Social Psychological
Experiments
Video Clips to help your understanding
Stanley Milgram was interested in finding
out under what circumstances ordinary
people could be influenced to inflict harm
upon others.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olVH
KgIBXc
 Most unethical experiment. Led to
improve the Psychology Association
guidelines.
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Milgram
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Cognitive Dissonance – causes
individuals to change their attitudes.
Dissonance is the tension that results
from holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes,
opinions or values.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp39q
SdyTc4&feature=related
Festinger
Normative Influence – Gain social
approval
 Social Influence – accepting others
opinions about reality, especially if you
are not sure.
 Conformity- follow others (lines)
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Asch Experiment
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Testing people’s helping ability:
Diffusion Responsibility- larger the group less
likely to help, less people more likely to help.
Bystander-Assuming others will help
Kitty Genevese – Genovese syndrome
Altruism – Theorists debate whether there is
an inborn trait that prompts people to
engage in acts of selfless sacrifice for others
or acts of rewards of heroism or ego need.
Latane & Darley
Contact Theory-working together with
groups to reach one common goal
(superordinate goal) should lower tension
and increase harmony. Helps with
prejudice, working together verses going
against one another.
 Word activity
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Sherif
Teaching strategy making Anglo &
Hispanic kids interdependent upon one
another to learn.
 Jigsaw Classroom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p1AE
3Z3j5I
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Aronson & Gonzalez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4wL5
t8YH1Q
 Is the tendency to let our preconceived
expectations of others influence how we
treat them. Ex. Teachers told to expect
certain student to get smart during the
year actually treated those kids differently
as a result the expectations became a
reality.
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Self-fulfilling Prophecy
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Social Facilitation – Improved performance of
well learned tasks in front of others. Due to
increased level of motivation when in front of
audience.
Social Impairment – (opposite) when just
learning something and if you have an audience
you tend to do worse.
Group Polarization-group decision more powerful
than individual decision(asch).
Deindividuation(world leaders)-opposite
Groupthink-Since everyone voices their opinions
out loud, you assume everyone is in agreement
and you don’t do anything about your
disagreement.
Effects of the group
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One reason why many groups have some
form of initiation rites and rituals is
because of Group Cohesion
 The
power of Conformity -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pvxo7o7SwI
Effects of Group
Normative Influence – We don’t want to
stand out as different just be normal.
 Informational Social influence –
information given or understood is
swaying your opinion to conform
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Why do we conform?
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Proved People’s attitudes do not
necessarily reflect their behavior :
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LaPierre conducted the experiment with
Asian couples, and in short how the
reactions of various establishments when
confronted in person contrasted the
reactions via a questionnaire.
Lapierre Experiment
Working with a PartnerSuperordinate Goal write
examples together and
turn in as pair sheet
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Often used to explain the bystander
effect, a phenomenon in which the
greater the number of people present, the
less likely people are to help an individual
in distress.
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1 sentence give me an example
Diffusion of Responsibilities
Attribution Theory-Our way of explaining
why people act the way they do.
 Attribution Of Error (2 types)
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Problem – Student receives an F on test.
◦ Personal Stable – He is lazy.
◦ Situational Constraints (personal factors) – He
is probably sad about parents divorce.
Give an example of each…
Fundamental Atrribution of Error
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Foot in the door phenomenon- Give an
inch, they want a foot. You lend a friend 1
dollar next time may ask for 5 dollars.
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Reciprocity – soliciting technique ex. Give
great service as a waitress expect bigger
tip.
Give an example 1 sentence each.
Compliance
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Mere Exposure Effect(familiarity principle)
– more contact we have with someone,
the likely we will like that person.
Research shows that friends usually are
rated very similarly in physical
attractiveness. Similarity of interests and
social back ground is also likely to
determine who become friends.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6MJ
Ms8AkCs (give an example)
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Friendship & Beauty
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Prejudice-unjustified negative attitude
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Discrimination-unjustified behavior/action
Stereotypes Mental Schemas
A. Teachers are
B. AP Students are
Give example for each 1 sentence
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Causes of Conflict
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Scapegoat theory –blame other groups for our
failures or weaknesses
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Ethnocentrism-belief our culture is superior to others
(in-group or out – group).
Other-Race Effect – The tendency to recall faces of
one’s own race more accurately than other races.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tyKVOQSjVc
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Example of each 1 sentence
Causes of Conflict
Social Loafing- Allowing others to do the
work while you just hang out
(groupwork).
 Social Loafing - YouTube
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Self-Serving Bias-give our success credit
to our stable causes & failures to
situational factors. ”I work hard, others
don’t care.”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfSuO
q6ReA
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Evaluating Behavior
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Although you may not necessarily agree,
you go along with the majority or the
individual who has more power/influence.
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Give an example 1 sentence
Compliance
Write 5 questions and 5 answers during
the video
 Write a summary of what you learned new
 Turn in pair share sheet and video notes
today!
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