Social Psychology
Social cognition looks at how people develop attitudes and attribute behavior. People make judgments every day, based on what they observe and what they believe to be true.
Social psychologists try to understand social hierarchy. Human have it, as do animals. Getting to the top provides motivation but can also cause destruction. Group behavior, group structures and attitudes, motives and expectations of behavior, and cultural influence social involvement.
Study Break
"I have social disease. I have to go out every night. If I stay home one night I start spreading rumors to my dogs." – Andy Warhol
Group Dynamics
Imagine starting the first day at a new high school. As you walk through the halls, awkwardly trying to look less nervous than you are, you notice certain groups of people who seem to gravitate towards each other. A few weeks later, it's hard to ignore the cliques.
If you're going to the cafeteria, basically, bring a map.
How does behavior and attitude change within groups? It's complicated and depends on how big the group is and who's in it. Groups have norms, or rules, and individuals are often designated a role within it.
Working Together
Social loafing refers to people putting in less individual effort on a task when part of a group than they would have if they were working individually. Because responsibility is spread over the members, no one person feels they need to be as motivated as they would otherwise. A study group gets together to put together the U.S. History Civil War project. Individually, everyone would have done a great job…but mediocrity prevailed. Ugh.
Sometimes the opposite can be true. If the group is made of people who know and like each other or they are fighting for a common cause, each member pushes for a great result (social striving). Everyone wants to raise money for a trip to the Bahamas. Each individual's work rises to the occasion. #livingthegroupprojectdream
Being in the Center
Ever noticed that rush you get when you perform well in front of an audience? Play guitar in front of musicclass, act out a Shakespearean monologue, or score that last basketball goal to win the game? Social facilitation refers to "bringing it" (subjective improvement in performance, in $5 words) if you're a) good at the skill and b) a crowd is present.
The opposite is true for things where we stink. If an actor had to dribble a basketball or a soccer player had to sing "Single Ladies," chances are they would crumble and would have been better off only performing in front of the mirror. Then, sometimes the actor or soccer player just cracks under the pressure (social impairment).
Hiding Oneself
Ever wonder why the Ku Klux Klan wears those white sheets? Probably cheap costuming, but let's dig a little deeper.
Not only is it absolutely terrifying, but it also illustrates an important psychological point. People are more likely to engage in illicit and cruel behavior when they are deindividualized, have a decreased feeling of self-consciousness and self-restraint when part of an anonymous group. Ku Klux Klan members would be less willing to ride around terrorizing people if they could be easily identified. Clearly, there is groupthink.
Groupthink, coined by Irving Janis, refers to what happens when a group begins to make decisions as a whole and ignores the individual needs of each member. This group of people is usually made up of similar members with similar interests. There are no clear rules for decision-making as a group, and because members are frequently together, they may be isolated from other groups. Janis' eight symptoms of groupthink are:
