Download Attraction, Altruism, Conflict/Peacemaking

CHS AP Psychology
Unit 14: Social Psychology
Essential Task 14.3: Predict the
impact of others on individual
behavior with specific
attention to attraction.
What Makes Us Attractive to
Others?
Personal Ads Activity
Interpersonal Attraction
Attraction is closely linked to
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Proximity
Physical attractiveness
Similarity
Exchange
Intimacy
Psychology of Attraction
1. Proximity: Geographic nearness is a
powerful predictor of friendship.
a) Repeated exposure to novel stimuli
increases their attraction (mere exposure
effect).
A rare white penguin
born in a zoo was
accepted after 3 weeks
by other penguins just
due to proximity.
Rex USA
Psychology of Attraction
2. Physical Attractiveness: Once proximity affords
contact, the next most important thing in
attraction is physical appearance.
• Couples randomly paired at “computer
dance”
• Assessed personality, aptitude, physical
attractiveness
• Results: Only physical attractiveness predicted
liking and wanting to see the person again.
(True for men and women.)
Physical attractiveness
• Are people biased towards children who
are deemed attractive?
• Study: Explanation of poor behavior paired
with a photo of a “unattractive” child and
an “attractive” child.
• The behavior was deemed less poor when
the child was attractive.
Is attractiveness objective?
• Arguments for Objective Standard
• High consensus across countries,
race/ethnicities
– Agree on attractiveness of faces and body
types (F: hourglass; M: v-shaped)
• Particular features are associated with
attractiveness
– F: large eyes, prominent cheekbones, small
nose, wide smile
– M: broad jaw, large eyes, prominent
cheekbones, wide smile
• Babies look longer at faces rated as
attractive by adults. (less likely to be
affected by cultural standards
Is attractiveness subjective?
• Arguments for Subjective Standard
• Cross-cultural differences in ways
to look beautiful
– Face painting, plastic surgery,
scarring, piercings, etc.
– Variations in preference for female
body size
Subjective?
• Standards of beauty within a culture
change over time
– Marilyn Monroe versus Taylor Swift
Attractiveness Standards
• Probably both universal and variable
components of attractiveness
• Overall, physical attractiveness
predicts more positive evaluations
(true in childhood and later in life)
Psychology of Attraction
3. Similarity: Similar views among
individuals causes the bond of
attraction to strengthen.
 Finding others who agree with us
strengthens our convictions and
boosts our self-esteem
 Opposites don’t attract – they don’t
even meet
 Complementary Traits – you complete
me
Matching in physical
attractiveness
• People tend to pair with partners
who are about as physically
attractive as they are.
• Predicts success of relationship (more
similar in attractiveness, more likely to
stay together)
• However, women who marry less
attractive men are shown to rate
their marriage as more satisfying.
Psychology of Attraction
4. Exchange: The give and take of a
relationship.
• Social Exchange theory explains how we
feel about a relationship with another
person as depending on our perceptions
of:
–
–
–
The balance between what we put into the
relationship and what we get out of it.
The kind of relationship we deserve.
Contrast Effect – seeing something ‘better’
makes us temporarily devalue what we’ve
got
Psychology of Attraction
5. Intimacy: closeness and trust
achieved through communication
• Must be mutual
• Can’t be too much too soon
Altruism:
• Altruism is the unselfish behaviors or
actions done for someone else.
– Example: if you volunteer at a nursing
home, you are helping someone else
without receiving any benefits.
Altruism
Equity: A condition in which people
receive from a relationship in
proportion to what they give.
Self-Disclosure: Revealing intimate
aspects of oneself to others.
Bystander Effect
Tendency of any
given bystander to
be less likely to give
aid if other
bystanders are
present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4S1LLrSzVE
Bystander Intervention
The decision-making process for bystander
intervention.
Akos Szilvasi/ Stock, Boston
The Norms for Helping
Social Exchange Theory: Our social behavior
is an exchange process. The aim is to
maximize benefits and minimize costs.
 Reciprocity Norm: The expectation that we
should return help and not harm those who
have helped us.
 Social–Responsibility Norm: Largely learned, it is
a norm that tells us to help others when they
need us even though they may not repay us.
Conflict
Conflict is perceived as an incompatibility
of actions, goals, or ideas.
A Social Trap is a situation in which the
conflicting parties, by each rationally
pursuing their self-interest, become caught
in mutually destructive behavior.
Peacemaking
Superordinate Goals are shared goals that
override differences among people and
require their cooperation.
Communication and understanding
developed through talking to one
another. Sometimes it is mediated by a
third party.
Peacemaking
Graduated & Reciprocated Initiatives in
Tension-Reduction (GRIT): This is a strategy
designed to decrease international
tensions.
• One side recognizes mutual interests and
initiates a small conciliatory act that
opens the door for reciprocation by the
other party.