Social PsychologySocial Psychology

Karen Thomson

Department of Psychology

Glasgow Caledonian University

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Definition of Social Psychology:-How the presence of (imagined or real) others influences our thoughts, feelings and behaviours

Topics to be covered:-• Communication - non-vocal behaviour

- paralanguage

• Attitudes - nature; formation; measurement

- cognitive dissonance- persuasion

• Aggression & altruism• The Self - self concept and self esteem

• Groups and identity - leadership

• Social Influence - conformity

- compliance - obedience

CommunicationCommunication• Verbal communication in the form of language, is

better for conveying logical or abstract ideas.

• Non-verbal communication is regarded as better for conveying emotions, the type of relationship existing between two people and regulating/ manipulating interpersonal interaction.

• Basic facial expressions (Ekman, 1980)

• Personal Space• Paralanguage• Detection of deception (DePaulo et al., 2003)

• Non verbal communication & mental health (Hall, 1966; Jourard, 1966; Argyle & Ingham, 1972)

Consider typical communication disruptions for the following

disorders...

• Sensory Impaired

• Autistic Spectrum Disorders

• Other Childhood Disorders

• Cognitive Disorders

• Schizophrenia

Attitudes: The nature of attitudes

Attitudes: The nature of attitudes

“An attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organised through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related” (Allport, 1935; 198)

Structural Approach (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975)

• Cognitive Component

• Affective Component

• Action Tendency Component

It is assumed that each of these components may vary in strength

quite independently of the others

Attitudes: The formation of attitudes

Attitudes: The formation of attitudes

Acquiring Attitudes via Social Learning• Classical Conditioning • Instrumental Conditioning • Modelling

Acquiring Attitudes via Direct Experience• Stronger• Respond more quickly• More resistant to change

Attitudes: The Measurement of

Attitudes

Attitudes: The Measurement of

AttitudesDirect Measures• Self-reports - verbal and non-verbal

• Attitude scales - Thurstone scale (1928)

- Likert scales (1932)

- Semantic Differential scale

(Osgood, Suci & Tannendaum, 1957)

• Observations

Indirect Measures

• Subtle measurements - projective techniques

• Bogus lie detectors

Attitudes: The relationship between attitudes &

behaviour

Attitudes: The relationship between attitudes &

behaviour• LaPierre (1934)

• Wicker (1969) reviewed 47 studies between 1934 and 1969 and found a very weak correlation

• Intervening Factors

• Attitude Specificity - a specific attitude

- a general attitude

Attitudes: Cognitive Dissonance

Theory

Attitudes: Cognitive Dissonance

Theory When people become aware that their attitudes are

inconsistent with their behaviour an uncomfortable state of tension occurs - this is called cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957)

• Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)

Dissonance is reduced by: -

• Changing attitudes so they are consistent with behaviour

• Changing beliefs about behaviour

• Acquiring new information

• Minimising the importance of the inconsistency.

Attitudes: PersuasionAttitudes: PersuasionThe traditional approach to persuasion (The Yale Model)

• Source There are 8 characteristics

• Communication of the source,

• Audience communication & audience

The cognitive approach concentrates on:-

• what we think about when being exposed to appeals

• how our thoughts determine whether, and to what extent we experience attitude change

• cognitive heuristics

High

elaboration

Central

route

Careful

processing of

information

Degree of attitude change depends on quality of argument

Persuasive message

Low

elaboration

Peripheral

route

Careful processing of information does not occur

Attitude change depends on presence of persuasive cues

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Two routes to persuasionThe Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Two routes to persuasion

(Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)

Persuasion Fear-Based Appeals

Persuasion Fear-Based Appeals

VD study (Watson & Lashley, 1921)

• Using storyline techniques is risky since viewers follow the

action rather than the information

• Young people respond with flippancy to sex information

• Only work in the short term

• Incorrect information is retained

• Adolescents think they are invincible

Baggaley (1991) Reviewed all media campaigns on HIV/AIDS

When Attitude Change Fails: Resistance to Persuasion

When Attitude Change Fails: Resistance to Persuasion

• Reactance - Protecting one’s personal freedom

• Forewarning - Prior knowledge of persuasive intent

• Selective Avoidance - A tendency to direct our

attention away from information that challenges

our existing attitudes