Transcript Introduction to Psychology

Myers’ EXPLORING
PSYCHOLOGY
(6th Ed)
Chapter 15
Social Psychology
Modified from:
James A. McCubbin, PhD
Clemson University
Worth Publishers
Social Psychology
 Scientific study of how we think
about, influence, & relate to one
another
 Attribution Theory
 Tendency to give causal explanation for
someone’s behavior, often by crediting
either situation or person’s disposition
Attribution, Attitudes
& Actions
 Fundamental Attribution Error
 Tendency for observers, when analyzing
another’s behavior, to underestimate
impact of situation & overestimate impact
of personal disposition
 Attitude
 Belief & feeling that predisposes one to
respond in particular way to objects,
people & events
Social Thinking
 Our behavior is affected by our inner attitudes
as well as by external social influences
Internal
attitudes
External
influences
Behavior
Social Thinking
 Attitudes follow
behavior
 Cooperative
actions feed
mutual liking
Actions & Attitudes
 Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
 Tendency for people who have first
agreed to small request to comply later
with larger request
 Role
 Set of expectations about social position
 Defines how those in position ought to
behave
Actions & Attitudes
 Cognitive Dissonance Theory
 When attitudes & actions do not
coincide, experience tension
 Act to reduce discomfort (dissonance)
we feel when two of thoughts
(cognitions) inconsistent
Asch’s Conformity
Experiments
 Informational Social Influence
 Influence resulting from willingness to
accept others’ opinions about reality
Social Influence
 Conformity
 Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking
to coincide with group standard
 Conditions that strengthen (p547)
 Normative Social Influence
 Influence resulting from person’s
desire to gain approval or avoid
disapproval
Milgram’s Obedience
Experiments
 Social influences can make people conform
to falsehoods or do destructive things
Group Influence
 Social Facilitation
 Improved performance of tasks in presence of
others
 Occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but
not with difficult or not yet mastered tasks
 Social Loafing
 Tendency for people in group to exert less
effort when pooling efforts toward common
goal than when individually accountable
Group Influence &
Effects
 Deindividuation
 Loss of self-awareness & self-restraint in group
situations that foster arousal & anonymity
 Group Polarization
 Enhancement of group’s prevailing attitudes
through discussion within group
 Groupthink
 Occurs when desire for harmony in decisionmaking group overrides realistic appraisal of
alternatives
Social Relations
 Prejudice
 Unjustifiable (& usually negative)
attitude toward group & members
 Involves stereotyped beliefs, negative
feelings, & predisposition to
discriminatory action
 Aggression
 Any physical or verbal behavior intended
to hurt or destroy
Altruism
 Bystander effect
 Decision-making process for bystander
intervention
THE END