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Social Psychology
Chapter 12
Explaining Behavior
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Attribution
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The process of inferring the cause of
someone’s behavior, including your own
The explanation you make for a particular
behavior
We tend to attribute the behavior of others to
internal, personal characteristics –
fundamental attribution error
Biases in our thought
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Fundamental attribution error
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Blaming the victim
The just-world hypothesis – we have a
psychological need to believe the world is
just; otherwise we are not safe
What questions circulated upon the safe
rescue of Elizabeth Smart…or consider the
safe rescue of Sean Hornbeck and Ben
Ownby?
Attributional Biases
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Actor-observer discrepancy – we are more
likely to use an external, situational
attribution when we are the actor
Self-serving bias
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We congratulate our efforts and claim
intelligence assisted with a high score on a
test
We claim …”They were trick questions…”
when we do poorly on an exam
Individualistic vs. Collectivistic
Culture and attribution
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Self serving bias common in individualistic
culture
Self-effacing (or modesty) bias common in
collectivistic culture
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One blames himself for his failure and
attributes success to external, situational
causes
Table 12.1
Hockenbury: Psychology, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Worth Publishers
Attitudes
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A learned tendency to evaluate some
object, person, or issue in a particular way
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Three components
Cognitive – reflected in thoughts and conclusions
 Behavioral – reflected in action
 Emotional – reflected in emotional expression
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Figure 12.1 The Components of Attitudes
Hockenbury: Psychology, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Worth Publishers
Attitudes and Behavior
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We don’t always act in accordance with our
attitudes
Conditions that increase the likelihood of
behaving in accordance with one’s attitude:
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Attitudes are extreme or frequently expressed
Attitudes have been formed through direct experience
You are very knowledgeable about the subject
You personally stand to gain or lose something on a
specific issue
You anticipate a favorable outcome or response from
others
Prejudice
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A negative attitude toward people who belong to
a specific social group
Racial and ethnic groups are far more alike than
they are different
Differences that may exist between members of
different racial and ethnic groups are far smaller
than differences among various members of the
same group
Stereotypes
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A cluster of characteristics that are
attributed to members of a specific social
group or category
Stereotypes simplify social information so
that we can sort out, process, and
remember information about other people
more easily
Potential Problems with Stereotypes
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Attributing a stereotypic cause for an
outcome or event can blind us to the true
causes of events
They are hard to change once they are
formed
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We see what we expect to see
We discount information that contradicts a
stereotype
Stereotypes (cont.)
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The out-group, in-group tendency
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We speak in terms of “us” and “them”
We tend to view “us” more favorably then
“them”
We notice diversity within our own group, but
not among the “out-group”
We tend to believe that our own ethnic group
or culture is superior, ethnocentrism
Prejudice and Emotion
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As with other attitudes, there is an
emotional component
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Intensely negative
Hatred
Contempt
Fear
Loathing
Prejudice and Behavior
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Discrimination
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Prejudice and intergroup hostility increases
when different groups are competing for
scarce resources
Emotional basis – People are often prejudiced
against groups that are perceived as
threatening important in-group norms and
values
How do we overcome Prejudice?
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Contact theory – as
members of different
groups got to know
one another as
individuals, negative
stereotypes would be
disproved
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What do you think?
Overcoming Prejudice (cont.)
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Sherif and the Robbers Cave Experiment
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Hostility between groups can be created
Hostility could be overcome
Applicable to other situations?
Aronson and the Jigsaw Classroom
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Displayed a greater self esteem and a greater
liking for children from different ethnic groups
compared to children in traditional classrooms
Conformity
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Asch Conformity Studies
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The subjects followed the majority and gave
the wrong answer on 37% of the trials
Those who responded alone gave the right
answer 99% of the time
On almost 2/3 of the clinical trials in which
the majority named the wrong line the
subjects stuck to their answer, despite being
the minority
Conformity and Culture
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Generally higher in collectivistic cultures
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Viewed more positively
Less in the West
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Carries a negative connotation given our
values of self expression, independence, and
“standing out from the crowd”
Obedience
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The performance of an action in response
to the direct orders of an authority or
person of higher status
Stanley Milgram
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Could a person be pressured by others into
committing an immoral act, some action that
violated his or her own conscience, such as
hurting a stranger?
Forces that influenced subjects
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A previously well-established mental
framework to obey
The situation, or context, in which the
obedience occurred
The gradual repetitive escalation of the
task
Forces that influenced subjects
(cont.)
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The experimenter’s behavior and
reassurances
The physical an psychological separation
from the learner
Figure 12.4 Factors That Decrease Destructive Obedience
Hockenbury: Psychology, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Worth Publishers
Helping Behavior
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Kitty Genovese
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Why didn’t anyone help?
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Apathy – “…alienation and depersonalization of life
in a big city”
Factors That Increase the Liklihood
of Bystanders Helping
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The feel good, do good effect
Feeling guilty
Seeing others who are willing to help
Perceiving the other person as deserving
help
Knowing how to help
A personalized relationship
Factors that Decrease the Liklihood
of Bystanders Helping
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The presence of other people – diffusion
of responsibility
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Being in a big city or very small town
Vague or ambiguous situations
When the personal costs for helping
outweigh the benefits