Social Psychology – Ch 17

1. Social Psychology – Ch 17 Social Influence

2. Social Psychology Scientific study of the ways that people’s behavior and mental processes are shaped by the real or imagined presence of others

3. Facilitation and Inhibition Facilitation Inhibition Derailing effects of coactors and audience Tends to be more common on complex tasks Related to arousal, or that presence of others is distracting? Social Loafing – when working with others our effort can be reduced • Triplett (1898) and others • Presence of others facilitates activity • Tends to be on simple/well-learned tasks

4. Stoop effect research suggests that it is competition and social comparison that are the major determinants of social facilitation

5. Deindividuation • Loss of identity in a crowd • Reduces sense of accountability • Zimbardo electrocution study (1969) • Can be influenced by social norms – like nurse’s uniform decreases effect

6. Bystander Effect • Kitty Genovese case • People are less likely to help when others are present • More likely to define event as a non-emergency • Diffuses the responsibility of acting • However, when one person helps it increases rate of help in others. • Also, more likely to act if you know….I’m looking at YOU

7. Conformity • Asch Studies • Participant asked about length of line when confederates gave the incorrect response. • Conformed to group consensus 1/3 of the time, and ¾ of participants conformed at least once. • If there is no consensus it significantly reduces conformity

8. Influencing conformity • Informational social influence – unsure of an ambiguous stimuli so conform with others (Sherif study…) • Normative social influence – desire to fit in with the group • Minority influence – Asch study in reverse – still had an impact in almost 1/3 of cases • These cases tended to involve a change in perception of participants

9. Obedience • Milgram Studies • 65% continued to 450 volts, all continued to 300 volts • Surveillance • Buffers • Role models • Emerging situation • Ideology • Hofling et al 1966 study of nurses and obedience

10. Internalization • Foot in the door technique – start with a small request, then increase it • Freedman and Fraser 1966 • 17% in control condition vs. 76% in • Door in the face technique • Lowballing • Bait and Switch

11. Cognitive Dissonance Theory • There is a drive toward cognitive consistency – when our actions don’t match with our beliefs we act to reduce the inconsistency • Rationalization • Festinger and Carlsmith 1959

12. Self-perception theory • We come to know our own attitudes, etc. in part by inferring them from our own behavior. • Does this better explain the Festinger and Carlsmith study? • Can rewards undermine intrinsic motivation? • Overjustification effect – too much emphasis placed on situational causes for a behavior • Self-justification leads people to rationalize behaviors

13. Impact of groups • We identify with REFERENCE GROUPS – our attitudes might begin as compliance, but over time become internalized. • Bennington College example • Keep it REAL! • Institutional Norms – rules for accepted behavior applied to an organization • Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1972) • Participants took on the roles of the institution

15. Groups and decisions • Group Polarization – group decisions tend to more extreme than individual ones. • Stoner (1961) • Combination of informational and normative social influence • Groupthink – members of a group suppress dissent in the interest of consensus. • Cohesive decision makers • Isolation from outside • No systematic process • Direct leader with an opinion • High stress