Unit 12: Social Psychology

1. WHS AP Psychology Unit 12: Social Psychology Essential Task 12-5: Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members with specific attention to attraction, altruism, aggression, in-group/out-group dynamics, ethnocentrism, prejudice.

2. Fundamental Attribution Error Self-Serving Bias Schema Cognitive Dissonance Attribution Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Culture Attitudes and Persuasion Routes to Persuasion We are here Just-World Hypothesis Unit 12: Social Psychology Attraction In-Group/Out-Group Impact of Others on You Group Behavior Group Think Conformity Compliance Group Polarization

3. Essential Task 12-5: Outline In group bias Treatment of Group Members Attraction Out group bias Ethnocentrism Altruism Proximity Exchange Similarity Physical Attractiveness Intimacy

4. Interpersonal Attraction Attraction is closely linked to • Proximity • Physical attractiveness • Similarity • Exchange • Intimacy

5. Psychology of Attraction • Proximity: Geographic nearness is a powerful predictor of friendship. Repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases their attraction (mere exposure effect). A rare white penguin born in a zoo was accepted after 3 weeks by other penguins just due to proximity. Rex USA

6. Proximity leads to liking • Moreland & Beach, 1992 • IV: Four female confederates attended large class 0, 5, 10, or 15 times • DV: How much liked slides of confederate at end of semester • Results: The more times confederate attended the class, the more she was liked.

7. Proximity leads to liking

8. Psychology of Attraction • Physical Attractiveness: Once proximity affords contact, the next most important thing in attraction is physical appearance. • Hatfield et al. (1966) • Couples randomly paired at “computer dance” • Assessed personality, aptitude, physical attractiveness • Results: Only physical attractiveness predicted liking and wanting to see the person again. (True for men and women.)

9. Physical attractiveness • Bias to like children who are attractive • Dion (1972) • IV: mild vs. severe misbehavior • IV: attractive or unattractive photo of child • DV: Rate typicality of behavior • Results: Severe misbehavior rated more typical when performed by an ___________child than an __________child.

11. Is attractiveness objective? • Arguments for Objective Standard • High consensus across countries, race/ethnicities • Agree on attractiveness of faces and body types (F: hourglass; M: v-shaped) • Particular features are associated with attractiveness • F: large eyes, prominent cheekbones, small nose, wide smile • M: broad jaw, large eyes, prominent cheekbones, wide smile • Babies look longer at faces rated as attractive by adults. (less likely to be affected by cultural standards

12. Is attractiveness subjective? • Arguments for Subjective Standard • Cross-cultural differences in ways to look beautiful • Face painting, plastic surgery, scarring, piercings, etc. • Variations in preference for female body size

13. Subjective? • Standards of beauty within a culture change over time • Marilyn Monroe versus Gwenyth Paltrow

14. Attractiveness Standards • Probably both universal and variable components of attractiveness • Overall, physical attractiveness predicts more positive evaluations (true in childhood and later in life)

15. Psychology of Attraction • Similarity: Similar views among individuals causes the bond of attraction to strengthen. • Finding others who agree with us strengthens our convictions and boosts our self-esteem • Opposites don’t attract – they don’t even meet • Complementary Traits – you complete me

16. Psychology of Attraction • 4. Exchange: The give and take of a relationship. • Social Exchange theory explains how we feel about a relationship with another person as depending on our perceptions of: • The balance between what we put into the relationship and what we get out of it. • The kind of relationship we deserve. • Contrast Effect – seeing something ‘better’ makes us temporarily devalue what we’ve got

17. Psychology of Attraction 5. Intimacy: closeness and trust achieved through communication • Must be mutual • Can’t be too much too soon

18. Pairing Game • Matching Hypothesis or Similarity Principle • Contrast Effect • Social Exchange Theory • Commitment can override the preference for alternatives.

19. Matching in physical attractiveness • People tend to pair with partners who are about as physically attractive as they are. • Predicts success of relationship (more similar in attractiveness, more likely to stay together) • However, women who marry less attractive men are shown to rate their marriage as more satisfying.

20. In-group bias • In Group bias is a simple, but powerful concept. It is the tendency to favor one’s own group. Not one particular group, but whatever group you are associated with at that particular time. • If we believe someone else is in the same group to which we belong, we will have positive views of them. • We build our self esteem through belonging, and the presence of someone from the same group reminds of us belonging. • Ex: You side with the sports team that you like. Outline

21. Out-group bias • When we categorize people as being part of our own group, they are part of our "in-group"; while others are part of the "out-group“. • We view members of the out-group as less similar causing us to have biases against them. Therefore, the out-group bias includes negative views about people that aren't in our in-group. • Example: Celtics fans hate Lebron, because he is not on the Celtics.

22. Altruism: • Altruism is the unselfish behaviors or actions done for someone else. • Example: if you volunteer at a nursing home, you are helping someone else without receiving any benefits.

23. Ethnocentrism • Ethnocentrism is a belief that your society, group, or culture is superior to others. • This can mean that differences in groups are seen as somehow bad. • Example: ‘Merica Mexican Border

24. Prejudice Simply called “prejudgment,” a prejudice is an unjustifiable (usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice is often directed towards different cultural, ethnic, or gender groups. Components of Prejudice • Beliefs (stereotypes) • Emotions (hostility, envy, fear) • Predisposition to act (discrimination)

25. Reign of Prejudice Prejudice works at the conscious and [more at] the unconscious level. Therefore, prejudice is more like a knee-jerk response than a conscious decision.

26. How Prejudiced are People? Over the duration of time many prejudices against interracial marriage, gender, homosexuality, and minorities have decreased.

27. Racial & Gender Prejudice Americans today express much less racial and gender prejudice, but prejudices still exist.

28. Race Nine out of ten white respondents were slow when responding to words like “peace” or “paradise” when they saw a black individual’s photo compared to a white individual’s photo (Hugenberg & Bodenhausen, 2003).

29. Social Roots of Prejudice Why does prejudice arise? • Social Inequalities • Social Divisions • Emotional Scapegoating • Need to categorize

30. Social Inequality Prejudice develops when people have money, power, and prestige, and others do not. Social inequality increases prejudice.

31. Social Divisions Ingroup: People with whom one shares a common identity. Outgroup:Those perceived as different from one’s ingroup. Ingroup Bias: The tendency to favor one’s own group. Mike Hewitt/ Getty Images Scotland’s famed “Tartan Army” fans.

32. Emotional Roots of Prejudice Prejudice provides an outlet for anger [emotion] by providing someone to blame. After 9/11 many people lashed out against innocent Arab-Americans.

33. Cognitive Roots of Prejudice One way we simplify our world is to categorize. We categorize people into groups by stereotyping them. Michael S. Yamashita/ Woodfin Camp Associates Foreign sunbathers may think Balinese look alike.

34. Cognitive Roots of Prejudice In vivid cases such as the 9/11 attacks, terrorists can feed stereotypes or prejudices (terrorism). Most terrorists are non-Muslims.

35. Sources of Prejudice • Frustration-aggression theory • People who are frustrated in their goals may turn their anger away from the proper target toward another, less powerful target. (Scapegoat) • Authoritarian personality • Personality pattern characterized by rigid conventionality, exaggerated respect for authority, and hostility toward those who defy social norms • Racism • Prejudice and discrimination directed at particular racial group

36. We shall overcome • Recategorize – expand a schema to see how it relates to others. Not protestant vs. Catholic but instead both under Christianity. • Controlled Processing – purposefully putting on their shoes. Method to learn tolerance • Increase contact between groups. • Equal status • One-on-one contact • Come together to cooperate, not compete • Should not be contrived