SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY
How individuals
affect others
and others
affect them
What are some of the interpersonal
dynamics in the movie Mean Girls?
What is social psychology?
•
Social psychology studies individuals in the
social context.
•
It is the study of how and why people
think, feel, and do the things they do
depending upon the situation they are in and
who else is involved.
Sociology vs Social Psychology
•
Sociology focuses on group factors such as
race and socioeconomic class
•
Whereas social psych focuses on the
individual (within those groups)
Are these behaviors normal?
• Create this chart in your notes (use a FULL
page):
Behavior
Picking nose
Heavy makeup
Personal space
Weird handshake
Clothes backwards
Facing sideways or
backwards in elevator
Eating with hands
Context when this behavior
is NORMAL
Context when this behavior
is NOT NORMAL
Interpersonal space
Norm Reform – Violating social norms
• This social psychology project will involve going
out in public and violating a norm (perform an
unexpected behavior)
• You will do this consistently/follow a procedure
– Ex: always break into line in front of 3rd person at
MacDonald's
• Compare reactions in 2 different neighborhoods,
ex:
– Inglewood vs Beverly Hills
– Mexican vs Black neighborhood
• You must be systematic (scientific) and document,
analyze and present results
Read over your project planning sheet
– Choose your group. Max 4.
– Think about a norm you want to violate in public.
– Presentations in 2 (or 3?) weeks.
– Complete planning sheet today.
Norm
• Something that is usual, typical, or standard.
• A standard or pattern, esp. of social behavior,
that is typical or expected of a group
– Ex: saying thank you after being served food
– Ex: facing the front when in an elevator
Scientific method
Project time
Homework, due next class
• Complete white portion of worksheet on
conformity, obedience, deindividualization
and the bystander effect. Leave shaded
portion for completion in class.
College level reading
• 323 to 346
• Potential reading quiz soon…
Time: Deindividualization
• What happens when you remove individual
responsibility or identity from a group?
• One a sheet of paper, write a list of all the
things you would do if you were invisible for a
day. No swearing please!
Group role plays
• In your groups, look up your assigned research or
phenomenon
– Act it out
– Then, clearly define the concept
– Thoroughly cover any key aspects of this phenomenon
• 6 groups –
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–
–
–
–
Conformity
Obedience
Bystander effect
Deindividualization
Persuasion – 2 groups
Peer review: Norm Reform Planner
• Page 1 – give 4 points if driving question,
norm definition, table and 4 bullet points at
bottom are complete. Reduce points
accordingly if parts are missing.
• Page 2 - 6 points
– Norm violated is clearly stated on top of page or in
hypothesis
– All boxed fully completed
– DV (reactions) are visible and measurable and
NOT vague
Friday – watch Mean Girls!
• Watch the first 40 minutes of this awesome
movie to see social psych concepts in action!
• Stanford University has a summer class that
analyzes this movie for it’s social psychology
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Groups
Conformity
Persuasion/influence
Obedience
Norms
• Answer Q’s on worksheet provided
Prison
• Write down 5 words that you associate with
prison, prisoners and the justice system
Stanford Prison Experiment
• Philip Zimbardo
• 1971
• Simulated prison
environment
• Random assignment
of guard or prisoner
role
• Insight into human
nature – how people
will easily be cruel
to others they see as
inferior to
themselves
After the documentary
• Move to different tables for discussion
questions
• Share out – discussion
• 5 min table talk, 5 min share out
• Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_LKzEql
Pto
Experimental design analysis
• Using hindsight, what might you have done
differently than Zimbardo?
• Would you qualify the experiment as a
success? Why or why not?
• Should anyone be held accountable for lasting
psychological damage that resulted from this
experiment?
Write a paragraph summary about SPE
• Describe this research and what was learned
from it in your own words.
SPE - Summary
The Stanford prison experiment (SPE) was a study of the psychological effects of
becoming a prisoner or prison guard. The experiment was conducted at Stanford
University from August 14–20 1971, led by psychology professor Philip
Zimbardo. It was funded by/of interest to both the US Navy and Marine Corps as
an investigation into the causes of conflict between military guards and
prisoners.
Twenty-four male students were selected to take on randomly assigned roles of
prisoners and guards in a mock prison situated in the basement of the Stanford
psychology building. The participants adapted to their roles well beyond
Zimbardo's expectations, as the guards enforced authoritarian measures and
ultimately subjected some of the prisoners to psychological torture. Many of
the prisoners passively accepted psychological abuse and, at the request of the
guards, readily harassed other prisoners who attempted to prevent it. The
experiment even affected Zimbardo himself, who, in his role as the
superintendent, permitted the abuse to continue. Two of the prisoners quit the
experiment early and the entire experiment was abruptly stopped after only six
days.
http://www.prisonexp.org/
• Spend some time on the official SPE site to
learn more