Social Psychology Chapter 1 PDF

Social Psychology Thomas Heinzen Chapter 1 An Introduction to Social Psychology Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 1  Social Psychology Thomas Heinzen and Wind Goodfriend Chapter 1 An Introducti...

Social Psychology Thomas Heinzen Chapter 1 An Introduction to Social Psychology Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 1  Social Psychology Thomas Heinzen and Wind Goodfriend Chapter 1 An Introduction to Social Psychology Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 2 Social Psychology Survey True or False? pollev.com/lisas444  In God We Trust A new Louisiana Law, HB 8, went into effect on August 1st (2023). The law requires public schools to display "In God We Trust" in every classroom of every building. In God We Trust must be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven by fourteen inches. A previous law (passed in 2018) required the display within the building. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  In God We Trust What types of social psychological issues might be associated with this law? Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  In God We Trust A new Louisiana Law, HB 8, went into effect on August 1st (2023). The law requires public schools to display "In God We Trust" in every classroom of every building. In God We Trust must be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven by fourteen inches. A previous law (passed in 2018) required the display within the building. Note: No penalties as funds must be donated for signs. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Views Pole Video https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1zS7QZroO5/?u tm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=10b8aa32-33d6- 44b9-b116-94dafcc36c2f Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Comments (on Facebook)  Definition of Social Psychology The scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior, feelings, and thought in social situations. The field uses the scientific method to “understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.” Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Definition of Social Psychology (Again) The scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior, feelings, and thought in social situations. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Definition of Social Psychology Scientific: Nature: ▫ Means that social ▫ Refers to how people psychologists conduct think/behave in social experiments. situations. ▫ For instance: Is an individual more likely to help when there is only one potential helper (him/ herself) or many potential helpers? ▫ The how in this case is whether people help as a function of context. Results Social Psychology and Common Sense Pollev Definition of Social Psychology Causes: ▫ Refer to the potential causes of thoughts/behavior. ▫ Why people behaved/thought/felt the way they did. ▫ Five categories of causes. The actions and characteristics of others Cognitive processes Environmental variables Culture context Biological/Physiological factors Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010 Definition of Social Psychology Categories of Causes of Social Behavior Actions and Cognitive processes. characteristics of others. ▫ How we process information ▫ For example, how a person affects our thoughts of and looks affects how we think of responses to others. and respond to him/her ▫ For example, if we conclude ▫ For example, whether a that a person is dishonest person insults or praises us this affects our future affects how we think of and thoughts and behavior respond to him/her toward that person (self- fulfilling prophesy) ▫ Related to how reality is created. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Actions and Characteristics of Other https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/german-man-sets-record-for-most-number-of-body-modifications-including-two- horns-and-453-piercings-3009125.html Actions and Characteristics of Other https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moTOq7k1iYI Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Definition of Social Psychology Categories of Causes of Social Behavior Actions and Cognitive processes. characteristics of others. ▫ How we process information ▫ For example, how a person affects our thoughts of and looks affects how we think of responses to others. and respond to him/her ▫ For example, if we conclude ▫ For example, whether a that a person is dishonest person insults or praises us this affects our future affects how we think of and thoughts and behavior respond to him/her toward that person (self- fulfilling prophesy) ▫ Related to how reality is created. Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Definition of Social Psychology Categories of Causes of Social Behavior Environmental variables. Cultural context ▫ These variables include aspects ▫ Cultural context variables of our physical setting and how include ethnicity, region, and they affect social thought and specific social group norms. behavior. ▫ These variables affect how we ▫ For example, we are not likely to think about and respond to share personal secrets in a loud others. environment (where we would ▫ An example of a cultural have to shout over the noise). variable involves regional ▫ “Emotional” climate. (e.g., northern vs. southern ▫ Pluralistic ignorance. US) differences in thought Definition/example. and behavior. ▫ New Orleans vs. New York Culture Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Cultural Context Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Causal Factors Legislation in the USA Actions and characteristics of others Real versus Assumed characteristics Florida Law (“Don’t Say Gay”) Assumptions regarding what goes on in the classroom What really goes on in the classroom. Cognitive processes And “Echo Chambers”? Legislators and illusory correlations Cognitive processes and cognitive misers  Causal Factors Legislation in the USA Environmental variables Political Climate – (”Reading the Room”) Supreme court as conservative or liberal leaning Roe v Wade – right to privacy Supreme court and considering trimesters Cultural Context Regions of US and Groups in US (e.g., Republican v. Democrat states/areas) Biological Bases of Behavior Evolutionary Psych pollev.com/lisas444 Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Some Questions You are on a boat that overturns. It contains your 5- year-old and 1-year-old children (of the same sex). The boat sinks and you can save only one. Whom do you choose to save? 5-year-old 1-year-old Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Some Questions That same boat (you are slow to learn lessons) contains your 40-year-old and 20-year-old children (both of the same sex). Neither can swim. As the boat sinks, whom do you choose to save? 40-year-old 20-year-old Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Some Questions Would you rather marry (or have you married) someone older or younger than yourself? older younger Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Definition of Social Psychology Categories of Causes of Social Behavior Biological factors ▫ These factors include genetic ▫ A basic assumption of predispositions that affect evolutionary theory is that social thought and behavior. humans are motivated to ▫ Evolutionary psychology is an "promote" their gene pool. example of a sub-field of ▫ Therefore, much of human social psychology that behavior (e.g., males dating examines biological factors. and marrying younger ▫ Social neuroscience: How the females and females dating brain mediates social and marrying older males) is interactions. Neural a function of the desire to processes underlying social produce healthy offspring behavior/cognition. who will be effectively cared for. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Biological Factors Social Neuroscience Paradigm Ostracism and Brain Centers for Physical Pain Image Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4313263 Definition of Social Psychology Individual behavior. Social Situations. ▫ Social psychologists are ▫ While social psychologist are ultimately interested in the ultimately interested in the behavior of the individual. individual, individual ▫ For this reason the field is behavior is studied in the often referred to as context of social situations. “Personality/Social ▫ Note: Social situations Psychology” because include two or more individual differences in individuals. social behavior are often examined. ▫ Note contrast with sociology. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  How Social Psychology Was Born: A Brief History Psychology is about 150 years old Early founders: Wilhelm Wundt (1879) Wundt - Voluntarism Titchener – Structuralism James - Functionalism 1897 – Triplett – Social Facilitation (flushed out in next slides) Early ”Influencers” – J.B. Watson (1913) & Sigmund Freud (1920’s) 44  How Social Psychology Was Born: A Brief History Early Demonstrations Social Facilitation: Triplett (1897) bicyclist's times faster when racing together than when racing alone. Coaction Defined social facilitation as improvements in performance. Allport – Cross out vowels in a newspaper article. Coaction and Performing in front of a passive audience. Defined social facilitation both improvements and decrements in performance. 45  Zajonc: Drive Theory Mere Presence Causes Arousal Arousal Leads to Emission of Dominant Response (well learned/automatic response) Dominant Response may be correct or incorrect for situation (appropriate or inappropriate for the situation) Improvements or decrements in performance function of whether dominant response “correct” for the situation Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Other Theories of Social Facilitation Evaluation Apprehension Theory Distraction Conflict Theory (social facilitation pdf on Brightspace). Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Social Facilitation Summary Social Facilitation Theories: Something Causes Arousal Arousal Leads to Emission of Dominant Response Dominant Response may be correct or incorrect for a given situation Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Example Exam Question Lorelei is typing her term paper in a computer lab. Other students are also typing in the lab. Lorelei is not a skilled typist and is making typing errors. The task at hand is best described as one which involves ___. Lorelei is emitting her _____ response. a. a passive audience; dominant b. coaction; dominant c. a passive audience; non-dominant d. coaction; non-dominant Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 How has Social Psychology Evolved Over Time? Early research in social psychology was heavily influenced by three major factors: Behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, and historical events. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010  pollev.com/lisas444 Behaviorism Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Behaviorism Behaviorism described people’s behavior as determined in a very straightforward way. Behavior that was followed with a reward would continue. Behavior that was followed by punishment would not. However, behaviorism ignores the role of people’s thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, and thereby is too simplistic to explain other behaviors. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010 Classical Conditioning Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Operant Conditioning Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Behaviorism Behaviorism: Learning attitudes. Behaviorism: Learning aggressive responses. Behaviorism: Learning cultural norms. Behaviorism: Conformity. Behaviorism: Prosocial Behavior. Initial Learning and Persistence of Attitudes/Behaviors  Kurt Lewin: Social Psychology’s Pioneer Born in Poland Gestalt Psychologist Fled to the U.S. before WWII Studied leadership styles Authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire). Lewinian Equation: B = f(P, E) Behavior a function of personality(P) and the environment (E). Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 56  Gestalt Psychology Social psychological researchers who developed concept of Authoritarianism trained in Gestalt. Authoritarianism - California F-Scale https://www.anesi.com/fscale.htm Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Authoritarianism Research began by individuals living in Nazi Germany Refers to an individual difference (personality characteristics) related to the desire to find and submit to a leader. ▫ Those high in authoritarianism wish to find and submit to a leader. Individuals can be low, moderate, or high in authoritarianism. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010  Distributions Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Authoritarianism Note: Depth of development of Authoritarianism Surveys Clinical Interviews Observations Combination Qualitative and Quantitative Data This level of detail not often seen today with respect to the trait approach. Example trait approach – The “Big Five” (OCEAN) Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Original Dimensions Authoritarianism Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) is a psychological personality variable or "ideological attitude". It is defined as the convergence of three attitudinal clusters in an individual: Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010 Authoritarianism Authoritarian submission — a high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives. "It is good to have a strong authoritarian leader." Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010 Authoritarianism Authoritarian aggression — a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, that is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities. "It is acceptable to be cruel to those who do not follow the rules." Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010 Authoritarianism Conventionalism — a high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities. "Traditional ways are best." Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010  Left Wing Authoritarianism Conceptualizations Anti-hierarchical aggression. People who score high on this dimension agree with statements such as “The rich should be stripped of their belongings and status” and “We need to replace the established order by any means necessary.” Top-down censorship. People who score high on this dimension agree with statements such as “I should have the right not to be exposed to offensive views” and “Getting rid of inequality is more important than protecting the so-called ‘right’ to free speech.” Anti-conventionalism. People who score high on this dimension agree with statements such as “All political conservatives are fools” and “The ‘old-fashioned ways’ and ‘old-fashioned values’ need to be abolished.” Costello, T. H., Bowes, S., Stevens, S. T., Waldman, I., Tasimi, A., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2020, May 11). Clarifying the Structure and Nature of Left-Wing Authoritarianism. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000341 Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Items from Costello et al. (2020) Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Left Wing Authoritarianism Conceptualizations – Conway et al. (2022) Our country desperately needs a mighty and liberal leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical traditional ways of doing things that are running us. What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush the evil of pushy Christian religious people, and take us forward to our true path. Our country will be great if we honor the ways of progressive thinking, do what the best liberal authorities tell us to do, and get rid of the religious and conservative “rotten apples” who are ruining everything. The country would work a lot better if certain groups of Christian troublemakers would just shut up and accept their group’s proper place in society. Conway, L. G., III, Zubrod, A., & Leslie, J. D. (2022, April 28). Constructing a Four-Item Left-Wing Authoritarianism Scale. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/x7gp9  Both Right and Left Wing Authoritarians as “Extremists” Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 Historical Events continued Much of the early work in social psychology focused on explaining evil behavior, including aggression, stereotyping and prejudice, and obedience to authority. Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Historical Events Effects of the Nazis/WWI & WWII Authoritarianism Development of Norms (Sherif) Obedience to Authority (Milgram) Deindividuation and the “Lucifer Effect” (Zimbardo) Realistic Group Conflict and Prejudice (Sherif) Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019  Social Psychology as Ever Evolving Zeitgiests……………….. Social media Digital Devices Working and communicating remotely COVID-19 and changing norms Quiet Quitting And economy Returning to work (face-to-face) In essence: There will always be new topics to explore in Social Psychology due to ever changing norms and Zeitgeists Heinzen, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019 What Are the Big Questions? Review in Text. Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 84  Big Question #1 Which is more influential--Personality or the Environment? How can we consistently predict behavior? Lewinian Equation: B = f(P, E) P = personality traits E = certain social environments Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 85  Big Question #2 Are we shaped by biological factors (nature) or by environmental factors (nurture)? Nature is biological factors Nurture is life circumstances Many psychologists view this as a false dichotomy Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 86  Big Question #3 Are people basically good or basically evil? Beliefs about good or evil influence perceptions and behavior Without laws, how would people act? The Robber Cave study “Evil” as harmful aggression; “good” as helping and altruism Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 87  Big Question #4 How do people decide whether to maintain romantic relationships? An important part of social life People experiment to find a good match Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 88  Big Question #5 What are the benefits and drawbacks of living in groups? People are social animals They regularly connect with others Advantages to group life Risks to group life Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 89  Big Question #6 How much are thoughts and behaviors influenced by culture? Affects our view of the world and other people Some cultures value independence and competition Other cultures value cooperation and self-sacrifice Linked to personality, aggression, stereotypes, and group dynamics Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 90  Big Question #7 Why do stereotypes and prejudices exist and persist? Is it a basic tendency? How can it be reduced? What motivates discrimination? Social psychology and the scientific method offer new ideas Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 91  Big Question #8 How do media outlets shape our thoughts and behaviors? Exposure to hundreds of messages per day Does violent media exposure affect violent behavior? Is Facebook related to happiness and friendship? Media portrayals reinforcing stereotypes Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 92  Big Question #9 Do people think logically or intuitively? Objective evidence versus gut feelings Important research on life decisions Motivated to be correct or other motivations? Persuasion through logical arguments versus emotional appeals Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 93  Big Question #10 Are humans special? Individual differences research Culture differentiates via language and nonverbal behavior Comparative social psychology People are both unique and similar to others Heinzen and Goodfriend, Social Psychology, 1e. © SAGE Publications, 2019. 94