🗓 Unit 10 - Social Psychology

Summary

Learning Objectives

• Define Social Psychology
• Explain what social norms are and how they influence behavior
• Define groupthink, social facilitation, and social loafing
• Define and distinguish among prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination

Prepare for Today

Readings

• What Is Social Psychology?

• Self-presentation

• Attitudes and Persuasion

• Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

• Prejudice and Discrimination

• Aggression

• Prosocial Behavior

Either click on the slide area below or click here to view it in fullscreen.

Use your keypad to navigate the slides.

Lecture Slides

Takeaways

• Behavior is better explained by a combination of internal and external factors.
• Human behavior is largely influenced by our social roles, norms, and scripts.
• Our attitudes and beliefs are influenced not only by external forces, but also by internal influences that we control.
• The power of the situation can lead people to conform, or go along with the group, even in the face of inaccurate information.

Today’s Assignment

Norm Violation Assignment

To explore the power of social norms, you will complete this participant-observation assignment.

• Activity: Social norms are prescriptions for accepted or expected behaviors. Your assignment is to violate one of the five social norms listed below:
  1. Sing loudly on a public bus, sidewalk, building or other public space.
  2. Position yourself six inches from an acquaintance’s nose during a conversation.
  3. Stand on your chair in a restaurant and recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.
  4. Continuously jump up and down while waiting in a check-out line at a grocery store.
  5. Get into an elevator that is crowded with strangers, and after the doors close, introduce yourself to the group.

PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING

You may violate any other social norm you choose, as long as you don’t risk harming yourself or others, and as long as your behavior doesn’t reflect badly on the University or this class (if you’re not sure, please do not hesitate to reach out). For example, you should not do anything that breaks a law, disrupts a class or public event, involves sexual behavior or sexually explicit speech, hurts or threatens others, or includes taking or damaging other people’s property – such norm violations will result in a score of zero.

• Submission: You will need to reflect on your experience and turn in to the Unit 10 Activity on canvas a description of 1) the norm that you violated, 2) the way you felt, and 3) the reactions people had to you. Your submission can be either written or an audio/video recording (~3-5 min)
  • For example, you might describe whether the experience was uncomfortable, fun, liberating, scary, or something else. Or you might discuss the social psychology of other people’s reactions to you.

Important Note

This assignment is intended to be engaging and informative, but you can opt out of it if you prefer. If you prefer not to complete this assignment (or if your attempt to complete it is unsuccessful), you can still receive full credit by turning in a one-page report discussing the psychological factors that prevented you from carrying out the assignment.