Social Psychology Unit 14 - PowerPoint Presentation

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Social Psychology

Unit 14

Attribution Theory

Fritz

Heider

The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations

(1958)

Attribution:

How people interpret and explain casual relationships in the social world

We have a desire to understand

why

things happen

By observing behaviors we try to make inferences about intentions and responsibility

Actor-observer effect

: Making attributions about behavior depending on whether they are performing it themselves or observing someone else doing it

Answering that “

WHY”

Question

Situational

We uses when discussing own NEGATIVE behavior

Blaming the situation (because humans usually don’t hold themselves accountable)

Analyzing the person’s action with regards to the situation he/she is inEx: Late work/missing assignments= genuine issue such as a family/personal issue

Dispositional

We use this when observing someone else’s NEGATIVE behavior

Blaming the person (because as humans its usually easier to “point fingers”)

A person’s behavior is influenced by internal characteristics

Ex: Late work/missing assignments= Lazy & irresponsible and never finishes work on time

Foot-in-the-door

Agreeing to a small request leads to agreeing to a larger request

Can be used in both positive (charitable, donations, product sales) and negative/unethical situations

Social facilitation

The presence of others influence our behaviors

Triplett found that when in a group, people are more likely

to work

harder (reeling a fishing rod) when other people are engaging in the same behaviorHowever, on harder tasks, sometimes the opposite is true…more people, less harderMost likely response: when being observed (friendly and familiar), well –learned tasks

 more quickly, unmastered

tasks  less quickly and accurately

Social Loafing

People in a group feel less accountable and thus worry less about what others think

Contributions are dispensable

“Free Riders” in group work….

DEINDIVIDUATION THEORY

When individuals join crowds or large groups, the psychological state of

deindividuation

is aroused.

This is due to the diminished awareness of self and individuality.Large groups allows an individual to avoid responsibility for his/her actions because a degree of anonymity is provided…thus one becomes more impulsive, irrational, aggressive, and violent.

Example:Football (soccer) hooliganism

Deindividuation

Prejudice vs. Discrimination

Prejudice:

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members.

Ex:

“

White people are evil.” Discrimination:

involves treating a group differently because of their class or other category. Ex:

Blacks could not eat at certain restaurants and stay at certain hotels because of their race prior to Civil Rights Movement.

Prejudice

is a

THOUGHT

…

discrimination

is a

BEHAVIOR.

Prejudice vs. discrimination

Us vs. Them

Ingroup

:

“

Us”---people who one shares a common identity. We are

North Meck Vikings.

Outgroup:

“

Them

”

---those perceived as different or apart of one’s

ingroup

. They are

Hopewell Titans.

Ingroup

bias:

the tendency to favor one

’

s own group.

Ex:

Might not like certain people just because they go to

Hopewell OR band people may not like jocks and vice versa.

Ingroup

vs. Outgroup

What impacts Attraction?

Proximity:

Geographic nearness

Greater availability to meet, familiarity

MERE EXPOSURE EFFECT: The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increase liking of them.Studies have shown that we are more attracted to things/people that we have seen more than once.

Proximity

Physical Attractiveness

Physical attractiveness:

APPEARANCE plays a major role…unfortunately as humans we are superficial!

Predicts frequency of dating, feelings of popularity, and initial impressions of their personality.

Attractive people are

PERCIEVED to be healthier, happier, more sensitive, more successful, and more socially skilled, however not more honest or compassionate. (Eagly et al., 1991)

Similarity

Similarity:

Humans tend to have healthier relationships with those that are similar (have similar interests, personalities, etc.)

Friends and couples are far more likely to share common attitudes, beliefs and

interestsIn “real life” opposites retract NOT attract.

Universal traits of attraction

Buss (1989)

Both sexes:

Health

Youth

Reproductive capacitySpecific traits:

Smooth skinGood muscle toneLustrous hairFull lipsApplicable to all humans and aren’t culturally specific

Additional Resources

https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=169N81xAffQ

5 senses involved in attraction

https://www.discovery.com/playlists/science-of-sex-appeal-videos

Science of sex attractions videos

Romantic Love

Passionate Love

1. Emotions have two factors: Physical arousal plus cognitive appraisal

2. Arousal from any source can enhance one emotion or another depending how we interrupt & label the arousal

Produces

children

Companionate LoveMaturing of love, a deep affectionate attachmentAllows children to be raised and cared for, for a long duration

Cultures that value this, have lower divorce rates

Triangular Theory of Love

(Robert Sternberg, 1988)

Triangular Theory of Love

(Robert Sternberg, 1988)

Communication is the key!

Social penetration theory

: Close relationships are formed by a gradual process of self-disclosure.

Closeness will develop as the couple proceed from superficial conversations to intimate levels; this is associated with attraction.

Leads to self-disclosure: Sharing facts about one’s life with a loved one including inner thoughts, feelings and emotions.

“I don’t know if I am qualified enough to get the new position I applied for.”

Communication

Collins & Miller (1994)

Disclosing information about yourself makes both strangers and friends like you more and leads to

self-validation

(the feeling of being truly known and ACCEPTED by the listener.)

1.) People who disclose more intimate information about themselves are more liked than those that do not.2.) People tend to disclose more personal information to those they like.3.) As people disclose more information to a person, they like that person more (attraction grows)

Disclosure is crucial for establishing and maintaining

relationships!

Bystander effect

Latane

’ & Darley(1968)

began research after the Kitty Genovese murder

(1964) to understand why some people do not help others…thus bystanderism was coined (The presence of others seems to determine whether or not others will intervene.)

3 factors cause individuals to either help or not:1.) Diffusion of Responsibility (“someone else will help”)

2.) Pluralistic Ignorance (what is everyone else doing?)3.) Evaluation apprehensionIndividual bystanders are aware that other people are present and may be afraid of being evaluated negatively if they react (fear of messing up/social blunders)

Bystander Effect

Social Exchange Theory

Human relationships are based on a subjective cost-benefit analysis

When

benefits

(financial reward, esteem, affection, avoidance of failure) outweigh the potential costs (humiliation, pain, financial loss) we are more likely to help