Social Psychology
Pretend that you have just found an invisible ring. You cannot be seen, heard, or detected any time you wear it. List 5 things you would do while invisible.
Activity (5 minutes)
Why might the following happen?
A student reads a pro-Castro essay in your class
Your report card shows all A’s for the semester
A child hits another child on the playground 2 days in a row
You speed on your way to work
Attributions
Attribution: why something happenedSituational cause: cause was outside of the person
Dispositional cause: cause was inside the person; who they are
Saliency: we judge based on what is most obvious or noticeable
Attributional Biases
Fundamental Attribution Error Tendency to overestimate the extent to which people’s behavior is due
to their disposition and not the situationCorrespondence Bias
Tendency to infer that people’s behavior matches their personalityJust World Hypothesis
Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people
Self-Serving Attributions Crediting success with internal/dispositional factors but explaining
failures with external factors
Directions: (5 minutes!)
1. Read your comic2. Decide which concept(s) it portrays and why3. Enlighten someone near you with your
conclusions & try to find alternate answers a. Fundamental Attribution Errorb. Correspondence Biasc. Just World Hypothesisd. Self-Serving Attribution
“There he goes again...Satan’s pet.”
I make no claims about all my success, Bernard. I never went to school, I never worked hard, and I’m not particularly bright...I’m just a
lucky skunk, Bernard.
I know you miss the Wainwrights, Bobby, but they were weak and stupid people—and that’s why we
have wolves and other large predators.
“Well, no, I can’t tell Harriet!...First thing she’s gonna ask me is what I was
doin’ checkin’ out a decoy!”
Application
Think of a situation or event (historical, political, personal, etc.) that illustrates a case of attributional bias. How might the situation have ended differently without those attributions?
Pro-Social Behavior
HelpingBystander effect: more people around = less likely any one person will help
Diffusion of responsibility: thinking that because other people are there that they will help
Pro-Social Behavior
Decision points in helping behaviorNoticing & understanding situationAssuming responsibilityKnowing how to help
Person differences: good mood, sex of recipient, attractiveness, appearance, race/ethnicity
Model of Bystander Intervention
(Figure adapted from Darley &Latane, 1968, pp. 70-71)
Attitudes
Attitude: learned responseBelief / Cognitive: ex. I believe that vegetables are healthy
Emotional / Affective: ex. I feel frustrated at not liking vegetables
Action / Behavioral: ex. I buy vegetables but rarely eat them
Types of Attitudes
Non-attitude: no previous thought or experiences about object/topic
Strong attitude: very positive or very negative because of lots of experience
Ambivalent attitude: some positive and some positive thoughts/feelings/actions Which type is easiest to change? Which type best predicts behavior?
Types of Attitudes
It is good to eat candy.The laws regarding coastal fishing
are not strict enough.The education that I receive from
GCC will be worth the money and effort that I put into it.
Creating vs. Changing Attitudes
Creating classical conditioning, observational
learning, instruction, interaction, mere exposure effect, strong message
Changing Latitude of acceptance: can move a little Cognitive Dissonance: unpleasant feeling if
our behaviors don’t match our attitudes – can change behavior or can change attitude
Attitudes Experience
Activity (10 minutes)Find one partner and analyze the persuasion attemptSourceMessageTarget audience
Obedience
Obedience: following command of someone in authority
Infamous Examples of Obedience Milgram’s experiments (video Power Situation 8:03-
11:45) Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (16:30-
16:55) Jonestown
Why do we obey?
Socialization: taught to obeyFoot-in-the-door: small acts lead to
larger acts of obedienceNorms / Power of the situation
Power – authority of the leaderDistance between learner and
teacherAssignment of Responsibility
Why do we obey?
Why do we conform?Conformity: going along with groupAsch’s line studies (video 7:04-8:02)
Normative social influence: approvalInformational social influence: infoReference groups: want to be like
them
Compliance
Compliance: going along with a request Foot-in-the-door technique: small then larger Door-in-the-face technique: large then smaller Norm of reciprocity: giving something =
obligation Lowball technique: agreeing to low price then
increasing That’s-not-all technique: adding “extras” to make
it seem more valuable
Discussion
Attitudes, Obedience, Compliance, & Conformity What are they? How are they difference?
Prejudiced Attitude
Prejudice: Learned negative attitude towards a group
Stereotype: believing that all members of a group are the sameCognitive component of the attitude
Discrimination: different treatment based on one’s groupBehavioral component of the attitude (Video Constructing Social Reality 5:50-9:40)
Why is there prejudice?
Group dynamics In-groups vs. out-groups Out-group homogeneity: all the same
Learned responses: imitation, norms
Mental shortcuts: automatic grouping based on similarities Biases: not motivated to be
accurate/fair We notice what we expect to see, then
seeing it reinforces our stereotypes
Why is there prejudice?
Competition Economic resources – who gets them?
Displaced aggression: take out angerDownward social comparison: feel better compare to someone worse off
Scapegoating: blame 1 person/groupStereotypes Behavior
Self-fulfilling prophecy: we create responses of others
Physical PainFemales Males
Pain = anterior insula/fronto-insular cortex (AI/FI) & anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
Player Ratings
Fair Players
Unfair Players
Empathy for other Players Painful Shock Non-painful shock
Pea
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Painful Shock Non-painful shock
Pea
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Reward Processing
Nucleus Accumbens
Desire for Revenge
Punishment is Rewarding
Examples
Take away citizenship rightsLabel a group as cheatersPlace small and then larger restrictions on a group
Convey a strong negative message about a small group
Youth programs with a message
Examples
BA Columbia University 1928Published novels, plays, and an autobiography to critical acclaim
Received grants to study anthropology worldwide
Received fellowship to earn PhD 1935 Columbia University
Worked as consultant to Paramount Pictures
Discussion
Impressions
QuickEmotionalBased on available information
Hard to change
Interpersonal Attraction
Proximity, similarity, physical attractiveness
Reciprocity of liking
Interpersonal Attraction
Triangular Theory of Love
