Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 Chapter 14 Social Psychology.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Chapter 14Chapter 14

Social Psychology


Stanford Prison Experiment Stanford Prison Experiment

• Turn to page 565

Prison Experiment


Social PsychologySocial Psychology

Social psychology – The branch of psychology that studies the effects of social variables and cognitions on individual behavior and social interactions.

Social context – The combination of:(a) People

(b) The activities and interactions among people

(c) The setting in which behavior occurs

(d) The expectations and social norms governing behavior in that setting


How Does theHow Does theSocial Situation Social Situation

Affect our Behavior?Affect our Behavior?

We usually adapt our behavior to the demands of the social situation, and in ambiguous situations we take our cues from the

behavior of others in that setting.


Social Situations Social Situations

Situationism –The view that environmental conditions influence people’s behavior as much or more than their personal dispositions do.


Social Standards of BehaviorSocial Standards of Behavior

Social role –One of several socially defined patterns of behavior that are expected of persons in a given setting or group.

Script –Knowledge about the sequenceof events and actions that isexpected in a particular setting.


Social Standards of BehaviorSocial Standards of Behavior

Social norms – A group’s expectations regarding what is appropriate and acceptable for its members’ attitudes and behavior (unwritten rules).

Violating Social Norms in an Elevator


Conformity Conformity

• The tendency for people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of other members of a group.


A 1 2 3

Standard line Comparison lines

Conformity:Conformity: The Asch Studies The Asch Studies

Which line matches the line on the left?


Conformity:Conformity: The Asch Studies The Asch Studies

What would you say if you were in a room full of people who all picked line number three?

A 1 2 3

Standard line Comparison lines


Group Characteristics That Produce Group Characteristics That Produce ConformityConformity

• Asch identifies three factors that influence whether a person will yield to pressure:1. The size of the majority.

2. The presence of a partner who dissented from the majority.

3. The size of the discrepancy between the correct answer and the majority position.


GroupthinkGroupthink

• In “groupthink,” members of the group attempt to conform their opinions to what each believes to be the consensus of the group.


GroupthinkGroupthink

Conditions likely to promote groupthink include:• High group cohesiveness• Directive leadership• Similarity of members’ social background

and ideology• High stress from external threats with low

hope of a better solution than that of the group leader


ObedienceObedience to Authority to Authority

• Imagine if an experimenter studying “the effects of punishment on memory” asked you to deliver painful electric shocks to a middle-aged man who had been treated for a heart condition.

• Each time the man missedan answer, you would beinstructed to deliver anincreasingly powerful shock.


The Shocking ResultsThe Shocking Results

• Nearly 2/3 delivered the maximum 450 volts to the learner!

• Most of those who refused to give the maximum shock obeyed until reaching about 300 volts.

• No one who got within 5 switches of the end refused to go all the way (by then their resistance was broken).


Obedience to AuthorityObedience to Authority

• This controversial experiment demonstrated the powerful effects of obedience to authority.

• Situational factors, and not personality variables, appeared to effect people’s levels of obedience.


The Bystander ProblemThe Bystander Problem

Diffusion of responsibility –Dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared with all group members.


The Bystander ProblemThe Bystander Problem

• In one experiment, a student was led to believe that the he or she was taking part in an experiment with between one and five other students (over an intercom).

• The student then heard what sounded like another student having a seizure and gasping for help.

• The researchers timed how long it would take the students to ask for help.


Bystander Intervention in an EmergencyBystander Intervention in an Emergency

2-person groups2-person groups



20 80 120 160 200 240 280

Seconds from beginning of emergency

80

40

60

100

20

0

Per

cent

age

help

ing


Constructing Social Reality:Constructing Social Reality:What Influences OurWhat Influences Our

Judgments of Others?Judgments of Others?

The judgments we make about others depend not only on their behavior but also on

our interpretation of their actions within a social

context.


Constructing Social Reality:Constructing Social Reality:What Influences OurWhat Influences Our

Judgments of Others?Judgments of Others?

Social reality – An individual’s subjective interpretation of other people and of relationships with them.


Interpersonal AttractionInterpersonal Attraction

Reward theory of attraction – A social learning view that says we like best those who give us maximum rewards at minimum cost.

ProximityProximity SimilaritySimilarity

Self-DisclosureSelf-Disclosure Physical Physical AttractivenessAttractiveness


Reward Theory of AttractionReward Theory of Attraction

ProximityPeople will make friends

with those who are nearby.

Similarity

People are attracted to those who are more

similar to themselves.

Self-Disclosure Allows you to get to

know each other and signifies a sense of trust

in the relationship.

Physical Attractiveness People find it more

rewarding to associate with people they find physically attractive.


Expectations and theExpectations and theInfluence of Self-EsteemInfluence of Self-Esteem

Matching hypothesis – Prediction that most people will find friends and mates that are about their same level of attractiveness.

Expectancy-value theory – Theory that people decide whether or not to pursue a relationship by weighing the potential value of the relationship against their expectations of success in establishing the relationship.


Attraction and Self-JustificationAttraction and Self-Justification

Cognitive dissonance – A highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes.


Making CognitiveMaking CognitiveAttributionsAttributions

Fundamental attribution error – Tendency to emphasize internal causes and ignore external pressures.

Actor-observer effect –

Tendency to attribute internal causes more often for other people's behavior and external attributions more often for one’s own behavior.

Self-serving bias – Attributional pattern in which one takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failure.


Prejudice and DiscriminationPrejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice – A negative attitude toward an individual based solely on his or her membership in a particular group.

Discrimination – A negative action taken against an individual as a result of his or her group membership.



In-group – The group with which an individual identifies.

Out-group – Those outside the group with which an individual identifies.



Social distance – The perceived difference or similarity between oneself and another person.

Scapegoating –

Blaming an innocent person or a group for one’s own troubles.


Other Topics in Social PsychologyOther Topics in Social Psychology

Social facilitation –An increase in an individual’s performance because of being in a group.

Social loafing –A decrease in performance because of being in a group.



Deindividuation –Occurs when group members lose their sense of personal identity and responsibility and the group “assumes” responsibility for their behavior.



Group polarization –When individuals in a group have similar, though not identical views, their opinions become more extreme.


Loving RelationshipsLoving Relationships

Romantic love – A temporary and highly emotional condition based on infatuation and sexual desire.


Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

CommitmentCommitment

PassionPassion IntimacyIntimacy

Friendship

Infatuation

Complete Love

Romantic Love


The power of the situation can help us understand violence

and terrorism, but the broader understanding requires

multiple perspectives that go beyond the boundaries of

traditional psychology.

What Are the Roots of What Are the Roots of Violence and Terrorism?Violence and Terrorism?


Turn to page 597 and read

The Robbers’ Cave: An Experiment in Conflict


The Robbers’ Cave: The Robbers’ Cave: An Experiment in ConflictAn Experiment in Conflict

• In the Robber’s Cave experiment, conflict between groups arose from an intensely competitive situation.

• Cooperation, however, replaced conflict when the experimenters contrived situations that fostered mutual interdependence and common goals for the groups.



Violence and aggression – Terms that refer to behavior that is intended to cause harm.

Cohesiveness – Solidarity, loyalty, and a sense of group membership.



Mutual interdependence – Shared sense that individuals or groups need each other in order to achieve common goals.


TerrorismTerrorism

Terrorism – The use of violent, unpredictable acts by a small group against a larger group for political, economic, or religious goals.

• Taking multiple perspectives can provide important insights on the problems of aggression, violence, and terrorism.


End of Chapter 14End of Chapter 14


Strategies of PersuasionStrategies of Persuasion

Foot-in-the-door technique:• A method of eliciting compliance by

first making a modest request and then following it with a larger request.

Door-in-the-face technique:• A method of compliance by first making an

outrageous request and then replying to the refusal with a more reasonable request.


Strategies of PersuasionStrategies of Persuasion

Bait-and-switch technique:• The procedure of first offering an

extremely favorable deal and then making additional demands after the other person has committed to the deal.

That’s-not-all-technique:• A method of eliciting compliance

when a person makes an offer and then improves the offer before anyone has a chance to reply.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007 Chapter 14 Social Psychology.

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