Social Psychology:(At least) Attitude Change/Persuasion & Group BehaviorCSCWJanuary 28, 2004

TeamsSu, Rob, Mary, Yvonne: Blackboard

Prasant, Jing, Sirong: CommunityZero

Guarav, Chetan, Chris

Will, Angie, Arul, Jason

Whats the difference between Attitude Change and Persuasion??

PersuasionReciprocityCommitment & ConsistencySocial ProofLikingAuthorityScarcity

ReciprocityDoor-in-the-face TechniqueAsk people for a big concession; They say no; Ask them for a smaller concession; They are more likely to say yes.Ex:Chaperoning problem adolescents on a two-hour trip to the zoo vs. First asking them to work as volunteers in the Country Juvenile Detention Center, 2 hours/week for 2 years. 17% vs. 50% agreed to chaperon. (Cialdini)The reciprocity in this is..Asker must be viewed as reasonable, same person for both requests, happen quickly.

ConsistencyFoot-in-the-door TechniqueInitial small request followed by a bigger request. Large, obtrusive sign in front yard saying Drive Carefully vs. first sign petition in favor of safe driving, then a different person two weeks later asked about sign (17% vs. 50%).The consistency in this is

Social ProofOther People Do It.Kitty Genovese: no one else helping her.(Bandura) Show nursery aged children who are very afraid of dogs another child playing with dogs happily for 20 minutes/day. After 4 days, 67% willing to climb into a playpen with a dog and remain their while every else left the room. Works if video of child playing with dog.Works better if video of different children playing with dogs.

LikingPhysical attractivenessSimilarityComplimentsFamiliarity: mere exposureCooperation:Jigsaw Method (Aronson)Eagles vs. Rattlers (Sherif)Rivalry: Separating boys into two cabins; Giving the groups different name Shared Goal: pulling truck out of the mud.Conditioning and Association (weathermen, bad weather)

AuthorityObedience: A major concern of social psychology (influenced by WWII).Milgram Obedience ExperimentStanford Prison ExperimentA little known fact: Had screened out all people with strong pacifist or strong pro-war opinions (e.g. dissenters).Connotation, not content (Britney Spears for Pepsi; thats funny, it used to be Micheal Jackson)Titles (Psychologist)Clothes

ScarcityMy landlady: I want to sell right away. Final price.

Group BehaviorsNon-social groupsSocial groups Behavior: AnonymityDecisions: Type of taskConformityGroup think Group polarizationProcess lossLeadersWhat makes a leader? Fiedlers contingency theory of leadership

What is a group?Nonsocial groupsMere Presence (social facilitation vs. social loafing)

Evaluation, arousal, task complexityPresence of othersIndiv. effort can beevaluated.Indiv. effort can notBe evaluated.arousalrelaxationEnhancedSimple tasksEnhancedComplex tasksImpairedSimple tasksImpairedComplex tasksSOCIAL FACILITATIONSOCIAL LOAFING

Social Groups: ConformitySolomon Asch8 people in each group---7 confederatesJudgments about line lengths, e.g.

1.2.3.Which line is the same length as the following?

ConformityAll confederates instructed to make the same wrong choices on certain trials.Errors of majority ranged between 1/2 and 1 .68% of critical subjects reported the objectively correct answer.32% conformed to the majority.Extreme individual differences Majority of three enough to produce influence. One partner reduces effect to 10% yielding.

AnonymityAnonymity is associated with asocial behavior. DeindividuationKu Klux KlanDestroying cars (Zimbardo)

DecisionsAre groups better or worse than individuals at making decisions?

Decisions: Type of Task

Decisions: Type of Task

Process Loss= any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solvingCan occur because:The most competent member of the group has low status and is not taken seriously.Most competent member might have concerns about evaluation by othersCommunication problems in group.Answer not simple or clear cut.

Shared Vs. Unshared Information85% PreferCandidate24% Prefer CandidateWhy?: Because people only talk about the SHARED INFORMATION.

ConformityGroup Think (Janis, 1982, 1972)

Bay-of-Pigs (Kennedy administration)

= a kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts realistically.

GroupThink: Antecedents, Symptoms & ConsequencesCohesiveIsolated fm. other opinionDirective leaderHigh stressPoor decision making processIllusion of invulnerabilityBelief in moral correctnessOutgroup viewed in simplistic waysSelf-censorshipDirect pressure on dissenters.Illusion of unanimityMindguardsIncomplete survey of alternativesFailure to examine risksPoor Information searchFailure to develop contingency plans

Conformity:Group PolarizationChoice Dilemmas QuestionnaireA low-ranked participant in a national chess tournament, playing an early match against a highly favored opponent, has the choice of attempting or not trying a deceptive but risky maneuver that might lead to quick victory if it is successful or almost certain defeat if it fails.

Choice dilemmas questionnairePlease indicate the lowest probability of success that you would accept before recommending that the chess player play the risky move:__ 1 chance of success in 10__ 3 chances of success in 10__ 5 chances of success in 10__ 7 chances of success in 10__ 9 chances of success in 10__ I would not recommend the alternative no matter how high its likelihood of success.

Group PolarizationRoger, a young married man with with two children, has a secure but low-paying job and no savings. Someone gives him a tip about a company stock that will triple in value if the firms new product is successful, but will plummet if the new product fails. Should Roger sell his life insurance policy and invest in the company?

Group PolarizationPlease indicate the lowest probability of success that you would accept before recommending that Roger sell his life insurance policy and invest in the company:__ 1 chance of success in 10__ 3 chances of success in 10__ 5 chances of success in 10__ 7 chances of success in 10__ 9 chances of success in 10__ I would not recommend the alternative no matter how high its likelihood of success.

Group PolarizationThe tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of its members.Risky Shift is a term for when they take greater risks.Culture-value theory: Americans (for example) value risk more than (for example) people in Uganda and Liberia.Another kind of conformity in groups.

LeadersWhat makes a leader?

LeadersBy studying leaders:Intelligence, morality, motivation, family size, height, personality traits

Fiedlers contingency theory of leadership

Leadership & Stress