Psyc 1501 Social Psychology

1. Psyc 1501 Social Psychology The attempt to understand and explain how the thoughts feelings and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

2. Social Cognition Thought processes through which people perceive and interpret information from and about themselves and other people. Cognitive consistency theory Study by Festinger and Carlsmith boring task with some participants asked to tell others that it was interesting and paid various amounts. Those paid $1 reported the task most interesting.

3. Cont. Cognitive consistency Refers to the match between the cognitions (thoughts) and the behavior of a person. Important to mental well-being; without it, we feel nervous, irritable. When cognitions and behaviors do not match, it results in cognitive dissonance.

4. Conditions that make cognitive dissonance more likely to occur You have freely chosen the action that causes the dissonance. You have committed yourself to that behavior and cannot undo your commitment. Your behavior has important consequences for other people.

5. Social Perception Theory An alternative view to cognitive consistency When we are not sure what we believe, we infer our beliefs from our behavior. In the example of Festinger and Carlsmith, the group paid $1could not be telling they enjoyed the task because of the money, so you look at the situation, and you conclude to yourself that you must have liked the task.

6. Comparison Cognitive consistency theory seems better able to explain attitude change while self-perception seems to explain attitude formation better. Self-perception is a special case of a more general kind of theory called attribution theory.

7. Attribution theory An attribution is an explanation that points to the cause of a person’s behavior. Many types of attribution; we will focus on: actor-observer effects. Actor-observer effects is the tendency to not only attribute the actions of others to stable internal personal dispositions but also to attribute our own actions to external situational variables.*

8. Forming and changing our attitudes Attitudes are acquired through experience; not innate. They are stable and enduring They are evaluative; we use them for judging. They can influence behavior.

9. Influences on attitudes include: Learning influences our attitudes Characteristics of the recipient influences attitudes: In order to change, must appeal to these. If recipient is motivated, interested, knowledgeable, and able to think about issues, appeal to this person by a well-thought out argument.

10. If the recipient is not motivated, etc., appeal to them with inviting messages, attractive, and rewarding messages in rewarding message format (catchy jingles) If recipient is likely to hear counterarguments, give both messages. Use strong arguments repetitively Have message delivered by someone who is believable and appealing.

11. Liking, loving, and interpersonal attraction. Equity theory People feel more strongly attracted to those with whom they have more equitable (fair) relationships of giving and taking. (Depends on priniciples of learning and cognitive-consistency) Balance theory A cognitive-consistency theory of attraction, suggesting that people who like each other try to maintain mutual give and take and similar likes/dislikes

12. Cont. Theories of love Evolutionary theory the function of love is to create new generations. Attachment theory of love how we love stems from our relationship with our parents. Triangular theory of love love has 3 basic components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Different combinations lead to different kinds of love. The integration of all 3 results in consummate love.

13. Attraction Factors leading to attraction: Arousal (how excited we become about a person) Familiarity (influenced by repetition) Proximity Physical attraction Similarity

14. Group interactions Sometimes having other people around can improve an individual’s performance (social facilitation) and sometimes it can hurt their performance (social interference) Sometimes working in a group reduces the effort exerted by the group’s members (social loafing) Social loafing is affected by cultural orientation: individualism encourages the focus to be on the good of the individual while collectivism encourages the focus to be on the welfare of the group.

15. Conformity, compliance, and obedience Conformity modification of behavior in order to bring the behavior into line with the norms of a social group. Study by Solomon Asch Factors affecting conformity: group size cohesiveness social status: person who are average tend to be more conforming than those rated high, low, or very low in social desirability. Culture and appearance of unanimity

16. Obedience Milgram’s study

17. Prosocial behavior Any behavior that is approved by society and benefits individual persons or society as a whole. By-stander effect The presence of other people inhibits helping behavior because each person feels diffusion of responsibility

18. Antisocial behavior Behavior that is condemned by society as a whole. Prejudice unfavorable attitude directed toward other groups. A negative attitude is not necessarily a prejudice; if sufficient evidence warrents the negative attitude, it is not a prejudice. For example, a youth gang that is responsible for several murders. Forms our of our social categorization (sort people into groups) and stereotypes ( a perceived typical example that illustrates the main characteristics of a particular social category)

19. Sleep and Dreaming What happens when we sleep? 2 theories Preservation/protection theory a means of protecting during the 24-hour day in which being awake, would place us at greatest risk. Restorative theory during sleep the body can restore the used-up resources and get rid of accumulate waste products in the body.

20. Stages of sleep Stage 1 - 4 and REM Patterns throughout the night

21. Sleep disorders Insomnia more common in women more common in middle-age than among younger Sleep apnea

22. Dreams Themes failing being attacked repeatedly trying to do something Theories - Why we dream Freud - express unconscious wishes Activation-synthesis hypothesis

23. Hypnosis A state of deep relaxation and extreme sensitivity to suggestion Originated by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) animal magnetism