4.3 - Psychology of Social Situations

Social Influence

• Social Influence: The process through which individuals or groups change our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

• Key Concepts:

  • Social Roles: Expected behaviors associated with a particular position or status in a group. Example: A student is expected to attend class and complete assignments.

  • Social Norms: Unspoken rules about how people should behave in a given situation or group. Example: Waiting in line, raising your hand in class.

Persuasion

Definiton: The process of changing attitudes. Techniques are applied to convince the self or others of particular ideas, actions, or beliefs.

• Central Route: Focuses on facts and logical arguments, appealing to people who are motivated to think carefully about the message.

• Example: A car commercial showing safety features and fuel efficiency.

• Peripheral Route: Focuses on emotions, attractiveness, or credibility of the source, influencing people who are less motivated to think deeply.

• Example: A perfume commercial featuring a celebrity endorsement.

• The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias and an example of peripheral route persuasion that claims that positive impressions of people, brands, and products in one area positively influence our feelings in another area. In other words, if someone looks good or formal (like wearing a suit), we might have a good impression on them and agree with them.

Attitudes and Actions: The Link

• Attitudes Follow Behavior: Our actions can shape and strengthen our attitudes.

• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon:

  • Agreeing to a small request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger request later.

  • Example: Asking someone to sign a petition, then later asking for a donation.

• Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon:

  • Starting with a large, unreasonable request, then following up with a smaller request that seems more reasonable in comparison.

  • Example: Asking for a $100 donation, then asking for $10 after being refused.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Individualism:

• Priority is given to personal goals and individual achievements.

• Identity is defined by personal attributes and accomplishments.

• Common in Western cultures.

• Collectivism:

  • Priority is given to the goals and well-being of the group (family, community).

  • Identity is defined by connections and relationships.

  • Common in many Eastern and Asian cultures.

Multiculturalism

• Emphasizes the recognition, acceptance, and celebration of diverse cultural backgrounds and identities within a society.

• Identity is shaped by the coexistence and integration of multiple cultural influences.

• Common in societies with diverse populations where multiple cultures interact and influence one another.\

Group Influence

• Group Polarization: When discussing an issue with like-minded people, our opinions tend to become more extreme.

  • Example: If a group of people who are already in favor of gun control discuss the topic, their views are likely to become even stronger in favor of gun control after the discussion.

• Groupthink: The desire for harmony within a group can lead to poor decision-making.

  • People suppress dissenting views to avoid conflict and maintain group cohesion.

• Social Loafing: The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort than when working individually.

  • Example: Group projects where some members don't contribute equally.

• Deindividuation: The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that create arousal and anonymity.

  • Example: Riots or online trolling, where people may engage in behaviors they wouldn't do alone.  

• Diffusion of Responsibility: Diffusion of responsibility occurs when people who need to make a decision wait for someone else to act instead. The more people present, the less likely any one person feels responsible for helping.

• Social Facilitation: Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

• Example: A skilled musician performs even better at a concert than during practice.

• False Consensus Effect: Cognitive Bias where individuals overestimate the extent to which their opinions, beliefs, preferences, or behaviors are shared by others. It’s basically like thinking most people agree with something you agree with based on a few opinions. 

• Superordinate goals serve to unite disparate groups under a common goal and help reduce negative affect and stereotyping among groups. 

• Social traps occur when individuals do not unite and act in their own self-interest to the detriment of the group.

  • Social Dilemmas: Situations where individuals acting in their own self-interest can harm the group in the long run.

    • Example: Overfishing – individuals may benefit from catching as many fish as possible, but if everyone does this, the fish population collapses, harming everyone.

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology: The application of psychological principles to the workplace.

• They apply psychological principles and research methods to improve the overall work environment, including performance, communication, professional satisfaction, safety, as well as helping employees avoiding burnout. 

Aggression

• Aggression: Behavior intended to cause physical or psychological harm.

• Factors Influencing Aggression:

  • Frustration-Aggression Principle: Frustration (being blocked from a goal) can lead to anger, which can lead to aggression.

  • Excitation Transfer: Arousal from one situation can intensify emotional reactions in another situation. Example: If you're already agitated from a workout, you might react more aggressively to a minor annoyance.

Altruism

Definition: Unselfish behavior that benefits others without expecting anything in return. Unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others. Example: Donating blood, volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Factors Influencing Altruistic Behavior

• Social Exchange Theory: We weigh the costs and benefits of helping before deciding to act.

• Norms:

  • Reciprocity Norm: The expectation that we should help those who have helped us.

  • Social-Responsibility Norm: The expectation that we should help those in need, even if we don't expect anything in return.

• Situational Factors:

  • Clarity of the Need: Is it clear that someone needs help?

  • Presence of Others:

    • Bystander Effect: People are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

• Personality:

  • Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon: People are more likely to help when they are in a good mood.

Additional Concept

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon: We judge our happiness relative to our past experiences. We adapt to new situations, and our happiness level tends to return to a baseline. Example: Winning the lottery might bring temporary joy, but we eventually adjust to the new lifestyle.