Sociology 545 Social Psychology

1. Sociology 545Social Psychology Fall 2005

2. Topics • Social Groups • Social Institutions • Collective Behavior / Social Movements

3. Social Groups • Definition • Types • Characteristics

4. Social Groups Definition “The emergence of three or more individuals into a pattern of goal orientation, characterized by an interrelationship of statuses and awareness of membership.”

5. Social Groups - Types • Primary vs. Secondary • Interpersonal vs. Instrumental • Small vs. Large • Interaction vs. Reference

6. Social Groups - Types small Family, gang or fraternity work groups such as a jury primary secondary Reference groups (NOW, NAACP, AARP) Bureaucracies such as Ford or Apple large

7. Social Groups - Characteristics • Structure • Status • Conformity / Consensus

8. Social Groups - Structure Structure as Networks in Primary Groups Transitive Intransitive

9. Social Groups - Structure Structure as Spans of Control in Secondary Groups Span of Control

10. Social Groups - Structure Authority Structure Friendship Structure F x S Structure 1 1 1 2 3 + 2 3 = 2 3 4 5 4 5 4 5

11. Social Groups - Structure Authority Structure 1 2 3 = 4 5

12. Social Groups - Structure Friendship Structure 1 = 2 3 4 5

13. Social Groups - Structure • Structure as Complex Networks Authority Structure Friendship Structure Reciprocity Structure x =

14. Social Groups - Status Gamson - Coalition formation Authority vs. Influence C1(5/4) C2(5/3) C3(4/3) Person 5 .55 .625 .00 Person 4 .45 .000 .57 Person 3 .00 .375 .43 C4(4/3) .00 .45 .55

15. Social Groups - Status Berger – Expectation States LD UD 56% 10%

16. Social Groups - Conformity • Asch – Social Conformity • Milgram – Obedience to Authority • Zimbardo – Role Person Merger • Janis – Group Think

17. Social Groups - Conformity • Asch – Social Conformity A B C 33%

18. Social Groups - Conformity • Milgram – Obedience to Authority 15V 450V XXXXX 51%

19. Social Groups - Conformity • Zimbardo – Stanford Prison Experiment 14 students randomly assigned to Prisoner and Guard Status One nervous breakdown, a minister, parents, parole hearings and guard abuse Had to stop after only six days due to extreme role person merger

20. Social Groups - Conformity Janis - Groupthink • Illusion of Invulnerability: Members ignore obvious danger, take extreme risk, and are overly optimistic. • Collective Rationalization: Members discredit and explain away warning contrary to group thinking. • Illusion of Morality: Members believe their decisions are morally correct, ignoring the ethical consequences of their decisions. • Excessive Stereotyping: The group constructs negative stereotypes of rivals outside the group.

21. Social Groups - Conformity • Illusion of Unanimity: Members perceive falsely that everyone agrees with group's decision; silence is seen as consent. • Pressure for Conformity: Members pressure any in group who argue against the group's stereotypes as disloyalty. • Self-Censorship: Members withhold their dissenting views and counter-arguments. • Mindguards: Some members appoint themselves to protect the group from adverse information that might threaten group complacency.