Exam # 2 Study Guide Lectures: 9-12- Self Serving Attributions- Take credit for our successes, avoid taking blame for our fail-ures. - How good of a person am i?- Self serving biases: we fool ourselves into thinking we’re better than we are. - Downward social comparison- Compare ourselves with people worse than us. - Makes accurate self knowledge difficultAttitudes- the extent to which we like or dislike something. - Person, idea, object- What attitudes are NOT- Outlook on life, manner, disposition- Why do we hold the attitudes we hold?- We have attitudes- Attitudes ---> Behavior- Are we rational actors?- Cognitive Dissonance- An unpleasant state caused by holding two or more conflicting cognitions- Attitude?- Behavior? Social Psychology 1nd Edition- How to deal with hypocrisy?- Change behavior?- Rationalize behavior: change attitude to match behaviorHow do we live with our lives?- Noble ways- Stop lying- Less noble ways- Lie only a little- Avoid self awareness- Convince ourselves the ends justify the means- Convince ourselves we didn’t lie. The case of smoking- Dissonant Cognitions- I smoke- Smoking will kill me“Let’s Talk About Sex” (Aronson & Mills, 1959)- Women invited to a group discussion about sex. - “Embarrasment Test” given- Mild initiation group (control)- Had to recite words like petting or fondle- Severe Initiation Group (Experimental)- Had to recite words like F*ck and other explicits.- Also had to recite passages from lurid book. - Everyone passed the test- Listen in on talk about sex first- Found out the talk was about sex in worms. - Who enjoyed the discussion more?- Cognitions- I worked hard to get into this group- This group is boring- Dissonance- Convince yourself the group is enjoyableWho are We?- Attitude guides behavior? (rational actor)- Behavior guides attitude? (Rationalizing actor)- Who do we want to be?- Why do we hold the attitudes that we holdPersuasion- Others attempt to change our attitudesWhat do we find more persuasive?- Random high school student who presents facts?- Harvard professor giving goofy information?- Some students were told if the initiative was passed, it would take af-fect in one year- Other students were told it would take affect in 10 years.- In 10 year condition, professor was more persuasive- In 1 year condition, high school student was more persuasive. - When things don’t affect you, you make mindless decisions. Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)- 2 Routes to Persuasion- Central Route: Attend to arguement quality- Peripheral Route: attend to peripheral cues- factors that are ir-relevant to the central merits of the attitude object- Source expertise- Source attractiveness- Emotion- LabelsWho do we want to be?- The nail that sticks up gets hammered down- The nail that sticks up is a brave nailSocial InfluenceOccasion in which our thoughts, feelings, or actions are affected by others. - 3 Types- Conformity- When people behave in line with group standards- Compliance- When people agree toa request made by another- Obedience- When people follow a direct command from an authoritySubtle Conformity- Have you conformed today?2 Types of Conformity- Public Conformity- Changing behavior based on response to group pressure even when you know the group is wrong. - Private Conformity- Changing your attitude, opinions, or behavior because you think the group is right. - Favorable peripheral cue- Strong argumentWhy is public conformity more obvious?- Because we can feed it- Need to get along- Need for accuracyThe Subtlety of Private Conformity- Moral Relativism- Believing that its ok for people have different moral views. - Groups- Deindividuation- The loosening of normal constraints on behavior when people do not perceive themselves as individuals. - Group membership—————> Deindividuation- Group Membership——> Perceived Unaccountability—> Deindividua-tion- Group Membership —-> Overstimulation—-> Deindividuation- Deindividuation- even when alone- Two multiple choice tests, grade test yourself- Control- 24% cheated- Experiment (Wore sunglasses)- 61% cheated- Does deindividuation lead to indiscriminate violence?- women in the 70s. - Randomly assigned to either wear normal clothes or KKK robes. - Someone is mean to you- Chance to retaliate- KKK robes provided harsher shock- Third Condition- Nurse costume-Less shock- Roles: shared expectations about how particular people are supposed to behave. - Zimbardo Prison Study- Basement of building- Randomly assigned students to either be prisoners or