What is social psychology?The scientific study of the way in which peoples thoughts, feeling, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other peopleHow do attitude guide behavior?Form attitudes through experience and socializationBehaviors are consistent with strong attitudesDiscrepancies lead to dissonanceAttitudes can be changed through persuasionWe form attitudes through experience and socializationOpinions, beliefs, and feelings are called attitudesShaped by social contextPlay an important role in how we evaluate and interact with other peopleDirect experience of, or exposure to, things shapes attitudesThe mere exposure effectThe more we are exposed to something, the more likely we are to like itAttitudes can be conditionedAdvertisers take advantage of thisExample: Coke and Pepsi preferring M to QAttitudes are shaped through socialization—parents, teachers, peers, and othersExample: political and religious mindsets based on parents ideologiesAutomatic and controlled processing of stereotypesAn automatic process is one over which we have no controlStereotypes are automatically triggered under certain conditions—they just pop into ones mindSince the process is automatic, you can’t control it or stop it from occurringHowever, for people whoa re not deeply prejudiced, their control processes can suppress or override these stereotypesBehaviors are consistent with strong attitudesAn attitude is more likely to predict behavior, to be consistent over time and to be resistant to changeThe stronger it isThe more personally relevant it isThe more specific it isIf it formed through direct exposureAttitude accessibility predicts behavior consistent with the attitudeExplicit attitudesThose you are aware of can reportImplicit attitudesThose you are not aware ofMay be associated with the brain areas involved with implicit memoriesImplicit association testThe theory of Cognitive DissonanceWhen we are confronted with information implying that we may have behaved in ways that are irrational, immoral, or stupid, we experience a good deal of discomfortThis feeling of discomfort caused by preforming an action that ruins ones well being and lifeLeon FestingerFound with the knob turning experimentDissonance is most powerful and most upsetting when peopleThere are 3 basic ways we try to reduce cognitive dissonanceBy changing our behavior to bring it in line with the dissonant cognitionBy attempting to justify our behavior through changing one of the dissonant cognitionBy attempting to justify our behavior by adding new cognitionDecisionsEvery time we make a decision, we experience dissonanceDistorting our likes and dislikesWhen given choices, the picked choice is not entirely positive while the one not picked is not entirely negativeAfter making the choice, you have doubtsAfter the decision, your cognition that you are a smart person is dissonant with aspects that didn’t fit your choiceYou reduce dissonance by down playing the negative aspects of the one you chose and the positive aspects of the one you rejectedPost decision DissonanceDissonance aroused after making a decision, typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and downplaying the negativesDiscrepancies Lead To DissonanceAttitude changeResearchers have found that people are likely to change their attitudes as a result of dissonance and to provide justificationsAttitudes can be changed through persuasionIn the elaboration likelihood model persuasion leads to attitude change in two ways:The central routePeople pay attention to arguments, consider all the information, and use rational cognitive processesWhat’s actually being told / factsThe peripheral routePeople minimally process the messageLeads to more impulsive3 critical factors influence the extent to which a message is persuasivesourcecontentreceiverHow do we form our impressions of others?Social perceptionStudy of how we form impressions of and make inferences about other peopleNonverbal behaviorFirst impressions: We know what we can see and hear, and even though we know we should not judge a book by its cover, this kind of easily observable information is crucial to our first impressionWith no words at all, we can communicate volumesNonverbal communicationThe way in which people communicate, intentionally or unintentionally, without wordsNonverbal cues includeFacial expressionsTone of voiceGesturesBody position / movementThe use of touchGazeNonverbal cues serve many functions in communication“I’m angry” – narrowing eyes, lowering eyebrows, and setting mouth in a thin, straight line“I like you” – smiles and extended eye contactSome nonverbal cues actually contradict the spoken wordsSarcasmCulture and the channels of nonverbal communicationDisplay rules: particular to each culture and dictate what kinds of emotional expression people are supposed to showEmblems: nonverbal gestures that have well-understood definitions within a given culture; they usually have direct verbal translations, the OK signThe important point about emblems is that they are not universalEach culture has devised its own emblems, and these need not be understandable to people from other culturesNut browniesArtRomanticDogs3224Chapter 12 Social Psychology 10/29/2014What is social psychology?-The scientific study of the way in which peoples thoughts, feeling, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people How do attitude guide behavior?-Form attitudes through experience and socialization-Behaviors are consistent with strong attitudes-Discrepancies lead to dissonance-Attitudes can be changed through persuasion We form attitudes through experience and socialization-Opinions, beliefs, and feelings are called attitudesoShaped by social contextoPlay an important role in how we evaluate and interact with other people-Direct experience of, or exposure to, things shapes attitudes-The mere exposure effectoThe more we are exposed to something, the more likely we are to like it-Attitudes can be conditioned oAdvertisers take advantage of thisoExample: Coke and Pepsi preferring M to Q-Attitudes are shaped through socialization—parents, teachers, peers, and othersoExample: political and religious mindsets based on parents ideologies Automatic and controlled processing of stereotypes-An automatic process is one over which we have no control-Stereotypes are automatically triggered under certain