Transcript File - firestone falcons

Social Psychology
Social Psychology
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Study of an individuals’ behaviors,
thoughts and feelings in social
situations
Social psychologists examine:
1) Influence of a person on a group
2) Influence of a group on individual
3) Effect of social situations on “selfconcept”
4) Social interactions
5) Social attitudes and changing attitudes.
RACISM AND PREJUDICE
Racism: a person who is racist
believes that their race is
superior to all other races.
Prejudice: a judgment or
opinion that is made before
the facts are known.
Stereotypes
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Stereotype: a generalization about a person or
group of people.
Our society perpetuates stereotypes which leads to
unfair and unjust treatment and judgments of
people.
Stereotypes are present in modern media such as:
television, comic strips, books, and movies.
Homework: watch television and write down 10
stereotypes you witness on the show or
commercials.
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DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination: judging a
person or group based on
stereotypes and then treating
them differently because of
those stereotypes.
What a Doll Tells Us About Race
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In the 1940’s the nation was captivated by an
experiment by sociologists Kenneth and Mamie
Clark.
They asked African American children about
two dolls, one white and one black.
The Baby Doll Experiment
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63% of the children said
they would rather play with
the white doll.
Most said the white doll was
nicer than the black doll.
44% of the children said the
white doll looked most like
them.
What about today?
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In a re-creation of the
original experiment, 19
children were asked the
same questions.
88% of the children
identified with the African
American baby dolls.
42% preferred to play with
the black dolls.
Brown v. The Board of Education
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The Clarks testified as
expert witnesses in the
case.
Thurgood Marshall argued
that the segregated
schools could never be
equal so long as black
children were being taught
that they were not good
enough to go to school
with the white children.
Just World Phenomenon
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The Just World hypothesis refers to
the need to believe that the world is
fair and people get what they
deserve.
It gives people a sense of security
and helps them to find meaning in
difficult circumstances.
Personal Space
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One of the issues that defines how people in different cultures
greet each other is how touchy they are. Here is a scale of
touch don’t touch:
Don’t Touch
Middle Ground
Touch
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Japan
France
Middle East
United States
China
Latin Countries
Canada
Ireland
Italy
England
India
Greece
Northern European
Spain
Australia
Portugal
Estonia
Russia
Personal Bubble
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Your personal space is like an
invisible bubble that surrounds you.
If people move inside this bubble
when they are talking to you, it may
make you feel uncomfortable.
Everyone's personal space is
different. How close you normally
stand to someone else when you are
talking to them will depend on who it
is you are talking to, and under what
circumstances.
In our examples here, we will look at
bubbles for people in everyday
situations, such as at school or at
work, where the people know each
other fairly well.
Facts about the personal bubble:
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The bubble is larger if you are talking to a
stranger.
The better you know the person you're
talking to, the smaller the bubble may be.
The bubble is usually larger for two men
than for two women.
The bubble may be very small for a man
and a woman if they are in a relationship.
The bubble may be larger than normal for a
man and a woman who are strangers to
each other.
The bubble size may differ for different
cultures.
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Disregarding the customs of
touching might cause an
international incident. On one
occasion the queen was visiting
Canada when the Provincial
Transportation Minister touched
the Queen while escorting her.
Headlines read:
“Hands Off Our Queen!”
In England there is an unwritten
rule that nobody touches the
Queen. Even when shaking hands
she must shake first.
Seinfeld and the Close Talker
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But what makes you feel hostile toward
“close talkers,” as the show “Seinfeld”
dubbed people who get within necking
distance of you when they speak? Or
toward strangers who stand very near to
you on line? Or toward people who take the
bathroom stall next to yours when every
other one is available?
Southeast Asia
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In 1988 in Los Angeles, an entertainer from Thailand
was convicted of second-degree murder. A patron
of the Thai cabaret put his foot on a chair with the
sole facing the singer.
When the cabaret closed the singer followed the
patron and shot him.
Why?
In Southeast Asia showing the sole of a shoe is a
grievous insult.
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China
-The Chinese do not touch a drink at dinner without
proposing a toast to others.
-The Chinese are very sensitive to problems of
precedence at doorways. Failure to yield right of
way could be interpreted as arrogance.
Japan
-To signal respect and attention to a person who is
speaking the audience should close their eyes and
slightly nod their heads.
Social Cognition
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Impression Formation
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Integration of new and old information
People in our past influence perception of
new people
Memory of Clown
At 5th birthday party
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Meet “Funny” Person
In college
Influenced by:
Primacy Effect
 Central Traits
 Social Schemas
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Perceive New “FunnyPerson” as a “Clown”
Social Cognition
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Primacy Effect
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What do you remember most about a person
after a first meeting?
Are first impressions best?
Description 1: Intelligent; industrious; impulsive; critical; stubborn; envious
Description 2: Envious; stubborn; critical; impulsive; industrious; intelligent
80
Percent Recalled
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Position in List
5th
6th
Social Cognition
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Central Traits
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“Core” personality traits
Influence impression more than peripheral
traits
Central Traits
Peripheral Traits
Extraverted vs.
Introverted
Loud vs. Quiet
Neurotic vs. Stable
Happy vs. Sad
Conscientious vs.
Unreliable
Punctual vs. Unorganized
Level of Agreeableness
Debatable vs.
Conventional
Warm. Vs Cold
Polite vs. Blunt
Social Cognition
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Social Schema
Organized set of beliefs and concepts about a
single person or a group of people
Examples: Professor Schema, Police Schema;
Gender Schema; Religious Schema
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Trait:
___________
Trait:
___________
Trait:
___________
Trait:
___________
Trait:
___________
Trait:
___________
Central Person:
____________
Trait:
___________
Social Cognition
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Stereotype
Over-generalized schema that
can lead to prejudice
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Self-fulfilling prophecy
Schemas can cause people to behave in an
“expected” manner
 Example: Project for the
New American Century
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Social Cognition & Attributions
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Attribution
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Inference about the cause an action
Is the action the result of intentions, or to
the situation
Dispositional factors (Internal attributions)
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Cause of an action is due to personality
Situational factors (External attributions)
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Cause of a behavior is due to situation
Social Cognition & Attributions
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Why is this guy running?
What is causing his behavior?
Social Cognition & Attributions
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And now?
Social Cognition & Attributions
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External vs.
internal
attribution of
our own
behaviors
Social Cognition & Attributions
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Belief in a just world effect
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Form of the FAE
Erroneous belief that the world is unbiased
Victim-Blaming
When we’re a victim...
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Tend to blame the situation
Example: “It’s the boss’ fault
for catching me drinking,
not because I was drinking.”
Social Cognition & Attributions
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Actor-observer error
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Attribute behavior of others to internal
causes
Attribute our own behavior to external
causes
Self-serving bias
We take credit for any and
all of our successes
 We blame failures on
external cause
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Social Cognition & Attributions
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Harold Kelley’s Theory of Attribution
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Situation/disposition attributions influenced
by:
(1) Consistency of a Behavior
 Does
the individual behave this way always?
(2) Distinctiveness of a Behavior
 Does
the individual behave differently in
different situations?
(3) Consensus of a Behavior
 Do
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others behave similarly in this and other
situations?
All in all, why do you think humans prefer
making dispositional attributions?
Social Cognition & Attributions
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Harold Kelley’s Theory of Attribution
Attitudes, Formation and Change
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What about external influences on us?
Attitude
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Positive/negative evaluation of some-thing
Affects behaviors toward and perceptions of
the “thing”
Changing attitudes (persuasion) can be
difficult
Attitudes, Formation and Change
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Factors influencing attitude changes
(i.e., persuasion):
Credibility of the source
 Attractiveness of the source
 Comparing and contrasting
 Do “scare tactics” and
“Attack-ads” help?
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Cognitive Dissonance
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We desire consistency in attitudes,
beliefs and behaviors
Cognitive Dissonance
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Mental tension
Powerful motivator for attitude change
Cognitive Dissonance
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Dissonance depends on lack of sufficient
justification for discrepancy
Festinger & Carlsmith’s “boring study”
Offered $1
To lie
Male
Subjects
Performed
Dull Task
Not justified
Offered $20
To lie
Justified
Provided
True Liking
Of Task
After Lying