Social PsychChapter16

Chapter 16: Social Behavior

Social Psychology

• Person perception• Attribution processes• Interpersonal attraction• Attitudes• Conformity and obedience• Behavior in groups

Person Perception:Forming Impressions of Others

• Effects of physical appearance• Cognitive schemas• Stereotypes• Prejudice and discrimination• Subjectivity in person perception• Evolutionary perspectives

Figure 16.1 Examples of social schemas

Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior

• Attributions– Internal vs. External– Kelley’s covariation model

• Biases in attributions– Fundamental attribution error– Defensive attribution– Self-serving bias

• Cultural influences

Figure 16.4 An alternative view of the fundamental attribution error

Close Relationships: Liking and Loving

• Key factors in attraction– Physical attractiveness– Matching hypothesis– Similarity– Reciprocity– Romantic Ideals

Close Relationships: Liking and Loving

• Perspectives on love– Hatfield & Berscheid – Passionate vs.

Companionate love– Sternberg - Intimacy and commitment– Hazen & Shaver – Love as attachment

• Evolutionary perspectives– Mating priorities

Figure 16.7 Infant attachment and romantic relationships

Attitudes and Attitude Change

• 3 components– cognitive, affective, and behavioral

• Factors in changing attitudes– source, message, and receiver

• Theories of attitude change– Learning theory– Dissonance theory– Self-perception theory– Elaboration likelihood model

Figure 16.9 The possible components of attitudes

Figure 16.10 Overview of the persuasion process

Figure 16.12 Design of the Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) study

Figure 16.13 Bem’s self-perception theory

Yielding to Others: Conformity

• Conformity – Solomon Asch (1950s)– Classic experiment

• Group size • Group unanimity

Yielding to Others: Obedience

• Obedience – Stanley Milgram (1960s)– Controversial landmark experiment– “I was just following orders”

• presence of a dissenter

Behavior in Groups:The Influence of Other People

• The bystander effect - Darley and Latane (1968)– Diffusion of responsibility

• Group productivity and social loafing• Decision making in groups• Polarization• Groupthink

Figure 16.18 The effect of loss of coordination and social loafing on group productivity

Figure 16.21 The three potential components of prejudice as an attitude

Figure 16.22 Relationship between prejudice and discrimination

Figure 16.23 Bias in the attributions used to explain success and failure by men and women