Transcript Ch. 19 Social Psychology

Social Psychology
Ch. 19 Attitudes, Culture,
and Human Relations
McElhaney
Project:
 Create
a typed, 35 item test.
 Include 15 matching, 15 fill in the
blank, and 5 multiple choice items
based on the reading handout
chapter 18 or 19. (to be assigned)
 All work must be original and must
include answer key with page
number.
 Or you may create a podcast
(*video) for one item related to this
unit on Social Psychology
Attitudes
– Connected to actions
– Connected to views of the world
– Tastes, friendships and goals
 “Are
a mixture between belief and
emotions that predispose a person to
respond to others in a positive or
negative way.”
 Can be predicted
Attitudes are expressed in 3 ways
 Belief
about an object or issue
 Emotion=feelings
 Actions
Attitude Formation
 Direct
Contact:
 Interaction with others:
 Child Rearing:
 Group Membership:
 Mass Media:
 Chance conditioning:
There is a contrast between public
behavior and private attitudes.


Factor of Immediate Consequence
Some attitudes are acted on some
not
LaPiere- Study“Not Practicing What you Preach”
Correlations between attitudes and behavior:


Strength of attitude- the strength of the attitude increases
or decreases behavior.
Stability of attitude: change overtime
– Stable attitudes are more predictable than one that changes

Relevance of attitude to the behavior:
– Attitudes will predict behavior much better if the attitude
measured related as exactly as possible to the behavior of
interest

Salience of the attitude
– Attitude is conspicuous, important, and readily accessible from
memory
– More Salience = more likely attitude will predict behavior.

Situational Pressure:
– External pressure is so great-internal attitudes will have little
effect on behavior
– Behavior is more influenced by external factors than internal
attitudes

LaPiere Study- found that strong situational pressure will
override strength of attitude.
Attitude Change
 Reference
Group- is any group a
person uses as standard for social
comparison
“who do you identify with?”
When people change a Reference
group they also change attitudes.
 Attitudes can be changed through
role play- must include strong
emotional experience
Page 700 List of Conditions to Change
Attitudes.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognition= Thoughts
 Dissonance= clashing
 Contradicting and clashing thoughts cause
discomfort
 We have a need for consistency in
thoughts perceptions and images.



We tend to reject new information that
contradicts ideas we already hold.
Cognitive Dissonance 2
 When
we make a bad decision
 We tend to convince ourselves that
we’ve done the right thing Also
a tendency to excuse in light of
contradicting evidence…
 We tend to emphasize the positive
aspects
 We try to minimize dissonance
 By justifying our bad choice
Brain Washing
=
Psychological manipulation
 Forced Attitude change
 Requires captive audience
 Is temporary
 Pge. 703 lists the requirements:
How To: Brain Washing 2




Target person is isolated form main reference
group
Target is made completely dependent on captors
for needs
Indoctrinating agent- is in a position to reward
target for changes in attitude or behavior
Make target completely helpless
–
–
–
–
Physical and psych abuse
Sleep deprivation
Humiliation
Isolation

Target looses and or unfreezes formal values
– Exhaustion, pressure, fear becomes unbearable



Change occurs when target abandon’s all beliefs
Target cooperates to gain relief
Pairing hope and fear with pressure to conform
– Refreezes new attitudes
Jonestown Cult 1978
 Jim
Jones’ People’s Temple
 Jones was charismatic, persuasive
leader
 Followers were Isolated, Intimidated,
Obedient, committed and dependent
Cults
 Leader
is infallible
 Followers do not question
 Strategy- guilt manipulation,
isolation, deception, fear, and
escalating commitment
 High pressure
 2.5 million people in cults
Who Joins Cults?:
Profile
 Distressed
 Mild
depression, indecission
 Alienation from family and friends
 Need as sense of belonging
Conversion strategies:
Intense Affection- Understanding
 Isolate from people who are not cult
members- family and friends

– (former reference group)
Isolate from former values
 Use drills, discipline, rituals

– Wears people down physical and emotional
resistance is reduced
Discourages critical thinking
 Generates feelings of commitment
 Gets small commitment at first then
encourages larger commitments

Prejudice
Discrimination
Aggression
Frustration Aggression Hypothesis
Aversive Stimuli
Aggressive Cues
Social Learning, Aggression, and
Bandura