Social Psychology Streamlined Attributions

Social Psychology streamlined Attributions by a person/thing – the action of regarding something being caused Attribution Theory (Fritz Heider) – finding cause of behavior in either: • Dispositional Attribution - person’s personality • Situational Attribution -the situation ex: Observing someone driving badly. Fundamental Attribution Error – the tendency to overestimate the role that a situation plays in a person’s behavior (and blame it more on who they are as a person) Attitude reactions – feelings, influenced by our beliefs, that predispose our Persuasion • Peripheral Route – using attention getting cues to trigger emotion based reactions ex: • Direct/Central Route – using the evidence to sway a person ex: Attitude Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon – Once someone agrees to something small, they are more likely to agree to bigger requests Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon – Someone is more likely to agree to a smaller request after refusing a larger request Cognitive Dissonance (Leon Festinger) – the discomfort felt when a person holds 2 or more beliefs that are in conflict with each other • People typically change attitudes to align with actions Norms – Rules for expected social behavior Norms are achieved through: • Conformity – changing your behavior/thinking to align with the group • Obedience Social Contagion (The Chameleon Effect) – the behavioral and emotional mimicry of what we see around us Norms – Rules for expected social behavior Normative Social Influence – derived from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid judgement • Social Conformity Study (Solomon Asch) Informational Social Influence – willingness to accept others’ opinions on reality Group Behavior – how does the presence of others influence an individual’s behavior? Social Facilitation – tendency to have an amplified response in the presence of others (better on easy/mastered task, worse on hard/new task) Group Behavior- – how does the presence of others influence an individual’s behavior? Social Loafing – tendency to exert less effort in a group task Deindividuation – loss of self-awareness and self-control when in group situations when anonymity is possible and arousal is high Group Behavior – how does our group influence us? Group Polarization – beliefs grow stronger when you are discussing with like minded individuals • Can be dangerous depending on the pre-existing beliefs • How does Social Media and the internet exacerbate this phenomenon? Group Behavior – how does our group influence us? Groupthink – desire for a conflict-free decision process overrides the thoughtful evaluation of other options Prejudice – unjustifiable attitude towards a group Prejudice typically involves: • Stereotyped beliefs – generalized beliefs about a group of people • Negative feelings • Likelihood to engage in discriminatory actions – to engage in negative unjustifiable ways towards a group Microaggressions are more subtle but the same affect Prejudice Ethnocentrism is a type of prejudice Stereotype Threat – when performance is influenced negatively based on the implicit belief that an individual will be judged as lesser Limits growth, hampers learning and impairs decision making Social Inequalities and Divisions Just World Phenomenon – the belief that good people are rewarded and bad people pay consequences • “You get what you deserve” • Feeds into the Victim Blaming mentality • Can encourage prosocial behaviors (i.e. “karma”) Social Inequalities and Divisions Ingroup – “us”; those whom we share a similar identity Outgroup – “them”; those who we perceive as different Ingroup Bias – the tendency to favor our own group Other-race Effect – the tendency to recall the faces of our own race with greater ease and accuracy (also, Own-age bias) Negative Emotions Scapegoat Theory • We cope with our anger by using prejudice as an outlet and finding someone in an “Out group” to blame • Seen most frequently in: • Economically challenged groups • Times of frustration and marginalized self-esteem Aggression emotionally – any behavior intended to harm someone physically or Types – Instrumental (to achieve a goal) and Hostile (emotions) Aggression Influences on Aggression – (it is partly an instinct) Genetics Low MAOA gene and high testosterone both increase aggressive behavior Neural Diminished activity in the frontal lobe (less impulse control) Overactive amygdala response Biochemical Testosterone increases aggression (can be artificially modified) Alcohol disinhibits aggression (does not cause it) What influences Attraction? Proximity Mere Exposure Effect – the tendency to prefer stimuli you are repeatedly exposed to you are more likely to be attracted to someone who you more continually spend time with What influences Attraction? (cont.) Physical Attractiveness • Symmetry in features is universal • All other qualities vary by culture • Can be influenced by evaluation of the person’s character Similarity • More attracted to people who share key values • More attracted to people who share physical characteristics of self/family Romantic Love Altruism – the unselfish concern for others The Bystander Effect – you are less likely to help in the presence of others Darley & Latane – one interpret the need for help and assumes responsibility Social Exchange Theory – social behavior is a give and take with the intention to maximize gains and minimize losses Altruism – the unselfish concern for others Norms – understood rules/expectations of behaviors for a society Reciprocity Norm – the expectation that someone will help someone who has helped them in the past Social Responsibility Norm – you should help those in need when you can Conflict – a real (or perceived) incompatibility of ideas, goals or ideas Social Traps • Both sides get caught in self-destructive behavior by not pursuing a common goal Enemy Perceptions • When in conflict people tend to create distorted perception of “enemy” • Mirror-Image Perceptions – one is always “good”, the other is always “bad” • Fuel hostilities How to Promote Peace? Cooperation • Superordinate Goals – “Robbers Cave Experiment” Communication Contact • As long as peaceful (proximity grows affection) Conciliation • GRIT – Osgood • Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction Important Studies on Social Psychology Asch (Agreeing with the group- line study)– Social Conformity Milgram (Yale Shocking ) – Obedience Zimbardo (Stanford Prison Experiment) – Role Conformity Kitty Genovese Case – Bystander Effect / Diffusion of Responsibility Sherif (Robbers Cave Experiment) – Cooperation (“superordinate goals”) • A goal, desirable by all parties, that can only be attained if groups work together to attain it