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Don H. Hockenbury and Sandra E. Hockenbury Psychology Fifth Edition Chapter 12: Social Psychology Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Psychology The branch of psychology that studies how people think, feel, and behave in social situations Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers How Do We Form Impressions of Other People? Deciding where to sit in a subway car or on the bus involves making some quick decisions about other people. What kinds of factors do you consider when you make such judgments about others? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers “Goodbye everybody.” © The New Yorker Collection 2004 Robert Leighton from Cartoonbank.com. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Person Perception Your reactions are determined by your perceptions of others Your goals determine the amount and kind of information you collect You evaluate people partly in terms of how you expect them to behave (social norms) Your self-perception influences how you perceive others Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers What do you expect? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The New Yorker Collection 2008 Glen Le Lievre from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Using Social Categories We often use superficial cues such as clothing and context to assign people to social categories and draw conclusions about their behavior. For example, you might characterize some people in this crowd as belonging to the category of “businessmen” because they are wearing dress shirts and ties—and conclude that they are on their way to work. What other sorts of social categories are evident here? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Physical Attractiveness Implicit cultural message is “beautiful is good” Attractive people are perceived as more intelligent, happier, and better adjusted Really no difference between attractive and less attractive people on these characteristics Attractive people are more likely to attribute other people’s approval of their accomplishments to looks rather than effort or talent. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers What Is Beautiful Is Good We are culturally conditioned to associate beauty with goodness and evil with ugliness—an implicit personality theory that has been dubbed the “what is beautiful is good” myth. One example of this cultural conditioning is the classic Disney film Snow White. In the scene shown, the wicked stepmother is disguised as an old woman, complete with a wart on her nose. She offers the poisoned apple to the innocent and virtuous heroine, Snow White. (The Walt Disney Co.) Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Pogo the Clown Dressed as Pogo the clown, John would visit sick children in the hospital to cheer them up. He was Also a successful building contractor and active in local politics. Given this information, what sorts of personal qualities would you expect him to display? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Eye-Contact Face Non–Eye-Contact Face Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Attribution Process of inferring the causes of people’s behavior, including one’s own The explanation given for a particular behavior Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Attribution Bias Fundamental attribution error Actor-observer discrepancy Blaming the victim (just-world hypothesis) Self-serving bias Self-effacing bias Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Fundamental attribution error We attribute the behavior of others to internal, personal characteristics while ignoring or underestimating the effect of external or situational factors. Situation: It appears that someone cut you off when changing lanes on the highway. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers FAE thought “What a stupid jerk. He doesn’t care who he hurts.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The reality The driver’s wife is lying down in the back seat in labor; they’re on their way to the hospital. He wasn’t focused on the road because his wife was screaming in pain. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Situation: A man is in line at the grocery store in the express lane (12 items or less). He had 16 items. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers FAE thought: A customer comes up behind the man just as he is placing items on the belt and thinks, “How dare he have so many extra items. This is an express lane. He can wait in the long lines like everyone else. He thinks he is so special and doesn’t have to follow the rules.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Reality: No one was behind him when he was approaching the lane. The man asked the checker if it was all right to come through with a few extra items. The response from the checker was, “Sure, come on.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Using Attitudes as Ways to “Justify” Injustice Just-world bias a tendency to believe that life is fair, e.g., it would seem horrible to think that you can be a really good person and bad things could happen to you anyway Just-world bias leads to “blaming the victim” we explain others’ misfortunes as being their fault, e.g., she deserved to be raped, what was she doing in that neighborhood anyway? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Blaming the Victim Fifteen-year-old Shawn Hornbeck is shown at a press conference, shortly after being reunited with his family. Four years earlier, Shawn had been kidnapped and held captive. When the FBI suspected Shawn’s kidnapper in the abduction of another boy, both boys were rescued. As details of Shawn’s captivity became public, many people asked why Shawn hadn’t tried to escape or call the police while his kidnapper was at work. As it turned out, the kidnapper had abused and terrorized Shawn for months. At one point, he tried to strangle Shawn. When Shawn pleaded for his life, the kidnapper made the boy promise that he would never try to escape. “There wasn’t a day when I didn’t think that he’d just kill me, ”Shawn later recalled. Why do people often “blame the victim” after crimes, accidents, or other tragedies? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers When You Can’t Blame the Victim “Blaming the victim” is one way that people reestablish their belief that the world is just. But what about situations where it is impossible to justify the victim’s fate, as in the case of people who died in the terrorist attacks against the United States in September 2001? Psychologist Cheryl Kaiser and her colleagues (2004) found that when people feel sympathy for the victim, they tend to use a different strategy to restore balance to the world: they advocate revenge against those who perpetrated the injustice. As Kaiser explains, “Punishing the people who perpetrated the injustice is a form of retributive justice: Although bad things happened to good people, if the bad people are punished, they will get what they deserve, which will restore justice.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Actor observer discrepancy When it comes to explaining our behavior (actor), we use external or situational factors, but in the same situation, we attribute other’s behavior to internal factors. It could be that we have more information to make an explanation. We are less susceptible to this with people we know well. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Explaining Misfortune: The Self-Serving Bias Given the self-serving bias, is this bicyclist likely to explain his accident by listing internal factors such as his own carelessness or recklessness? Or is he more likely to blame external factors, such as swerving to miss a spectator or catching his tire in a rut? Just so you know, the fallen rider Wearing orange is American Lance Armstrong, who crashed after his handlebars snagged on a plastic bag held by a spectator, Armstrong went on to win the Tour de France. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Attitudes What is an attitude? predisposition to evaluate some people, groups, or issues in a particular way can be negative or positive Has three components Cognitive—thoughts about given topic or situation Affective—feelings or emotions about topic Behavioral—your actions regarding the topic or situation Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Figure 12.1 The Components of Attitudes An attitude is a positive or negative evaluation of an object, person, or idea. An attitude may have cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Attitudes and Behavior These Greenpeace activists have set up a symbolic wind turbine in front of the Castle Peak coal power station in Hong Kong. They are demonstrating their commitment to renewable energy and their opposition to coal plants in Asia that contribute to global warming. People who hold strong opinions and express them frequently, like these Greenpeace activists, are most likely to behave in accordance with their attitudes. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Cognitive Dissonance Unpleasant state of psychological tension or arousal that occurs when two thoughts or perceptions are inconsistent Attitudes and behaviors are in conflict it is uncomfortable for us we seek ways to decrease discomfort caused by the inconsistency Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Fried Grasshoppers: Tasty or Disgusting? Most Americans do not rate fried grasshoppers as one of their favorite foods. Suppose you agreed to eat a handful of grasshoppers after being asked to do so by a rude, unfriendly research assistant. Do you think your attitude toward fried grasshoppers would improve more than a person who ate grasshoppers after being asked to do so by a friendly, polite experimenter? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Figure 12.2 How Cognitive Dissonance Leads to Attitude Change When your behavior conflicts with your attitudes, an uncomfortable state of tension is produced. However, if you can rationalize or explain your behavior, the conflict (and the tension) is eliminated or avoided. If you can’t ex-plain your behavior, you may change your attitude so that it is in harmony with your behavior. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Dissonance-Reducing Mechanisms Avoiding dissonant information – we attend to information in support of our existing views, rather than information that doesn’t support them Firming up an attitude to be consistent with an action – once we’ve made a choice to do something, lingering doubts about our actions would cause dissonance, so we are motivated to set them aside Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Prejudice A negative attitude toward people who belong to a specific social group Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Stereotypes What is a stereotype? A cluster of characteristics associated with all members of a specific group of people a belief held by members of one group about members of another group Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Philip G. Zimbardo Phil Zimbardo (b.1933) grew up in an immigrant family in a poor neighborhood in the South Bronx, an experience that sensitized him to the power of situational influences and the destructive nature of stereotypes and prejudice (Zimbardo, 2005, 2007). Much of Zimbardo’s research has been focused on investigating what he has called “the subtle but pervasive power of situations to influence human behavior.” Zimbardo’s research has ranged from attitude change to shyness, prison reform, and the psychology of evil. As Zimbardo (2000b) observes, "The joy of being a psychologist is that almost everything in life is psychology, or should be, or could be. One can’t live mindfully without being enmeshed in the psychological processes that are around us.” Later in the chapter, we’ll encounter the experiment for which Zimbardo is most famous—the Stanford Prison Experiment. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Combating Prejudice and Stereotyping The attacks on the United States by members of a radical Islamic terrorist group in September 2001 brought an increased awareness of religious differences among ethnic groups. But along with outbreaks of anger against members of certain religious groups, there were also many attempts to reach across racial, ethnic, and religious divisions to find a new sense of national unity. Here, clergy of different faiths join hands and sing during an interfaith prayer service in Detroit, Michigan, one of hundreds that took place in cities across the country in the days and weeks following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The Power of Stereo-types American movies have made the image of the cowboy almost universally recognizable. What kinds of qualities are associated with the stereotype of the cowboy? How might that stereotype be an inaccurate portrayal of a person working on a cattle ranch today? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Categories In-group—the social group to which we belong In-group bias—tendency to make favorable attributions for members of our in-group Ethnocentrism is one type of in-group bias Out-group—the social group to which you do not belong Out group homogeneity effect—tendency to see members of the out-group as more similar to each other Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers ON SEQUITUR © 2003 Wiley Miller. Dist. by UNIVERSAL PRESSSYNDICATE. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Identity and Cooperation Social identity theory states that when you’re assigned to a group, you automatically think of that group as an in-group for you Sherif’s Robbers Cave study 11–12 year old boys at camp boys were divided into 2 groups and kept separate from one another each group took on characteristics of distinct social group, with leaders, rules, norms of behavior, and names Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Robbers Cave (Sherif) Leaders proposed series of competitive interactions which led to 3 changes between groups and within groups within-group solidarity negative stereotyping of other group hostile between-group interactions Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Creating Conflict Between Groups Psychologist Muzafer Sherif and his co-leagues demonstrated how easily hostility and distrust could be created between two groups. Competitive situations, like this tug-of-war, increased tension between the Rattlers and the Eagles. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Robbers Cave Overcoming the strong we/they effect establishment of superordinate goals e.g., breakdown in camp water supply overcoming intergroup strife research stereotypes are diluted when people share individuating information Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Overcoming Group Conflict To decrease hostility between the Rattlers and the Eagles at Robbers Cave, the Researchers created situations that required the joint efforts Of both groups to achieve a common goal, such as fixing the water supply. These cooperative tasks helped the Boys recognize their common interests and become friends. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Influence • How behavior is influenced by the social environment and the presence of other people Conformity Obedience Helping Behaviors Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Conformity Adopting attitudes or behaviors of others because of pressure to do so; the pressure can be real or imagined 2 general reasons for conformity Informational social influence—other people can provide useful and crucial information Normative social influence—desire to be accepted as part of a group leads to that group having an influence Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Asch’s Experiments on Conformity Previous research had shown people will conform to others’ judgments more often when the evidence is ambiguous Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Life in society requires consensus as An indispensable condition. But consensus, to be productive, requires that each individual contribute independently out of his experience and insight. When consensus comes under the dominance of conformity, he social process is polluted and the individual at the same time surrenders the powers on which his functioning as a feeling and thinking being depends.” —SOLOMON ASCH (1955) Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Figure 12.3 Sample Line Judgment Task Used in the Asch Conformity Studies In Asch’s classic studies on conformity, subjects were asked to pick the comparison line that matched the standard line. Source: Asch (1957). Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Asch’s Experiments on Conformity All but 1 in group was confederate Seating was rigged Asked to rate which line matched a “standard” line Confederates were instructed to pick the wrong line 12/18 times 1 Standard lines Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers 2 3 Comparison lines Asch’s Experiments on Conformity Results Asch found that 75% participants conformed to at least one wrong choice subjects gave wrong answer (conformed) on 37% of the critical trials Why did they conform to clearly wrong choices? informational influence? subjects reported having doubted their own perceptual abilities which led to their conformance – didn’t report seeing the lines the way the confederates had Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Effects of a Nonconformist If everyone agrees, you are less likely to disagree If one person disagrees, even if they give the wrong answer, you are more likely to express your nonconforming view Asch tested this hypothesis one confederate gave different answer from others conformity dropped significantly Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Adolescents and Conformity Conformity to group norms peaks in early adolescence, as the similar Hairstyles and clothing of these friends show. Think back to your own adolescence. Do you remember how important it was to you to fit in with other adolescents, especially those in your peer group? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Obedience Obedience compliance of person is due to perceived authority of asker request is perceived as a command Milgram interested in unquestioning obedience to Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933–1984) Milgram is best known for his obedience studies, but his creative research skills went far beyond the topic of obedience. To study the power of social norms, for example, Milgram sent his students out into New York City to intrude into waiting lines or ask subway passengers to give up their seats. Milgram often capitalized on the “texture of every day life” to “examine the way in which the social world impinges on individual action and experience” (Milgram, 1974a). Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The “Electric Chair” With the help of the real subject, who had been assigned to the role of “teacher,” the experimenter straps the “learner” into the electric chair. Unbeknownst to the real subject, the learner was actually a 47-year-old accountant who had been carefully rehearsed for his part in the experimental deception. The experimenter told both subjects, “Although the shocks can be extremely painful, they cause no permanent tissue damage.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Milgram’s “Shock Generator” Machine A young Stanley Milgram sits next to his “shock generator.” Milgram went to great lengths to make the shock generator look as authentic as possible. The front panel of the bogus shock generator had been engraved by professional industrial engravers. Whenever the teacher pressed a shock switch, the red light above the switch went on, a buzzing and clicking sound was heard, and the needle on the voltage meter swung to the right. Very convincing details. Do you think you would have been fooled into believing that this was a real shock generator? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The After effects of Milgram’s Study: Were Subjects Harmed? Milgram’s findings were disturbing. But some psychologists found his methods equally upsetting. For example, in one experimental variation, participants were ordered to physically hold the learner’s hand on a “shock plate.” Thirty percent obeyed. To psychologist Diana Baumrind (1964), it was unethical for Milgram to subject his participants to that level of emotional stress, humiliation, and loss of dignity. But Milgram (1964) countered that he had not set out to create stress in his subjects. It was his unanticipated results, not his methods, that disturbed people. Who would object to his experiment, he asked, “if everyone had broken off at ‘slight shock’ or at the first sign of the learner’s discomfort? ”Concerns were also expressed that participants would experience serious after effects from the experiment. However, in a follow up questionnaire, 84% of participants in Milgram’s experiment Indicated that they were “glad to have taken part In the experiment,” and only about 1 percent regretted participating (Milgram, 1974b). Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Figure 12.4 Factors That Decrease Destructive Obedience By systematically varying his basic experimental design, Milgram identified several factors that diminish the likelihood of destructive obedience. In this graph, you can see the percentage of subjects who administered the maximum shock in different experimental variations. For example, when Milgram’s subjects observed what they thought were two other subjects disobeying the experimenter, the real subjects followed their lead 90 per-cent of the time and refused to continue. Source: Adapted from data reported in Milgram (1974a). Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Would you have obeyed? “I was instructed by persons in higher rank to ‘stand there, hold this leash, look at the camera,’” Lynndie England (2005) said. Among those calling the shots was her then lover, Corporal Charles Graner, the alleged ring leader who was sentenced to ten years in prison for his attacks on Iraqi detainees. Graner, England, and one other reservist were convicted of mistreatment and given prison sentences, while the other six Reservists made plea deals. No officers were court-martialed or charged with any criminal offense, although some were fined, demoted, or relieved of their command. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Accepting Responsibility At her trial, Lynndie England, the file clerk from a small town in West Virginia, apologized for her actions. In an interview after her conviction, England (2005) Said that she was still “haunted” by memories of events in the prison. She would always feel guilty, she said, “for doing the wrong thing, posing in pictures when I shouldn’t have, degrading [the prisoners] and humiliating them—and not saying anything to anybody else to stop it.” Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Destructive Obedience and Prejudice Blind obedience to authority combined with ethnic prejudice in Germany during World War II led to the slaughter of millions of Jews in concentration camps. When questioned after the war, Nazi officials and soldiers claimed that they were “just following orders.” Over the half-century since the end of World War II, genocide and politically inspired mass killings occurred in Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Destructive Obedience and Prejudice Today, in the Sudanese Darfur, more than 300,000 people have been killed and thousands more driven from their homes by armed militia groups. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Explanations for Milgram’s Results Abnormal numerous replications with variety of groups shows no support People group of subjects? in general are sadistic? videotapes of Milgram’s subjects show extreme distress Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Explanations for Milgram’s Results Authority of Yale and value of science Experimenter self-assurance and acceptance of responsibility Proximity of learner and experimenter New situation and no model of how to behave Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Follow-Up Studies to Milgram Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Why Don’t People Always Help Others in Need? Diffusion of responsibility presence of others leads to decreased help response we all think someone else will help, so we don’t Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Why Don’t People Always Help Others in Need? Latane studies several scenarios designed to measure the help response found that if you think you’re the only one that can hear or help, you are more likely to do so if there are others around, you will diffuse the responsibility to others Kitty Genovese incident Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The Murder Scene At the end of the sidewalk you can see the railroad station where Genovese parked her car. Along the sidewalk are entrances to shops as well as stairways leading to apartments above the shops. After Genovese staggered to the entrance of her apartment, her attacker returned and stabbed her to death. Later investigations suggested that there may have been fewer than 38 witnesses’ stories, and that some of those witnesses could not have seen the attacks from their windows (Manning & others, 2007, 2008). Nevertheless, the essential story is true: Many people heard Genovese’s screams, yet no one stepped forward to help (Brock, 2008). Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Prosocial Behavior in Action Everyday life is filled with countless acts of prosocial behavior. Many people volunteer their time and energy to help others. In Modesto, California, Doug Lilly volunteers for “Meals on Wheels.” Along with delivering meals to about 65 elderly residents each week, Lilly also checks to make sure that they are safe and healthy. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Coming to the Aid of a Stranger Everyday life is filled with examples of people who come to the aid of a stranger in distress, like this sign posted at the corner of Toronto’s Queen and Palmerston streets. Without knowing any details beyond those written on the sign, can you identify factors that might have contributed to the helping behavior of the bystanders in this situation? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers The Bystander Effect The couple on the left is obviously trying to ignore the heated argument between the man and Woman on the right—even though the man is physically threatening the woman. What factors in this situation make it less likely that bystanders will intervene and try to help a stranger? Do you think that you would intervene? Why or why not? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Individual and Groups Social Loafing—tendency to expend less effort on a task when it is a group effort Reduced when Group is composed of people we know We are members of a highly valued group Task is meaningful Not as common in collectivist cultures Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Loafing These teenagers, hard at work at a Habitat for Humanity building project in Austin, Texas, demonstrate that social loafing does not always take place. When people know the other members of their group, social loafing is less likely to occur. What other factors make social loafing less likely? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Facilitation As the crowd watches and applauds their performance, these professional runners are likely to turn in some of their best running times. When does the presence of other people facilitate the performance of a task? When does it work against us? Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Deindividuation: Anonymity and Reduced Self-Awareness The hood and mask of the Ku Klux Klan Uniform heighten the sense of anonymity felt by Klan members. So does the darkness of night at this cross-burning. Such factors add to the likelihood that People will commit antisocial acts that they would not commit if their identities were known. Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Sales Techniques and Cognitive Dissonance Foot-in-the-door technique ask for something small at first, then hit customer with larger request later small request has paved the way to compliance with the larger request cognitive dissonance results if person has already granted a request for one thing, then refuses to give the larger item Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers Social Pressure in Group Decisions Group polarization majority position stronger after a group discussion in which a minority is arguing against the majority point of view Why does this occur? Before group discussion Group 1 Against Group 2 For Strength of opinion (a) After group discussion informational and normative influences Group 1 Against Group 2 For Strength of opinion (b) Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers FOXTROT © 1999 Bill Amend. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All rights reserved Copyright © 2010 by Worth Publishers