SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
FUNDAMENTA ATTRIBUTION ERROR
• Def: the tendency to overemphasize personal factors and underestimate situational factors when
making attributions about the cause of another person’s behavior
• Helps us maintain the “just-world phenomenon”
• Also: Saliency bias---situational factors are less noticeable, so we focus on visible personality traits
SELF-SERVING BIAS
• Def: we take credit for our successes and blame external forces for our failures
• Helps maintain self esteem
CULTURE AND ATTRIBUTION
• Individualistic culture: emphasize independence and personal responsibility
• More likely to commit FAE
• Collectivist culture: emphasize interdependence and collective responsibility
• Less likely to FAE
ATTITUDE
• Def: a positive, neutral, or negative evaluation of a person, object, or issue
• Creates reactions to people, issues, or objects
PERSUASION/ATTITUDE CHANGE
• Central Route: focus on logical arguments, thoughtful analysis
• Peripheral Route: focus on emotional appeals
• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: strategy to get a person to agree to a small first request as a set-up for a
much larger request later
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
• Def: the state of psychological tension, anxiety, and discomfort that occurs when an individual’s attitude
and behavior are inconsistent
• Think of it as a defense mechanism
• Saying/knowing one thing, but doing the opposite
THE INFLUENCE OF GROUPS
SOCIAL FACILITATION
• Def: tendency for an individual’s performance to improve when in the presence of others
SOCIAL INHIBITION
• Def: an individual’s performance declines in the presence of others
SOCIAL LOAFING
• Def: people don’t work as hard when they work in a group rather than alone
• Causes: ppl feel no personal importance; some feel they can get a free ride
DEINDIVIDUATION
• Def: the reduction of self-awareness and personal responsibility when part of a group whose members
feel anonymous
• Causes: become immersed in the group; anonymity lowers accountability (no longer responsible for
their personal actions)
• Stanford Prison Experiment
BYSTANDER EFFECT
• Def: individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when other people are present
• Called the diffusion of responsibility (someone else will do it)
• The larger the group, the more likely to experience Bystander
GROUP DECISION MAKING
GROUP POLARIZATION
• Def: a group’s main opinion becomes stronger/more extreme after an issue is discussed
GROUPTHINK
• Def: when a cohesive decision-making group ignores or dismisses reasonable alternatives
• Ways to prevent: encourage other views, get outside experts, play devil’s advocate
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
CONFORMITY
• Def: when ppl adopt the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of other members of a group
• A response to real or imagined pressure
• Asch Conformity experiments: 76% will simply agree with an incorrect majority opinion to avoid causing
problems
• Factors that promote: size of the majority; unanimity of the majority; characteristics of the majority;
difficulty of the task
OBEDIENCE
• Def: performance of an action in response to direct orders from a perceived authority
• Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: 65-70% will harm others if directed to do so (women are less likely)
• Factors that promotes: cultural values; pressure to conform
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT OF GROUP
MEMBERS
IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP
• In-group: those with whom you identify
• In-group bias: tendency to judge the behavior of in-group members favorably and out-group members
unfavorably
• Out-group: do not identify with
• Out-group homogeneity: to view out-group members as very similar to one another
STEREOTYPES
• Def: mental image of a group that exaggerates or oversimplifies their characteristics
• Can be positive or negative
PREJUDICE
• Def: a learned prejudgment directed toward ppl solely b/c they belong in a specific social group
• Can be positive or negative
• Social divisions and inequalities contribute
• Frustration and perceived threats intensify prejudice
DISCRIMINATION
• Def: differential treatment, usually negative, directed at members of a group
• It is an action (prejudice is the attitude)
INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION
DEF: THE POSITIVE FEELINGS TOWARD ANOTHER PERSON
FACTORS THAT PROMOTE ATTRACTION
• 1) Physical attractiveness: men place greater value on youth and physical attractiveness; women place
greater value on financial resources, maturity, and ambition
• Matching Hypothesis: a romantic pair is most likely judged by others as similar in physical attractiveness
• 2) Proximity: nearness; we make more friends among those we live and work close to; familiar ppl are
safe and approachable
• Mere exposure effect: repeated exposure increases likelihood of developing attraction
• 3) Similarity: most attracted to ppl who share our interests, values, and experiences
ROMANTIC LOVE VS. COMPANIONATE LOVE
• Romantic Love: intense feelings of attraction (typically fades after 6 to 30 months)
• Companionate Love: strong feelings of admiration, respect, and commitment; strengthened by mutual
sharing (intimacy)
AGGRESSION
DEF: BEHAVIOR THAT IS INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM
INFLUENCES
• Biological: evolutionary psychs believe humans are instinctively aggressive; testosterone is linked to
aggression
• Psychosocial: Frustration-aggression hypothesis—frustration leads to anger, anger leads to aggression;
social rejection, minimal parental control (esp by father), parental models all contribute to aggressive
tendencies
REDUCING AGGRESSION
• Superordinate goals: shared goals; Robbers Cave Experiment
• Conciliatory acts: reciprocity promotes trust
• Communication: no guarantee