Social Psychology

1. Social Psychology Studying the way people relate to others. Attitude Attraction Group Behavior Aggression

2. AP EXAM: Social Psychology (8–10%)AP students in psychology should be able to do the following: • Apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias). • Describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g. deindividuation, group polarization). • Explain how individuals respond to expectations of others, including groupthink,conformity, and obedience to authority. • Discuss attitudes and how they change (e.g., central route to persuasion). • Predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g.,bystander effect, social facilitation). • Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members (e.g., in-group/out-group dynamics, ethnocentrism, prejudice). • Articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity) on self-concept and relations with others. • Anticipate the impact of behavior on a self-fulfilling prophecy. • Describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction. • Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance. • Identify important figures in social psychology (e.g., Solomon Asch, Leon Festinger, Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo).

3. Attitudes • A set of beliefs and feelings. • Advertising is ALL based on attitude formation. • Mere Exposure Effect – the more you are exposed the more you will like it • Central Route T.P. v. Peripheral RouteT.P.

4. Attitude and Behavior • Do attitudes tell us about someone’s behavior? • LaPiere’s Study w/ Asian family showed attitudes don’t predict behavior Cognitive Dissonance Theory • People want to have consistent attitudes and behaviors….when they are not they experience dissonance (unpleasant tension). • Usually they will change their attitude. • Never consciously aware of change in attitude The teacher was really bad so in that class it is OK. You have a belief that cheating on tests is bad. But you cheat on a test!!!

5. Festinger & Carlsmith’s Cognitive Dissonance Experiment • Study participants completed a boring task and were then were paid to lie and tell the next subject that it was an enjoyable task. • Some subjects were paid $20, while others were paid $1. • Those who were paid less were found to have significantly more positive attitudes toward the experiment.

6. Social Thinking • Cognitive dissonance

8. Compliance Strategies • People try to change other’s behavior (since that can then change attitudes) • Let’s imagine you want a trip to New York for graduation • Foot-in-the-door – first get a small “yes” to get bigger “yes” later • Door-in-the-face- get big “no” in order to get smaller “yes” • Norms of reciprocity – do something nice and then will have to say “yes” • Charities will often send a “free gift” when they send you a donation catalogue

9. Compliance Strategies Reading Summarize the research on each of the following in one paragraph each: --Reciprocal Principle -- Foot in the door principle --Door in the face principle Each paragraph MUST HAVE: --Clear thesis sentence -- 2 citations of research

10. Attribution Theory • Tries to explain how people determine the cause of the behavior they observe. It is either a…. • Situational Attribution- behavior is product of environment • Dispositional Attribution- behavior is product of personality And • Stable Attribution • Unstable Attribution

12. Fundamental Attribution Error How do you view your teacher’s behavior? You probably attribute it to their personality rather than their profession. But do you really know? • We tend to overestimate the role of dispositional factors in the behavior of other. Individualistic V. Collectivistic Cultures False Consensus Effect Self-Serving Bias We assume that our own beliefs are the “norm” and others think like us. When we do something good its because of us, and when we do something bad, its someone else’s fault.

13. False Consensus Effect Self-Serving Bias We tend to overestimate the extent in which others share our beliefs and behaviors. If you win it is because you are awesome…if you lose, it must have been the referees or weather or….

14. Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination Stereotype: • Overgeneralized idea about a group of people. Prejudice: • Undeserved (usually negative) attitude towards a group of people. Ethnocentrism is an example of a prejudice. Discrimination: • An action based on a idea of prejudice.

15. Does perception change with race? Does race change how we perceive?

16. Mr. Dycus, Remember to prove to the students that racism is still alive by showing them that pretty awesome power point you made a few years ago for Contemporary Issues. Thanks.

17. Is it just race? NO • Palestinians and Jews • Dub-V Nation vs inferior neighboring schools • Men and Women But women have some things going for them like……

18. Which person would you want to have a long term relationship with?

19. How does prejudice occur? “Just world” Phenomenon -people get what they deserve (using Fundamental Attribution Error) • In one popular study female and male subjects were told two versions of a story about an interaction between a woman and a man. Both variations were exactly the same, except at the very end the man raped the woman in one and in the other he proposed marriage. • In both conditions, both female and male subjects viewed the woman's (identical) actions as inevitably leading to the (very different) results. In-Group versus Out-Groups. • In-Group Bias– experiment with abstract art groups and then $2/$1, or $4/$3 • Out-Group Homogeniality—assumption that all “out group” members share the same traits (stereotyping) - Information on “out-groups” that we don’t live with are media (negatively) driven Scapegoat Theory- people suffering need someone to blame

21. Combating Prejudice Contact Theory • Contact between hostile groups will reduce animosity if they are made to work towards a superordinate goal—a goal deemed more important than differences • Education about race? • Obama’s election as an example of

22. Prejudices can often lead to a…. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy • A prediction that causes itself to be true. • Rosenthal and Jacobson’s “Pygmalion in the Classroom” experiment. • Pygmalion effect

23. Psychology of Aggression Two types of aggression • Instrumental Aggression– with a purpose 2. Hostile Aggression- no clear purpose Theories of Aggression: 1.Bandura’s Bobo Doll Modeling – social learning thoery that humans learn aggression as children 2. Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis- inherited response to stress 3. Institutional Aggression

24. Hot Weather and Aggression

25. Bandura Bobo Doll Read and Respond Write a three paragraph response with each of the following paragraphs doing this: Paragraph 1: Describe the study itself including one citation of evidence. Paragraph 2: Describe the results and how they can be applied to life using one citation of the evidence. Paragraph 3: Summarize the critique of Bandura’s experiment using one citation of the evidence.

26. Prosocial Behavior • Kitty Genovese case in Kew Gardens NY. Bystander Effect: • Conditions in which people are more or less likely to help one another. In general…the more people around…the less chance of help….because of… • Diffusion of Responsibility– more people means responsibility is divided • Pluralistic Ignorance People decide what to do by looking to others.

27. Factors that Influence Helping: • Situational ambiguity • Perceived Cost • Diffusion of Responsibility • Similarity • Mood • Gender • Attributions of the cause of need • Social Norms

28. Attraction 5 Factors of Attraction

29. Quotes "Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." --- Antoine de Saint-Exupery It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it. --- La Rochefoucauld "When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.“ --- George Bernard Shaw

30. Ideal Qualities in a Romantic Partner

31. Preferred Qualities in Partners

32. 1. Proximity • Geographic nearness • Mere exposure effect: Repeated exposure to something breeds liking. • Classroom studies • Moreland & Beach (1992): women coming into class; the more they came to class, the more other students liked her • 4 women in study • Forced proximity = stalking (which isn’t attractive)

33. Proximity Mere exposure (Zajonc, 1966; Moreland & Beach 1992) Ratings of attraction.

34. Which version do you prefer? A B

35. 2. Reciprocal Liking • You are more likely to like someone who likes you. • Why? • People like positive feedback • Even obvious attempts at flattery increase liking • Playing TOO hard to get is viewed as a turn off • Except in elementary school!!!! • “Couples curse” of decreasing affinity

36. 3. Similarity • Paula Abdul was wrong- opposites do NOT attract. • Birds of the same feather do flock together. • Similarity breeds content.

37. Similarily • Together • SAT .31* • Phy Attr .32* • Attitudes .50* • Breakup • SAT .17 • Phy Attr .16 • Attitudes .41*

38. Role of the Internet in Dating

39. Role of the Internet in Dating

40. Attitude similarity and attraction Attraction towardother person (range = 2-14) Byrne and Nelson (1965) asked to rate how much they liked a stranger after learning he agreed with varying proportions of their attitudes expressed on a questionnaire. (Higher numbers indication greater liking.) 13.00 12.00 11.00 10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 As the graph shows, the greater the proportion of attitudes subjects shared with the stranger, the more subjects liked him .00 .20 .40 .60 .80 1.00 Proportion of similar attitudes held by other person

41. Similarity • What traits did you want to match your partner on?

42. Similarity • Couples tend to be similar in age, race, religion, social class, personality, education, intelligence, physical attractiveness, and attitudes • Personality similarity related to marital happiness. • Perceived similarity more strongly associated with marital satisfaction than actual similarity

43. What personality traits are important to match on? • Connection between personality traits and relationship satisfaction. • Low neuroticism. A partner higher in neuroticism might be more critical, contemptuous and defensive with their partner decreasing satisfaction. • Higher agreeableness, conscientiousness and extraversion. • Matching on Individual Big 5 traits does not predict satisfaction but matching on overall profile does.

44. Similarity Matching Hypothesis: We like those who are like ourselves (Galton, 1870). Romantic pairs are similar in physical attractiveness (Zajonc et al, 1987) Even college roommates, prefer to be of similar attractiveness (Carlie et al. 1991) Sense of humor particularly important (Cann et al., 1995)

45. Similarity • Why do we like people like us? • Why does similarity increase relationship satisfaction?

46. Mimicry-Similarity in Behavior • When we want to belong to a group or want others to like us, we mimic their behavior. • We like people who mimic our behavior. • But don’t be too obvious!!!

47. Mimicry: Similarity in Behavior Behavioral Mimicry

48. People get more similar over time • Dissimilar looking couples at marriage look more similar 25 years later. • Happier couple look more similar • Decades of shared emotions? • Facial expression “save” micro muscles into our older face.

49. Similarity to Pets

50. 4. Liking through Association • Classical Conditioning can play a part in attraction. • I was always attracted to girls wearing UGA snap backs… • Misattribution of arousal • Negative mood leads to lower attractiveness ratings • Unpleasant background music when meeting a person leads to subsequent lower attractiveness ratings