Psychology Chapter 11
Social psychology’s focus
o Social psychology
Scientific study off how individuals think about their
influence, and related to one another
Personality psychologists
Study personality traits and processes that explain
why different people may act differently in a given
situation
Social psychologists
Study social forces that explain why the same person
may act differently in different situations
Social thinking
o When trying to explain people’s actions, we often face two
choices
Attributing behavior to person’s suitable traits
Attributing behavior to the situation
o Our attributions/explanations affect our feelings and actions
o Our attributions tot someone’s personal traits or to the situation
have real consequences
o The fundamental attribution error
The tendency, when analyzing others’ behavior, to
overestimate the influence of personal traits and
underestimate the influence of the situation
Effected by culture
, Influence by whose behavior being considered and he
power and context of the situation
o While analyzing others’ behavior, the tendency to
Attribute behavior to the individual’s personality ttraits
See behaviors more often in some cultures than in others
Most likely to occur when a stranger acts badly
o Exceptions to usual views of our own actions
Deliberate, admirable actions: attributed to own good
reasons, no situation
Younger selves behavior: attributed to traits with age
o Attitudes and actions
Attitudes involve feelings that predispose the individual to
respond in a particular way too objects, people, and
events
Attitudes affect actions, but other factors may also be
influential
US regions with most often expressed hostile
attitudes toward women have high rates of domestic
violence against women
Publicly espoused behaviors; private practice
o Conditions under which attitudes are most likely to affect
behavior
External influences are minimal
Attitude is stable
Attitude is specific to a behavior
Attituded is easily recalled
o Research finding suggest that attitudes follow behavior
2
, Foot in the door phenomenon
Tendency for people who have first agreed to a small
request to comply later with a larger request
Attitudes follow behavior
o This principle works well for negative an
positive deeds
o Experiments confirm the observation that
moral action strengthens moral conviction
o Role playing affects attitudes
Pulling on scrubs or the first time can feel like playing dress
up
But over time, that role defines the players, as they jump
into the day-to-day work and follow the social cues in the
environment
o Cognitive dissonance theory
Individuals act to reduce dissonance (discomfort) they feel
when two of their cognitions (thoughts) clash
Altering our behavior can influence feelings
People tend to bring their attitudes into line with
their actions to relieve tensions
We can think ourselves into action and also act ourselves
into a way of thinking
o Persuasion
Peripheral route persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by unimportant
cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Central route persuasion
3
Social psychology’s focus
o Social psychology
Scientific study off how individuals think about their
influence, and related to one another
Personality psychologists
Study personality traits and processes that explain
why different people may act differently in a given
situation
Social psychologists
Study social forces that explain why the same person
may act differently in different situations
Social thinking
o When trying to explain people’s actions, we often face two
choices
Attributing behavior to person’s suitable traits
Attributing behavior to the situation
o Our attributions/explanations affect our feelings and actions
o Our attributions tot someone’s personal traits or to the situation
have real consequences
o The fundamental attribution error
The tendency, when analyzing others’ behavior, to
overestimate the influence of personal traits and
underestimate the influence of the situation
Effected by culture
, Influence by whose behavior being considered and he
power and context of the situation
o While analyzing others’ behavior, the tendency to
Attribute behavior to the individual’s personality ttraits
See behaviors more often in some cultures than in others
Most likely to occur when a stranger acts badly
o Exceptions to usual views of our own actions
Deliberate, admirable actions: attributed to own good
reasons, no situation
Younger selves behavior: attributed to traits with age
o Attitudes and actions
Attitudes involve feelings that predispose the individual to
respond in a particular way too objects, people, and
events
Attitudes affect actions, but other factors may also be
influential
US regions with most often expressed hostile
attitudes toward women have high rates of domestic
violence against women
Publicly espoused behaviors; private practice
o Conditions under which attitudes are most likely to affect
behavior
External influences are minimal
Attitude is stable
Attitude is specific to a behavior
Attituded is easily recalled
o Research finding suggest that attitudes follow behavior
2
, Foot in the door phenomenon
Tendency for people who have first agreed to a small
request to comply later with a larger request
Attitudes follow behavior
o This principle works well for negative an
positive deeds
o Experiments confirm the observation that
moral action strengthens moral conviction
o Role playing affects attitudes
Pulling on scrubs or the first time can feel like playing dress
up
But over time, that role defines the players, as they jump
into the day-to-day work and follow the social cues in the
environment
o Cognitive dissonance theory
Individuals act to reduce dissonance (discomfort) they feel
when two of their cognitions (thoughts) clash
Altering our behavior can influence feelings
People tend to bring their attitudes into line with
their actions to relieve tensions
We can think ourselves into action and also act ourselves
into a way of thinking
o Persuasion
Peripheral route persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by unimportant
cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Central route persuasion
3
