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Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

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Why?

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Roles and Rules

Norms- rules that regulate social life, explicit laws and implicit cultural conventions

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

Culture- a program of shared rules that govern the behavior of people in a community or society, and a set of values, beliefs, and customs shared by most members of that community (passed generation to generation)

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The Power of Social Roles

The Obedience Study Stanley 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

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

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Obedience Study Continued Factors associated with participants disobedience

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

demands When the person ordering them to continue was

an ordinary man When the subject worked with peers who

refused to go further

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The Power of Social Roles

The Prison Study Zimbardo

Random Assignment to Roles of Prisoner or Guard

Basement of Stanford University Building Ceased Study After Six Days

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Why People Obey

Factors that increase obedience Allocating responsibility to the authority Routinizing the task Wanting to be polite Becoming entrapped

Entrapment: 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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Social Influences on Beliefs

Social Cognition- an area in psychology concerned with social influences on thought, memory, perception, and beliefs

Attribution- assigning some quality or character to a person or thing

Attribution Theory- The theory that people are motivated to

explain their own and other peoples’ behavior by attributing causes of that behavior to a situation or a disposition.

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Attributions

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Attribution (continued) Westerners believe that individuals are

responsible for their own actions (individualism)

Westerners and Self Serving Bias The tendency, in explaining one’s own behavior,

to take credit for one’s good actions and rationalize one’s mistakes

Just World Hypothesis- the notion that many people need to believe that the world is fair and that justice is served, that bad people are punished and good people rewarded

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Attitudes

Attitude: A relatively stable opinion containing beliefs and

emotional feelings about a topic. Validity Effect:

The tendency of people to believe that a statement is true or valid simply because it has been repeated many times.

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Influencing Attitudes

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Coercive Persuasion

Person is under physical or emotional duress. Person’s problems are reduced to one simple

explanation, repeated often. Leader offers unconditional love, acceptance, and

attention. New identity based on group is created. Person is subjected to entrapment. Person’s access to information is controlled.

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Individuals in Groups

Conformity Groupthink The Anonymous Crowd Courage and Nonconformity

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A B CSample

Conformity

Subjects in a group were asked to match line lengths. Confederates in the group picked the wrong line. Subjects went along with the wrong answer on 37%

of trials.

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Groupthink

In close-knit groups, the tendency for all members to think alike and suppress disagreement for the sake of harmony.

Symptoms of Groupthink: Illusion of invincibility Self-censorship Pressure on dissenters to conform Illusion of unanimity

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The Anonymous Crowd

Diffusion of Responsibility: In organized or anonymous groups, the

tendency of members to avoid taking responsibility for actions or decisions because they assume that others will do so.

Deindividuation: In groups or crowds, the loss of awareness of

one’s own individuality.

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Courage and Nonconformity

Situational factors contributing to nonconformity: You perceive the need for intervention or help. Situation makes it more likely that you will take

responsibility. Cost-benefit ratio supports your decision to get

involved. You have an ally. You become entrapped.

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Us Versus Them: Group Identity

Ethnic Identity Ethnocentrism Stereotypes

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Ethnic Identity

Social Identity: The part of a person’s self-concept that is based on

identification with a nation, culture, or group or with gender or other roles in society.

Ethnic Identity: A person’s identification with a racial, religious, or

ethnic group. Acculturation:

The process by which members of minority groups come to identify with and feel part of the mainstream culture.

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Acculturation Strategies

Ethnic Identity is Strong Weak

Strong Bicultural Assimilated

Acc

ultu

ratio

n is

Weak Separatist Marginal

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Ethnocentrism

The belief that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or religion is superior to all others.

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Robbers’ Cave Experiment

Boys were randomly separated into two groups “Rattlers” and “Eagles”

Competitions fostered hostility between the groups.

Experimenters contrived situations requiring cooperation for success.

Cross-group friendships increased.

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Stereotypes

Stereotype: A cognitive schema or a summary impression

of a group, in which a person believes that all members of the group share a common trait or traits (positive, negative, or neutral).

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Group Conflicts and Prejudice

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Group Conflicts and Prejudice

The Origins of Prejudice Varieties of Prejudice Reducing Prejudice and Conflict

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Reducing Prejudice and Conflict

Groups must have equal legal status, economic opportunities, and power.

Authorities and community institutions must endorse egalitarian norms and provide moral support and legitimacy for both sides.

Both sides must have opportunities to work and socialize together, formally and informally.

Both sides must cooperate, working together for a common goal.

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Bridging the Cultural Divide

Tips for Successful Travel: Be sure you understand the other culture’s

rules, manners, and customs. When in Rome, do as the Romans do as

much as possible. Avoid stereotyping.