the more likely we are to change attitudes.

Social Influences also determine our actions:

- Chameleon effectBehavior is contagious, what we observe we often do. And what is expected by society: normative social influences or norms.

Asch Experimenthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA&feature=related

Conformity: Asch experiment. 30% of people would answer a wrong answer in a group who responded incorrectly, only 1% when alone.

Conformity: adjusting ones behavior to match the group.Conditions that strengthen it:Social insecurity.Group over three.Group is unanimousadmire the groupno prior commitmentbeing observedculture encourages respect for social standards.

Reasons we conform:To avoid rejection and gain approval we accept social norms.Informational social influence.: we tend to believe whatever our group believes.We conform more on difficult tasks that matter. Like hazing for a fraternity or sorority.

Obedience: Milgram Experiment: A majority of people will obey when the order-giver has perceived authority and respect and is close at hand, the victim is depersonalized and there were no models for defiance. Where would self-serving bias fit in?

Milgram ExperimentUnethical, yet still producedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdb20gcc_Ns

In Milgram, 63% fully complied. Doing different variations from 0-93% complied. Compliance was greatest when:Person giving orders was close and a legitimate authority figure from a prestigious institution.When the victim was depersonalized.There were no role models for defiance.

Lessons for conformity and obedience studies. Experiments are not designed to replicate everyday behaviors, but study underlying causes.When kindness and obedience clash, obedience wins.Its enough to have ordinary people corrupted by an evil situation.Leadership counts, dissent!!!

Group Influence on our behavior.Social facilitation: We do easy and well learned acts better in front of a group, difficult tasks worse.Social loafing: Given a task in a group without individual accountability, people work at about 66% capacity. Cross-cultural studies verify these results.

Group influences on behavior:Deindividuation: the process of abandoning individual restraint to the power of the group:Cheering at sporting events.Youll shock more if wearing a hood.Wearing uniforms or being part of a team or clique.Groupthink: Tendency to not offer contradictory ideas to keep group feeling good.

Deindividuation:

Group Polarization: the tendency for people who become a part of a group to become more like the group the longer they are with the group.

So, if you are moderately liberal and join a liberal group, you are apt to become more and more liberal or prejudicial or whatever the groups attitude is.

Group Polarization

Prejudicea mixture of beliefs, often based on stereotypes and emotions that predispose people to discriminate against cultural, ethnic or gender groups.Prejudices are schemas that effect how we notice and interpret events.

In-group biasIn-group bias: the belief that our group is good and right, excluding other groupsgroups, self-serving bias.

Discrimination may lead to harming a racial or ethnic group which leads to behaviors than reinforce the stereotype creating a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Scapegoating is when you use a racial or ethnic group as a target to blame when things go wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0

Discrimination and Stereotype ThreatWhen reminded of marginalized status, or group prejudices against your group, members of the marginalized group do worse on tests.Self-fulfilling prophesyFemales in MathBlacks and Latinos on SAT and APsANY group in which the dominate groups hold prejudice beliefs they have internalized.

Cognitive roots of prejudice:Prejudices often have a germ of truth which is built into schemasour tendency for confirmation bias and belief perseverance sustains the belief. Then our tendency to use available heuristics sustains the prejudice because we hold to the most vivid example that we have sought out because of confirmation bias.We then form illusory correlations in our schemas that further reinforce our belief system. Also our in-group bias leads us to believe we are correct and others wrong.

People also have a tendency to blame the victim of discrimination because we assume a just world and they wouldnt be discriminated against if it werent just: Just World Phenomenon.

Aggression:Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.Genetic: inherited thresholds in the amygdala. Neural: Head injuries; testosterone levels

Aggression: Psychological roots.Aversive situations lead to aggression; heat, crowded rooms, stress.Learned- operantly, classically, socially

Aggression-Frustration Principle: frustration leads to aggression.Correlation with property rights, gun loving and physical punishments, fatherless homes

Aggression and Television.Correlation or causation?Immediately after viewing violence, children demonstrate more aggression, particularly if the hero is violent. Provides social scripts.Do aggressive kids, watch aggressive shows or do the shows cause the aggression.

Violence and culture probably desensitize people to violence as a fact of life.

Aggression media and Genders.Men who view violence against women become more accepting of it, including coercion (rape). Most men are not aroused by depictions of rape, unless aroused by another source, but rapists are.

Whos hotter? Who placed at ad looking for a lady to love and cherish?

Whos Hotter?

AttractionProximity/ Mere-exposure effect.We like novel (new) things the more were exposed to themPhysical attraction/symmetry. Good looking people perceived as smarter, happier, sensitive, socially skilled, honest and compassionate.Good looks unrelated to happiness level. HOWEVER

Halo Effect: Good looking people are considered:SmarterThe make more moneyTaller people are considered better leaders.WarmerLikeableCompetent

Theyre all Hot!!! Symmetry baby!

AttractionSimilarity: we are attracted to people with similar tastes, attitudes, interests, race, education, intelligence, economic status.Birds of a Feather flock together, opposites do NOT attract.

Passionate Love v. Companionate Love.Emotions have two components, cognitive and physical. Arousal from any source can be attributed to love (lust) and make others seem more attractive.Love shifts over time from lust to friendship.

Love and intimacy (companionate love) is aided by:Self-disclosure: telling about yourself.Equity: a relationship built on freely give and receive.

Helping Behavior:Bystander effect: People are more likely to help if alone. If others are there a diffusion of responsibility occurs and no one helps. The Kitty Genovese story. Think about when you would use your cell phone to call for help for anotheron the beltwayon a lonely street if someone was broken down?

Bystander effect: more people reduces helping at each stepNoticeRegister as emergencyAssume responsibilityTake action/help

Diffusion of Responsibility: Bystander effect

Altruistic behaviorSocial Exchange theory: we do something, only when we expect something in return.Grit: attempts to reduce conflict by giving combatants common goals.Groups given a superordinate goal act more cooperatively.Feel Good Do Good phenomenon

Superordinate GoalsShared goals override differences

Social Traps: Buying a SUV, even though you believe global warming is real. When your desire behavior wins over societal needs.Mirror image: tendency for conflicting parties to view the enemy as evil.

GRITGradualReciprocalInitiativesTension reduction

Increases cooperation, spiraling conciliation on both sides

Is there ever REALLY an unselfish act?http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/player/nosvideo.php?id=m149o4hzxlz8

Friends: The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS