Psy 301 Chase1 The funny things we do... Some lessons from social psych Kate Niederhoffer Social and Personality Psychology University of Texas at Austin.

Psy 301 Chase 1

The funny things we do...Some lessons from social psych

Kate NiederhofferSocial and Personality PsychologyUniversity of Texas at Austin11/04/04

Psy 301 Chase 2

Introduction

Classic Rocks in Social psychology

Psy 301 Chase 3

Repeat Offender Study n = 6-8

“Mood & Math” Introductions Place of origin Embarrassing moments

Rating self vs. others questionnaire (appearance, intelligence)

MATH TEST

Psy 301 Chase 4

The very next day…

***Same group*** Favorite childhood moment Favorite food and why

Self vs. others

“Someone in this room…” Who is it? How many people will guess right?

Psy 301 Chase 5

The Spotlight Effect

“People tend to believe the social spotlight shines more brightly on them than it actually does”

Bad hair days Embarrassing t-shirts Absenteeism

Psy 301 Chase 6

Wegner: On being a bat… On seeing life from the perspective of an animal that

can't see

"We're all in that position with regard to other minds, generally -- we don't really know what it's like to be other people. Much of what social psychology is about is being able to think and talk about experience in a way that helps us bridge the gap from one mind to another.”

Psy 301 Chase 7

Enough about me…

Compared to other students at the University, rate yourself on the following attributes… Leadership Creativity Energy Level Sincerity Athleticism…

Psy 301 Chase 8

Above Average Effect

Ability % ppl “above average”

Getting along with others

89%

Written expression

64%

Spoken expression

63%

Leadership 70%

Athletics 60%

Psy 301 Chase 9

How You Rank

Ability % Chase students “above average”

Leadership 91%

Athletic Ability 70%

Energy Level 71%

Creativity 90%

Sincerity 89%

Intelligence 79%

Trustworthiness 93%

Psy 301 Chase 10

1. Need to feel good about ourselves Seeing ourselves and anything

connected to us in positive light.

Lessons from social psych:

Psy 301 Chase 11

Lessons from social psych:1. Need to feel good about ourselves

2. Motive to seek connectedness Create and maintain feelings of mutual

support, liking and acceptance.

Psy 301 Chase 12

On fitting in: Video

Imagine...

Psy 301 Chase 14Asch, 1955

Which of the comparison lines is the same as the standard line?

Psy 301 Chase 15

76% went along with the clearly incorrect majority at least once

In all, P’s conformed 37% of the time

However, 24% NEVER conformed

What did participants do?

Psy 301 Chase 16

Going along with the majority…

Psy 301 Chase 17

All in the name of connectedness

We want to be seen as likable (AA)

To fit in (Elevator)

To gain approval (Picketing) Conform to others preferences

Affiliation, friendship, intimacy…

Psy 301 Chase 18

Scenic Attractions on Creativity: Dutton & Aron (1973)

Capilano Canyon Suspension bridge

5 feet wide, 450 feet long

Wooden boards attached to wire cables -spanning a height of 250 feet

Psy 301 Chase 19

The effects of “scenic attractions on creativity”

Vs.

Psy 301 Chase 20

Misattribution of Arousal

(Dutton & Aron, 1973)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Rested aftercrossingbridge

"Aroused" onbridge

% mentelephonedwoman

Psy 301 Chase 21

Real World vs. Road Rules

Psy 301 Chase 22

Lessons from social psych

1. Need to feel good about ourselves

2. Motive to seek connectedness

3. Don’t underestimate the power of the situation

Psy 301 Chase 23

“Punishment on Learning”

“Punishment on Learning” 1 teacher, 1 learner

Learn word pairs; if wrong, punished

Set-up learner Chair, electrode on wrist “condition”

Shock generator Slight, moderate, strong, very

strong, intense, extreme intensity, danger: severe, XXX

Sample- 45V**Something you should know…

Psy 301 Chase 25

Script 75 volts: grunt 120 volts: complains loudly; 150: demands to be released from experiment. As voltage increases: protests become more

vehement and emotional. 285 volts: agonized scream. Soon thereafter: no sound at all.

Psy 301 Chase 26

What would you do?

Pre-test estimates: All would refuse to obey

Most won’t go beyond 150v

Psychiatrists estimated 1/1000 would go all the way 4% would reach 300v

Psy 301 Chase 27

Results

Avg. max shock delivered:360v

65% went all the way to 450v

80% continued giving shocks after learner w/ heart condition complained

** short#4**

Psy 301 Chase 28

Implications: Obedience to Authority

An experimenter influenced ordinary ppl to commit immoral acts on an innocent bystander…

Could the Holocaust have been an act of ordinary ppl exposed to extraordinary social conditions?

What about more recent events?

Many of the people were in some sense against what they did to the learner, and many protested even while they obeyed. Some were totally convinced of the wrongness of their actions but could not bring themselves to make an open break with authority. They often derived satisfaction from their thoughts and felt that -- within themselves, at least -- they had been on the side of the angels. They tried to reduce strain by obeying the experimenter but "only slightly," encouraging the learner, touching the generator switches gingerly. When interviewed, such a subject would stress that he "asserted my humanity" by administering the briefest shock possible. Handling the conflict in this manner was easier than defiance.

Psy 301 Chase 30

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how people’s thoughts feelings and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others

The power of the situation