Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
Social Identity Theory
Self-Schemas


Relatively unified
Differentiated
Social Perception

Forming impressions

Lasting impressions
o “Cognitive misers”

Self-fulfilling prophecy
Attribution



Understand behavior
Predict future behavior
Control situation if it occurs again
o Internal attribution
o External attribution
o Sources of attribution
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
Pages 677-697, 707-725,
729-734; 288-290
 Consensus
 Consistency
 Distinctiveness
Attributional Biases

Fundamental attribution error

Ultimate attribution error

Actor-observer bias (Others’ behavior = internal causes; own behavior = external causes)

Self-serving bias (Own success = internal causes; own failure = external causes)
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
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Self-Protective Functions

Unrealistic optimism (Positive events = you; negative events = others)

Unique invulnerability
Attitudes

Affective component

Behavioral component

Cognitive component

Attitude-consistent behavior
o
o
o
o
Thoughts & feelings in agreement
Behavior consistent with subjective norm
One has perceived control
One has direct experience with attitude object
Forming Attitudes

Mere-exposure effect
Attitude Change/Persuasive Messages

Characteristics of persuasive messages
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Social Psychology

Chapters 17 & 18
Pages 677-697, 707-725,
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Elaboration likelihood model: Attitude change driven by evaluation of content of
persuasive message (central route) or by irrelevant persuasion cues (peripheral route)
o Peripheral route
o Central route

Cognitive dissonance theory

Bem’s self-perception theory
o Problems
Stereotypes & Prejudice

Stereotypes

Prejudice
o Discrimination
Page 4
Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
Theories of Stereotypes & Prejudice

Motivational theories
o Authoritarianism
o Social identity theory

Cognitive theories
o Schemas & cognitive shortcuts
o Social categorizations

Learning theories
Reducing Prejudice

Contact hypothesis

Jigsaw technique
Social Influence

Norms
o Descriptive norms
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
o Injunctive norms

Reciprocity

Deindividuation
Motivation & Presence of Others

Social facilitation

Social impairment

Social loafing

Social striving
Conformity & Compliance

Conformity

Compliance
o Asch’s experiment
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
Why People Conform

Public conformity

Private acceptance

Why group norms are so powerful
When People Conform

Ambiguity of situation

Unanimity

Size of majority
o Social impact theory

Minority influence

Gender differences
Inducing Compliance

Foot-in-the-door technique

Door-in-the-face procedure
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Social Psychology

Chapters 17 & 18
Low-ball approach
Obedience

Milgram’s experiment

Factors influencing obedience
o Expert social power
o Legitimate social power
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
o Behavior of others
o Personality characteristics

Evaluation of Milgram’s experiment
Stanford Prison Experiment
Aggression

Freud’s notion of thanatos

Evolutionary perspective

Genetic & biological mechanisms

Cultural differences
o “Culture of honor”

Learning
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
When People Are Aggressive

Frustration
o Frustration-aggression hypothesis
 Revisions

Generalized arousal theory
Altruism & Helping Behavior

Helping behavior

Altruism
Arousal: cost-reward theory

Costs associated with helping

Costs associated with not helping
Factors That Affect Helping

Clarity of need for help

Presence of others
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
o Bystander effect (Kitty Genovese)
o Strangers vs. friends

Personality of helper

Environmental factors
o Urban vs. rural
o Environmental stress
Empathy-Altruism Theory
Evolutionary Theory

Inclusive fitness

Kin selection
Prisoner’s Dilemma
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Social Psychology
Chapters 17 & 18
Pages 677-697, 707-725,
729-734; 288-290
Heuristics

Anchoring heuristic: Basing judgments on existing info

Representative heuristic: Judging whether something belongs in given class on basis of
similarity to other members of class

Availability heuristic: Judgments based on info that is most easily brought to mind
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