Social Psychology: Part 1Five Lessons in Social Psychology“Punishment on Learning”Slide 4ScriptWhat would you do?ResultsImplications: Obedience to AuthorityReplicationsWhat’s going on?Variations (on 65%)Slide 12Why do they Obey?But Kate…Lighten the mood…Slide 1611 categories of responses“There are no rules…”Deviance in the DarkFrequency of behaviors in light & darkSlide 21Slide 22Randomly Assigned!Lightened AgainWater ConservationWHY?Social PsychologySocial Psychology: Part 1Psy 301 Lecture 164/07/04Five Lessons in Social Psychology•Power of situation•Subjective construal•Fallibility of human reason•Presence of others matters•Can systematically study complex social situations“Punishment on Learning”“Punishment on Learning”•1 teacher, 1 learner–Learn word pairs; if wrong, punished •Set-up learner–Chair, electrode on wrist–“condition”•Shock generator–Slight, moderate, strong, very strong, intense, extreme intensity, danger: severe, XXX•Sample- 45V**Something you should know…Script•75 volts: grunt•120 volts: complains loudly; •150: demands to be released from experiment •As voltage increases: protests become more vehement and emotional •285 volts: agonized scream •Soon thereafter: no sound at allWhat would you do?•Pre-test estimates: All would refuse to obey•Most won’t go beyond 150v•Psychiatrists estimated 1/1000 would go all the way–4% would reach 300vResults•Avg. max shock delivered: 360v•65% went all the way to 450v•80% continued giving shocks after learner w/ heart condition complained**Video (short#4)**Implications: Obedience to Authority•An experimenter influenced ordinary ppl to commit immoral acts on an innocent bystander…•Could the Holocaust have been an act of ordinary ppl exposed to extraordinary social conditions?•Reverend Moon, 1983, 2075 couples? –Parents? Teachers?Replications•1st experiments: Yale undergraduates “No relevance to "ordinary" people- Yale undergraduates = highly aggressive, competitive bunch who step on each other's necks on the slightest provocation.” •White-collar workers, unemployed people, industrial workers. SAME RATE•Princeton, Munich, Rome, South Africa, and Australia: ~85% obedience.What’s going on?•P’s caught in intense conflict btw. 2 forces–Immediate obligation to complete experiment (experimenter)–Moral obligation to minimize human suffering (learner)•By varying strength of opposing forces…Variations (on 65%)•“Tuning in” learner–Learner in same room- 40%–Hand forced onto shock plate- 30%•“Tuning out” experimenter–Experimenter calls in instructions- 21%–2 Experimenters disagree- 0%–2 Rebellious supporters- 10%Many of the people were in some sense against what they did to the learner, and many protested even while they obeyed. Some were totally convinced of the wrongness of their actions but could not bring themselves to make an open break with authority. They often derived satisfaction from their thoughts and felt that -- within themselves, at least -- they had been on the side of the angels. They tried to reduce strain by obeying the experimenter but "only slightly," encouraging the learner, touching the generator switches gingerly. When interviewed, such a subject would stress that he "asserted my humanity" by administering the briefest shock possible. Handling the conflict in this manner was easier than defiance.Why do they Obey?•Stepwise involvement•Norm of reciprocity•Diffusion of responsibility•Ineffective disobedienceBut Kate…•Did they tell them the truth at the end?•Video (debriefing)Lighten the mood…If you could do anything humanly possible with complete assurance that you would not be detected or held responsible, what would you do?11 categories of responses•Aggression, charity, academic dishonesty, crime, escapism, political activities, sexual behavior, social disruption, interpersonal spying, travel, miscellaneous–26% criminal–11% sexual–11% spying–“rob a bank” 15% of all responses•36% antisocial, 19% non-normative (violating social norms, no harm, or help), 9% prosocial•PRISONERS & COLLEGE STUDENTS!“There are no rules…”•Wanted: subjects for a psychology experiment•There will be no opportunity to meet other participants•What do people do under extreme anonymity?Deviance in the Dark•Continuous stream of conversation thru end•Quickly found place to sit- no less than 3ft to any other•5% touched accidentally; none purposefully•30% felt sexual excitement•Talk slacked off after 30 minutes; was muted, disjointed & faltering•Moved around fluidly•All touched accidentally; 90% purposefully•50% hugged another person•80% felt sexual excitementFrequency of behaviors in light & dark• Mass arrest for violation of Penal Codes 211, Armed Robbery, and Burglary, a 459 PC. • Suspects picked up at home, charged, warned of legal rights, spread-eagled against the police car, searched, and handcuffedRandomly Assigned!•Video (roleplay short)Lightened Again•Getting people to do something good…Water Conservation•Setting: Highly chlorinated pool•Poster on saving water –Sign poster–See poster•Mindful: Excuse me, “About how long do you usually shower for”•Later, in the showers…–Concealed stopwatch–Who took the shortest showers?WHY?•Find out next time…Social Psychology•The scientific study of how people’s thoughts feelings and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others= The power of the
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