Summary of the lectures of week 4 of course "Social Psychology" by professor Scott Plous www.coursera.

org

Lecture 4.1 Group dynamics GD Is a psychological process and behavior that occur within a group or between groups
Scientist: Irving L. Janis (Obama elected him)

Groupthink: When everyone agrees to everything and no one gives new ideas and stupidity is made blindly
Japanese let the lower people speak first, so they don't contradict their bosses Sometimes it is better to work alone to minimize production blocking: when a powerful person tends to block the ideas of the others

Lecture 4.2. How Categorical thinking gives rise to prejudice Author Allport "The nature of prejudice": prejudice lays in our natural need for categorical thinking The labels that we use are only linguistic devices
Example: Prof. Plous bites an apple, and the viewer has to pause the video when they think the apple is part of his body. Different people draws a line at different times Well, we are already made up of the environment A high percentage of our cells aren't even human! The oldest cell we have is 7 to 10 years old in average Day and night, past and present, life and death are just linguistic devices. When is a person trully dead? (here is my suggestion on this fascinating topic: The book "The undead" by Dick Teresi. I wrote a comment on that book here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12271212-theundead) The teacher introduces two courtesy videos: one in race and the other in sexual choices

Lecture 4.3. The minimal group: From dots to discrimination in 60 seconds Ingroup: A group that you are a member of Outgroup: a group you are not a member of Focusing on a group can lead us to
Change how we see the individuals or elements of the group Leads us to se one group as better or worse than another - STEREOTYPING David Wilder's quote: "People often assume similarities within groups and differences between groups to a greater degree and across a broader range of characteristics than is warranted by objective evidence" Marilyn Brewer quote: "Many forms of discrimination and bias may develop not because outgroups are hated, but because positive emotions such as admiration, sympathy, and trust are reserved for the ingroup and withheld from outgroups" However, don't forget that discrimination is not only a consequence of group dynamics or something that is unavoidable. It depends on other factors and things can be done to avoid it

Lecture 4.4 When intergroup biases don't feel like biases (Why do intergroup biases persist?) Reason1: They are attached to slow moving institutions and cultures They don't always feel like biases
Outgroup homogeneity bias Positive stereotypes Example:Women are weaker and need to be protected We can show biases toward other species

Prepared by Ariadna 73

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