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Social Psychology

Social Psychology. Dr Jacqui McKechnie Department of Psychology Glasgow Caledonian University. 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

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Social Psychology

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  1. Social Psychology Dr Jacqui McKechnie Department of Psychology Glasgow Caledonian University

  2. Definition of Social PsychologyHow 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

  3. Communication • Verbal communication in the form of language, is better for conveying logical or abstract ideas. • Non-verbal communication isregarded 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)

  4. Consider typical communication disruptions for the following disorders... • Sensory Impaired • Autistic Spectrum Disorders • Other Childhood Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Schizophrenia Non verbal communication & cultural differences (Hall, 1966; Jourard, 1966; Argyle & Ingham, 1972)

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. Attitudes: The Measurement of Attitudes Direct 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

  8. 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

  9. 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.

  10. Attitudes: Persuasion The 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

  11. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Two routes to persuasion Degree of attitude change depends on quality of argument Careful processing of information High elaboration Central route Persuasive message Attitude change depends on presence of persuasive cues Careful processing of information does not occur Low elaboration Peripheral route (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)

  12. 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

  13. 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 Myhre and Flora (2000) Reviewed all media campaigns on HIV/AIDS • Increased awareness, but not knowledge; increased anxiety

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