Chapter 11: Social Psychology
Social Psychology - looks at how our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are affected
by other people (direct or indirectly)
Social Beliefs
Attributions - explanations we make for behaviors: 2 types
Personality Dispositional vs. Situational causes
Ex. getting cut off while driving vs. when you cut someone off
- Usually we attribute other people's behavior to the person but justify your
own to the situation
- Believing that lying is wrong and being forced to lie
- Liking a friend, while knowing that he hates your brother
Cognitive dissonance:
Discomfort felt when we hold 2 beliefs that are psychologically inconsistent. It is
when our belief is inconsistent with our behavior
Ex. - you know it is unhealthy to eat fried oreos (other habit/food) but still do it…
explain?
❏ You are only hurting yourself, it is your only bad habit, lots of older
adults eat fried food but health is ok. Some may decide to give it up
,Dissonance is unpleasant = motives a person to change thinking, attitude, or
behavior
❖ 1950s Leon Festinger studied CD:
➢ UFO cult believed earth was going to be destroyed by flood
➢ Interested in very devoted members reaction (they give up their
homes/jobs to work for church) - what would they do when no
flood….?
■ 2 members recognize they were fooled
■ Committed members reaction? -
● Re-interpret the evidence to show that they were right
all along: The earth was not destroyed because of
members devotion
● “We spread so much light God spared the world”
● Most become more devoted after failed prophecy!
Social Influence and Groups
Conformity - tendency to change attitude/behavior so that they go along with
people we are with or the social norm in general
Why conform?
- 2 types of social influence:
1. Normative - to gain approval by group/fit in
, - Ex. asking a friend “what are you wearing?” “how much money are you
bringing”
- Asking = desire for approval
2. Informational - we want to be right
- We think people have more information than us so we go along to be
right
- This is why students wait to hand in test!
- You don’t want to be 1st because you worry, “why isn’t anyone
else done yet… did I miss something”
*not for approval*
❖ Solon Asch (1955) - conducted line match test
➢ Used “confederates” to answer incorrectly
➢ Result: people will confirm even when not pressured to do
so
➢ 75% of subjects went along with the group even though they
knew which line was correct
➢ Informational : they thought others had more information
than them
➢ Normative - approval:
■ When they had just one more person disagree, 75% went
down to about 55% (you have an ally, feel reassured)
Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) - Philip Zimbardo (bb pg.384)
- 24 well-adjusted college students participated
- Assigned to role of Prisoner or Guard
- Mock arrests, brought to Psych. Dept. basement “Prison”
Social Psychology - looks at how our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are affected
by other people (direct or indirectly)
Social Beliefs
Attributions - explanations we make for behaviors: 2 types
Personality Dispositional vs. Situational causes
Ex. getting cut off while driving vs. when you cut someone off
- Usually we attribute other people's behavior to the person but justify your
own to the situation
- Believing that lying is wrong and being forced to lie
- Liking a friend, while knowing that he hates your brother
Cognitive dissonance:
Discomfort felt when we hold 2 beliefs that are psychologically inconsistent. It is
when our belief is inconsistent with our behavior
Ex. - you know it is unhealthy to eat fried oreos (other habit/food) but still do it…
explain?
❏ You are only hurting yourself, it is your only bad habit, lots of older
adults eat fried food but health is ok. Some may decide to give it up
,Dissonance is unpleasant = motives a person to change thinking, attitude, or
behavior
❖ 1950s Leon Festinger studied CD:
➢ UFO cult believed earth was going to be destroyed by flood
➢ Interested in very devoted members reaction (they give up their
homes/jobs to work for church) - what would they do when no
flood….?
■ 2 members recognize they were fooled
■ Committed members reaction? -
● Re-interpret the evidence to show that they were right
all along: The earth was not destroyed because of
members devotion
● “We spread so much light God spared the world”
● Most become more devoted after failed prophecy!
Social Influence and Groups
Conformity - tendency to change attitude/behavior so that they go along with
people we are with or the social norm in general
Why conform?
- 2 types of social influence:
1. Normative - to gain approval by group/fit in
, - Ex. asking a friend “what are you wearing?” “how much money are you
bringing”
- Asking = desire for approval
2. Informational - we want to be right
- We think people have more information than us so we go along to be
right
- This is why students wait to hand in test!
- You don’t want to be 1st because you worry, “why isn’t anyone
else done yet… did I miss something”
*not for approval*
❖ Solon Asch (1955) - conducted line match test
➢ Used “confederates” to answer incorrectly
➢ Result: people will confirm even when not pressured to do
so
➢ 75% of subjects went along with the group even though they
knew which line was correct
➢ Informational : they thought others had more information
than them
➢ Normative - approval:
■ When they had just one more person disagree, 75% went
down to about 55% (you have an ally, feel reassured)
Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) - Philip Zimbardo (bb pg.384)
- 24 well-adjusted college students participated
- Assigned to role of Prisoner or Guard
- Mock arrests, brought to Psych. Dept. basement “Prison”
