Unit 9 – Social Psychology

Social Psych
Social psychology is the study of how people’s feelings, thoughts and behavior are affected by social
conditioning, social situations and society-at-large. It studies the formation of personal beliefs,
attitudes, prejudices, stereotypes and biases and the influence that society has in that formation.
• Social psychologists look at the social conditions that cause people to feel or act a certain way.
• Focus more upon the interactions individuals have with smaller groups of people
• Heavy reliance upon empirical findings and laboratory experiments
• Theories tend to be focused and specific rather than general or universal
• Social psychology is NOT sociology!
o Social psychology - considers how individuals interact with each other and society at large
o Sociology – explores the behavior of groups and cultures as they interact internally and
externally
 Attributions – the action of regarding
something being caused by a person/thing
Attribution Theory (Fritz Heider) – finding cause of behavior in either:
o The person’s personality (Dispositional Attribution)
o The situation (Situational Attribution)
Ex: Observing someone driving badly.

Fundamental Attribution Error – the tendency to underestimate the role that a situation plays in a person’s
behavior (and blame it more on who they are as a person). Also known as correspondence bias or over-
attribution effect.
Actor-Observer Bias - refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their own behavior to external
situational factors, while attributing the behavior of others to internal dispositional factors
 Attributions – the action of regarding
something being caused by a person/thing
BIAS DEFINITION CHARACTERISTICS CAUSES

Self-Effacing a cognitive bias in which Modesty Cultural factors

individuals tend to display Downplaying accomplishments Fear of rejection or criticism
modesty and downplay their Externalizing success Imposter syndrome
own talents. They attribute their
successes to external factors,
such as luck or help from others.

Self-Serving tendency of individuals to Lack of modesty Motivational and psychological

attribute positive outcomes to High self-esteem processes
their own abilities or efforts, Self-evaluation Positive self-image
while attributing negative Need for self-preservation
outcomes to external factors
beyond their control

Self-fulfilling prophecy belief or expectation that Strong belief Individual’s own expectations or
influences an individual’s Unknowingly acts in ways that predictions
behavior and actions in such a lead to the fulfillment of those Leading their behavior to align
way that it ultimately comes true very beliefs with those expectations
Attitude – feelings, influenced by our
beliefs, that predispose our reactions
• Persuasion
o Peripheral Route – using attention getting cues to trigger emotion based reactions
o Direct/Central Route – using the evidence to sway a person

• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon – Once someone agrees to something small,

they are more likely to agree to bigger requests
• Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon – Someone is more likely to agree to a smaller
request after refusing a larger request
• Cognitive Dissonance (Leon Festinger) – the discomfort felt when a person
holds 2 or more beliefs that are in conflict with each other
o People typically change attitudes to align with actions
Norms – Rules for expected social
behavior
• Norms are achieved through:
o Conformity – changing your behavior/thinking to align with the group
o Obedience
• Social Contagion (The Chameleon Effect) – the behavioral and emotional
mimicry of what we see around us
• Normative Social Influence – derived from a person’s desire to gain approval or
avoid judgement
o Social Conformity Study (Solomon Asch)
• Informational Social Influence – willingness to accept others’ opinions on reality
Group Behavior – how does the presence of
others influence an individual’s behavior?
• Social Facilitation – the tendency to have an amplified response in the presence
of others (better on easy/mastered task, worse on hard/new task)
• Social Loafing – tendency to exert less effort in a group task
• Deindividuation – loss of self-awareness and self-control when in group
situations when anonymity is possible and arousal is high
Group Behavior – how does our group
influence us?
• Group Polarization – beliefs grow stronger when you are discussing with like
minded individuals
o Can be dangerous depending on the pre-existing beliefs
o How does Social Media and the internet exacerbate this phenomenon?

• Groupthink – the desire for a conflict-free decision process overrides the

thoughtful evaluation of other options
• False Consensus Effect – refers to the cognitive bias in which individuals tend to
overestimate the extent to which their beliefs, opinions, preferences, and
actions are common or typical among the general population.
Group Behavior:
Prejudice – unjustifiable attitude towards a group
• Prejudice typically involves:
o Stereotyped beliefs – generalized beliefs about a group of people
o Negative feelings
o Likelihood to engage in discriminatory actions – to engage in negative unjustifiable ways
towards a group
• Microaggressions are more subtle but the same affect
• Ethnocentrism is a type of prejudice
• Stereotype Threat – when performance is influenced negatively based on the
implicit belief that an individual will be judged as lesser
• Limits growth, hampers learning and impairs decision making
Group Behavior:
Social Inequalities and Divisions
• Just World Phenomenon – the belief that good people are rewarded and bad
people pay consequences
o “You get what you deserve”
o Feeds into the Victim Blaming mentality
o Can encourage prosocial behaviors (i.e. “karma”)
• Ingroup – “us”; those whom we share a similar identity
• Outgroup – “them”; those who we perceive as different
• Ingroup Bias – the tendency to favor our own group
• Other-race Effect – the tendency to recall the faces of our own race with greater
ease and accuracy (also, Own-age bias)
Group Behavior:
NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
• Scapegoat Theory
o We cope with our anger by using prejudice as an outlet and finding someone in an “Out
group” to blame
o Seen most frequently in:
• Economically challenged groups
• Times of frustration and marginalized self-esteem
o Schadenfreude – finding joy in another person’s failure
Aggression – any behavior intended to harm
someone physically or emotionally
• Types – Instrumental (to achieve a goal) and Hostile (emotions)
• Influences on Aggression – (it is partly an instinct)
o Genetics
• Low MAOA gene and high testosterone both increase aggressive behavior
o Neural
• Diminished activity in the frontal lobe (less impulse control)
• Overactive amygdala response
o Biochemical
• Testosterone increases aggression (can be artificially modified)
• Alcohol disinhibits aggression (does not cause it)
Aggression – any behavior intended to harm
someone physically or emotionally
• Types – Instrumental (to achieve a goal) and Hostile (emotions)
• Influences on Aggression – (it is partly an instinct)
o Genetics
• Low MAOA gene and high testosterone both increase aggressive behavior
o Neural
• Diminished activity in the frontal lobe (less impulse control)
• Overactive amygdala response
o Biochemical
• Testosterone increases aggression (can be artificially modified)
• Alcohol disinhibits aggression (does not cause it)
Aggression and PsychoSocial Factors
• Frustration-Aggression Principle:
frustration anger aggression
• Social Script : a socially modeled
expectation of how to behave
ATTREACTION – what influences sexual
attraction?
• Proximity
o Mere Exposure Effect – the tendency to prefer stimuli you are repeatedly exposed to
o …..you are more likely to be attracted to someone who you more continually spend time
with
• Physical Attractiveness
o Symmetry in features is universal
o All other qualities vary by culture
o Can be influenced by evaluation of the person’s character
• Similarity
o More attracted to people who share key values
o More attracted to people who share physical characteristics of self/family
ATTREACTION – what influences sexual
attraction?
• Proximity
o Mere Exposure Effect – the tendency to prefer stimuli you are repeatedly exposed to
o …..you are more likely to be attracted to someone who you more continually spend time
with
• Physical Attractiveness
o Symmetry in features is universal
o All other qualities vary by culture
o Can be influenced by evaluation of the person’s character
• Similarity
o More attracted to people who share key values
o More attracted to people who share physical characteristics of self/family
Altruism – the unselfish concern for others
• The Bystander Effect – you are less likely to help in the presence of others
o Darley & Latane – one interpret the need for help and assumes responsibility
• Social Exchange Theory – social behavior is a give and take with the intention
to maximize gains and minimize losses
• Norms – understood rules/expectations of behaviors for a society
o Reciprocity Norm – the expectation that someone will help someone who has helped
them in the past
o Social Responsibility Norm – you should help those in need when you can
 Conflict – a real (or perceived) incompatibility
of ideas, goals or ideas
• Social Traps
o Both sides get caught in self-
destructive behavior by not
pursuing a common goal

• Enemy Perceptions
o When in conflict people tend to
create distorted perception of
“enemy”
o Mirror-Image Perceptions – one is
always “good”, the other is always
“bad”
• Fuel hostilities
How to promote peace?
• Cooperation
o Superordinate Goals – “Robbers Cave Experiment”
• Communication
• Contact
o As long as peaceful (proximity grows affection)
• Conciliation
o GRIT – Osgood
• Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction