Psych 1100 Section 3 Notes There are many situations where you can look at others for influence What is Social Psychology Social Psychology the study of the causes and consequences of sociality Study of how people influence other s thoughts feelings and behaviors o Other people are a big part of why people behave the way they do Social Behavior We are Ultra Social As hominids in Africa we evolved in relatively small tight social groups and we still do even now Approximate size of most human social groups 150 Only 4 species on Earth that form societies in which large numbers of individuals divide labor and cooperate for mutual benefit o Humans are only one whose society consist of genetically unrelated individuals o Importance of being social Survival Survival Resources food water and shelter are essential for survival Resources are always scarce Humans solve this problem by hurting each other and helping each other o Aggression behavior whose purpose is to harm another verbal or physical o Frustration Agression Hypothesis A principle stating that animals including humans aggress when their goals are thwarted o Alternatively aggression may be caused by negative affect The Biology of Aggression Gender is the Single Best predictor of aggression habits Men o More likely to experience aggression o Socialized to me more aggressive o Presence of testosterone o Focus on maintaining status o Aggress in ways that cause physical injury Women o More likely to be premeditated and focus in their aggression o Socialized to be less aggressive o Minimal levels of testosterone o Focus on attaining or protecting resources o Aggress in ways that causes social harm Culture and Aggression Over time humans have been getting kinder and gentler Pinker 2007 Levels of aggression vary with geography o Among different countries and within a single country Cooperation Behavior by two or more individuals that leads to mutual benefit Able to accomplish much more when working together Risk others not cooperating and or cheating o Prevent learning by how to spot a cheater The Prisoner s Dilemma Game Theory Who can we trust others When grouping make sure to consider o Prejudice o Discrimination o Deindividuation Prejudice and Discrimination Group a collection of people who have something in common that distinguishes them from Prejudice a positive or negative evaluation of a person based on their group membership Conclusions drawn before evaluating the evidence Discrimination a positive or negative behavior toward another person based on their group membership How can we combat prejudice and discrimination By working toward a shared goal Examples Jigsaw classrooms o Children make independent contributions to a shared project Robber s Cave o Groups were given a series of activities that required them to cooperate to achieve an overarching goal Deindivuation When immersion in a group causes people to become less concerned with their personal values Diffusion of responsibility tendency for individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when they are surrounded by others who are acting the same way The Sad Case of Kitty Genovese The ultimate case of diffusion of responsibility Bystander Effect Belonging Altruism Selectivity It s important to nurture our social relationships o We have an inherent need to belong Exclusion is associated with poorer physical and emotional state Behavior that benefits another without benefiting oneself Is it altruistic if it s our relative we are helping o Kin Selection process by which evolution selects for individuals who cooperate with their relatives What if we expect something in return o Reciprocal altruism behavior that benefits another with the expectation that these benefits will be returned in the future Women are more selective than men in finding a sexual partner o Sex comes at a greater cost for women Cultural factors can lead to higher reputational costs for women than men o Promiscuous women seen as sluts and men as playboys Men become more selective when seeking a long term mate Social Influence The ability to control another person s behavior Three basic motivations make us susceptible to influence o Hedonic Motive WE all prefer pleasure over pain Social influence can be exerted by providing rewards and punishments We depend on others for safety sustenance and solidarity and thus are motivated to have others like accept and approve of us o Approval Motive o o o Accuracy Motive Normative influence Conformity Obedience What s the norm o Norm a customary standard for behavior that is widely shared by members of a culture o Normative influence another person s behavior provides us with information about what is o Norm of reciprocity the unwritten rule that people should benefit those who have benefited appropriate them returning the favor Door in the Face technique o A strategy that uses reciprocating concessions to influence behavior o Making a larger request before making the small request we re hoping to have granted Conformity o The tendency to do what others do simply because others are doing it o Altering your behavior as a result of group pressure o Once a norm is defined we feel obliged to honor it The ASCH Conformity Study o Participants were told it was a study on visual perception o 1 participant 4 confederates o Asked to pick the matching fire o Confederates all gave same wrong answer o We say now that we wouldn t agree with the group BUT o 75 went along with the group s obviously incorrect answer Obedience o The tendency to do what powerful people tell us to do o Is actually a good thing in small doses o Allows society to run smoothly keeps social order o Just taking orders used to excuse inhumane behavior Oedience vs Conformity Obedience o Result of normative influence o Authority figures are exerting influence o Percieved difference in status o Fear of consequences from authority Conformity Result of normative influence Stanley Milgram s obedience study o Study examining obedience to authority o Yale University 1960s o Subjects told to shock learner a confederate for wrong answers increasing of shocks o How far will subjects go with shocks The accuracy Motive o Attitude An enduring positive or negative evaluation of an object or event o Belief an enduring piece of knowledge about an object or event o Tell us What we should do o Tell us how to do it o Informational influence when another person s behavior provides information about what is o