Psychology Chapter 13: Social Psychology

Social Psychology Overview

• Social psychologists investigate thoughts, influences, and relationships among people using scientific methods.
• Behavior varies across situations; the same person may act differently depending on contextual factors.

Attribution Theory

• Explains behavior through two lenses: the situation or personal disposition.
• People often misjudge causes for others' actions, attributing them to stable traits rather than situational factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

• Tendency to underestimate situational impacts and overestimate personal traits when analyzing others' behavior.

Attitudes and Actions Interaction

• Attitudes are feelings shaped by beliefs, influencing responses to objects, people, and events.
• Different persuasion methods:
  • Peripheral route persuasion relies on incidental cues (e.g., celebrity endorsements) for quick attitude changes.
  • Central route persuasion involves thoughtful consideration of evidence and arguments.
• Stable, specific, and easily recalled attitudes can influence actions, and actions can influence attitudes.
• Cognitive dissonance arises from conflicting thoughts; people may change attitudes to alleviate discomfort.

Key Terms Related to Attitude

• Attitude: Feeling that predisposes certain responses.
• Peripheral Route Persuasion: Influence through incidental cues.
• Central Route Persuasion: Influence through careful consideration of arguments.
• Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon: People agree to a larger request after initially agreeing to a smaller one.

Social Roles and Expectations

• Role: Set expectations defining behavior in a social position.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Aims to lessen discomfort when thoughts conflict, often leading to attitude adjustments.
• Examples: Reconciling feelings after breakups or taking an undesired job.

Conformity and Social Influence

• Conformity: Adjusting behavior/mindset to group standards.
• Automatic mimicry reflects unconscious imitation of others (the chameleon effect).
• Factors increasing likelihood of conformity include:
  • Feelings of incompetence or insecurity.
  • Group sizes of at least three.
  • Consensus among group members.
  • Admiration for the group's status.
  • Lack of prior commitments to another response.
  • Awareness of being observed.
  • Cultural norms emphasizing social conformity.

Types of Social Influence

• Normative Social Influence: Desire for approval shapes behavior; avoiding disapproval is a key motivator.
• Informational Social Influence: Acceptance of others’ opinions as valid information enhances conformity.

Milgram's Obedience Experiments

• Demonstrated the significant impact of social influence on behavior, particularly in authority contexts.