Social Psychology

1. Social Psychology Other people and us

2. Major Themes • Human beings are fundamentally social by nature • Humans are shaped by and shape the society and culture in which they live • Each person has, as a survival tool, the ability to formulate stereotypes

3. Who are you? • What social factors have influenced you to become who you are? • Do you feel that you are more alike or different than • A) someone your age from your cultural/ethnic background who grew up in your ancestral country of origin? • B) someone your age from a different cultural/ethnic background who grew up on your block?

4. Social Psychology • Thoughts about others • Feelings toward others • Actions toward others

5. Key Terms • Attribution—principles used to judge the causes of events and our own and others’ behavior • Fundamental attribution error—misjudging the causes of others’ behavior because of overestimating internal personal factors and underestimating external situational influence

6. Key Terms • Saliency bias—tendency to focus on the most noticeable factors when explaining the causes of behaviors • Self-serving bias—taking credit for our successes and externalizing our failures • Attitude—learned predisposition to respond cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally to a particular object

7. Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Confirmation Bias • Confirmation bias—we tend to accept data/input that confirms what we already believe to be true • Cognitive dissonance theory—we discover inconsistencies between our attitudes and/or behaviors, we experience discomfort which we try to alleviate through attitude changes

8. Prejudice and Discrimination • Stereotype—a set of beliefs about the characteristics of people in a group that is generalized to all group members • Prejudice—a learned, generally negative, attitude toward members of a group; it includes thoughts (stereotypes), feelings and behavioral tendencies (possible discrimination) • Discrimination—negative behaviors directed at members of a group

9. Prejudice • A learned response • A mental shortcut • Ingroup and outgroup • Economic and political competition • A form of displaced aggression

10. Ingroups and Outgroups • Ingroup Favoritism—Viewing members of the ingroup more positively than members of an outgroup. • Outgroup Homogeneity Effect—Judging members of an outgroup as more alike and less diverse than members of the ingroup.

11. Attraction • Physical Attractiveness (symmetry) • Proximity • Similarity

12. Love • Eros—erotic love/romantic love • Philia—fraternal love (love between friends or siblings) • Agape—unconditional love (companionate love)

13. Social Influence • Conformity—Changing behavior as a result of real or imagined group pressure • Obedience—Following direct commands, usually from an authority figure

14. Conformity • Normative social influence—Conforming to group pressure out of a need for acceptance or approval • Informational social influence—Conforming to group pressure out of a need for direction and information • Reference Groups—People we conform to or go along with, because we like and admire them and want to be like them

15. Obedience Factors • Power of authority • Distance between the teacher and learner (i.e., in the “shock experiment”) • Assignment of responsibility • Modeling/imitation

16. Group Membership • Roles in groups • Deindividuation—Increased arousal and reduced self-consciousness, inhibition, and personal responsibility that sometimes occurs in a group, particularly when the members feel anonymous

17. Group Decision Making • Group polarization—Group’s movement toward either riskier or more conservative behavior, depending on the members’ initial dominant tendency • A form of “confirmation bias” • As the ends of the spectrum get redefined, so does the “center”

18. Group Decision Making • Groupthink—Faulty decision making that occurs when a highly cohesive group strives for agreement and avoids inconsistent information • Newly married couples • Iraq war

19. Aggression • Biological factors • Instinct • Genes • The brain and nervous system • Substance abuse and other mental disorders • Hormones and neurotransmitters

20. Aggression • Psychological factors • Aversive stimuli • Culture and learning • Media and video games

21. Controlling Aggression • Catharsis • Incompatible responses • Improve social and communication skills

22. Altruism • Actions designed to help others with no obvious benefit to the helper • Egoistic model—Helping that is motivated by anticipated gain—later reciprocation, increased self-esteem, or avoidance of guilty and distress • Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis—Helping because of empathy for someone in need

23. Altruism • Helping breaks down in a crowd largely due to: • Diffusion of responsibility—Assuming someone else will take action (or responsibility)

24. Unlearning prejudice and discrimination • Cooperation • Superordinate goals • Increased contact • Cognitive retraining • Cognitive dissonance