Social Psychology I Social Comparison theory a Am I good at That depends Age company experience changes the comparison by which you judge things b How strongly do I feel about c We understand ourselves by comparisons with relevant others II Conformity a change in your behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people a Neutrally good and bad b We do we conform i Informational Influence other people have valuable information about the world use other people as a source of information to tell us the right thing to do We conform because we believe that other s interpretation of the situation is more accurate than ours and it will help us choose the appropriate course of action the answer is unclear 1 If I don t know how to act in a certain situation I look at other people to see how to respond 2 Sherif 1936 Autokinetic effect study staring at a bright light in a uniformly dark environment the light will appear wavering back and forth people based their answers off of whoever said their answer first ii Normative influence when you conform because you want to fit in with the group we look at others to determine what is normal the answer is clear 1 Asch Line Study 1951 1956 show people a projection of a standard line and comparison lines asked which are closest in length however 7 of the 8 participants were confederates but the actual participant would choose the wrong answer anyway III Bystander Effect a Kitty Genovese b Why it happens IV Compliance Techniques a Reciprocity Interpretation of situation pluralistic ignorance i ii Diffusion of Responsibility i A gift not a bribe ii Norm of reciprocity b Door in the Face i Ask for a lot settle for less ii Perceptual contrast iii Reciprocity c Foot in the door i Get a little then ask for more ii Consistency 1 Petitions are the easiest form d Lowball i Get agreement ii Increase the cost both people accept the price and then the seller changes the price about it 1 Car salesmanship e Scarcity when things are hard to come by they are automatically more valuable i Limited number ii Deadline iii Reactance V Cognitive Balance a Balance Theory we want our attitudes towards two things to be in harmony positive attitude towards specific things i Triangles ii When you experience an imbalance you are negatively aroused That negative arousal is uncomfortable so you need to find a resolution 1 Come up with a reason its good for your health b Festinger and Carlsmith s theory 1958 i Men come in and they do a boring task for an hour and then they need to explain the task to the next people and say it s very interesting Men were paid either 1 or 20 to tell the lie Then talk to someone about how much did they like the task in reality The 1 people liked the task better
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