Social Cognition

• The way we attend to, store, remember, and use information about other people and the world around us

• First impressions

Groups Influences

Social Facilitation

Social Loafing

Group polarization

Group Think

Attributions

• What is the cause?– Internal attributions– External attributions– Theory of causal attribution

• Consensus• Consistency• Distinctiveness

Attributions

• Prone to error

• Taking shortcuts: – Attributional biases

• Fundamental attribution error

• Self-serving bias

• Actor-Observer Bias

• Belief in a just world

Cognitive Dissonance

• The unpleasant state that occurs when attitudes don't match behaviors

• Responses

Attitudes and Behavior

• Attitude change– Persuasion– Mere exposure effect– Obstacles to persuasion

Relationships

• Liking– Repeated contact– Similarity– Physical attraction– Proximity– Mere exposure

Relationships

• Loving– Passionate love– Compassionate love– Triangular model of love

• Passion• Intimacy• Decision/commitment

Social Organization• Deindividuation• Norms• Conformity

– Asch’s Study

• Compliance• Obedience

– Milgram

• Aggression• Helping behavior

– Altruism

– Prosocial Behavior

– Bystander Effect

Conformity by Group Size

Follow Up Studies

Later, Asch measured the effect of having at least one confederate dissent & give the correct answer

Foot in the Door

• Start with a small request

• Follow up with a large one

% complying with large request

Door in the Face

• Start with a large request.

• Follow up with a small one.

% complying with small request

Low-Ball• Make an attractive initial offer

• After getting a commitment, make the terms less good

Milgram’s Results

Aggression

Correlation in twins:

Bystander Effect

(Data from Darley & Latane, 1968)

Bystander Effect

(Data from Darley & Latane, 1968)

Stereotypes

• Why prejudice?• Realistic conflict theory

– Robber’s Cave study

• Social learning theory• Social Cognition theory• Us vs Them

• Changing prejudice• Contact Hypothesis• Recategorization

Realistic Conflict Theory

Scarce Resources

Competition between groups

Prejudice

Personal Space

Design and Crowding

A stressful dorm design

Design and Crowding

A non-stressful dorm design

Street Design

Crowded feeling neighborhood

Street Design

Open feeling neighborhood