Social Psychology
Study of how people influence othersʼ
behaviour, beliefs, and attitudes
We tend to think others are vulnerable to
social influence…but not ourselves
Humans as a Social
Species
• Predisposed to forming intimate
interpersonal networks of a particular size
• 150 people or so
• Need‐to‐belong theory and biologically based
need for interpersonal connections
• It literally hurts us to be isolated or rejected
Humans as a Social
Species
• Most social influence processes are adaptive under most circumstances • They can turn maladaptive when they are blind or unquestioning • Social influences should be evaluated critically
Social Comparison
Theory
• We seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others • Upward (superiors) and downward (inferiors) social comparison • Both can boost our self‐concept
Social Contagion
Mass hysteria is a contagious outbreak of
irrational behaviour that spreads
• UFO outbreaks
• Windshield pitting
Urban legends are another example of social
contagions
Social Facilitation
When the mere presence of others enhances our performance • Bicyclists racing • Cockroaches running mazes Can also experience social disruption (choking)
Fundamental
Attribution Error
Attributions are assigning causes to
behaviour
Internal vs external influence
When we look at othersʼ behaviour, we
• Overestimate impact of dispositional
influences
• Underestimate impact of situational
influences
Do the opposite for our own behaviour
• Associated with cultural factors
• Japanese and Chinese are less likely to
commit this error
• Prone to seeing othersʼ behaviour as a
combination dispositional and situational
influences
Conformity
The tendency to alter our behaviour as a
result of group pressure
Classically demonstrated by Solomon Aschʼs
experiments in the 1950s
Asch’s Experiment
• Group conformity
Social Influences on
Conformity
• Unanimity increased conformity
• Lower conformity if only one other person
differed from the majority
• Size of majority up to five or six people
Differences in
Conformity
• Low self‐esteem makes you more likely to
conform
• Asian cultures more likely to conform
• No sex differences
Deindividuation
• The tendency to engage in atypical behaviour when stripped of your usual identity • Become more vulnerable to social influence • Wearing masks and concealing identity leads to deindividuation
Stanford Prison Study
• Recruited normal young men for a two
week “psychological study of prison life”
• Randomly assigned them to be either a
prisoner or a guard
• Prisoners were dressed as such, referred to
by number and not name
• By second day, guards began to treat
prisoners cruelly and dole out punishment
• Prisoners started a rebellion, guards
became increasingly sadistic
• Had to stop study after only 6 days due to
nervous breakdowns by prisoners
Chaos in Real World
• Events at Abu Ghraib echoed those of the
Stanford Prison Study
• Still, individual differences are at play in
deindividuation
• Makes us more likely to conform to
whatever norms (good or bad) are present
in the situation
Groupthink
An emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking • Walkerton, Ontario drinking water • Challenger explosion Certain symptoms make it more likely to occur
Groupthink : 2
• Treated by encouraging dissent • Appointing a “devilʼs advocate” • Independent expert evaluate decisions • Holding follow‐up meetings • Group polarization can cause views to become more extreme
Cults
Groups that exhibit intense and unquestioning
devotion to a single cause
• Promote groupthink in four major ways
• Have a persuasive leader who fosters loyalty
• Disconnect members from the outside world
• Discourage questioning of assumptions
• Gradually indoctrinate members
Cult Myths
Cult members are emotionally disturbed • Most are normal, but leaders are often seriously mentally ill Cult members are brainwashed and turned into unthinking zombies • Techniques do not permanently change beliefs
Cults : how can it be resisted ?
• Can be resisted via inoculation effect
• Convincing people to change their minds
by first introducing reasons the perspective
might be correct and then debunking them
Obedience
• Adherence to orders from those of higher
authority
• Essential ingredient in our daily lives
• Stop lights, parking signs
• Can produce trouble when people stop
asking why theyʼre behaving as others
want them to
Stanley Milgram
• Student of Aschʼs who wanted to know how the Holocaust could have occurred • Designed experiment to test the influence of obedience and authority on normal people • Became a landmark study
The Milgram Paradigm
• Voluntary subjects were taken to a lab and
introduced to a fellow “volunteer” and the
researcher
• “Teachers” (subjects) were supposed to shock
the “learners” (confederates) when they did
not successfully repeat words
• With each failure, the shock level increased
• Learner tells teacher he has “a slight heart
condition” before any shocks
• Learner soon misses some answers,
researcher tells teacher to continue
• By 330 volts, he is yelling “Let me out of
here!”; by 345 he is silent
Two key themes emerged from follow up of the milgram paradigm
• Two key themes emerged from follow‐ups • The greater psychological distance between teacher and experimenter, the less obedience • Greater the psychological distance between teacher and learner, the more the obedience
Predictors of disobedience
Predictors of disobedience
• More morally advanced
• Level of authoritarianism
No sex or cultural differences
