discoveringpsych7e

Chapter Introduction

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Social Psychology

IN THIS CHAPTER:

INTRODUCTION: What Is Social Psychology?

Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Other People

Attribution: Explaining Behavior

The Social Psychology of Attitudes

Understanding Prejudice

Conformity: Following the Crowd

Obedience: Just Following Orders

Altruism and Aggression: Helping and Hurting Behavior

Closing Thoughts

PSYCH FOR YOUR LIFE: The Persuasion Game

THE “HOMELESS“ MAN

PROLOGUE

REMEMBER ERV AND FERN, Sandy’s parents, from Chapter 5? A few years ago, Fern and Erv got two free plane tickets when they were bumped from an overbooked flight. They decided to visit a city they had always wanted to see—San Francisco. Even though Fern was excited about the trip, she was also anxious about visiting the earthquake zone. Erv wasn’t especially worried about earthquakes, but he was worried about whether his old army buddy could still beat him at penny poker. Mostly, they both wanted to see the famous sights, eat seafood, wander through shops, and explore used bookstores, which was Erv’s favorite hobby.

As it turned out, Fern and Erv were both quite taken by the beauty and charm of San Francisco. But they were also disturbed by the number of homeless people they saw on the city streets, sometimes sleeping in the doorways of expensive shops and restaurants. This was especially disturbing to Fern, who has a heart of gold and is known among her family and friends for her willingness to help others, even complete strangers.

On the third morning of their San Francisco visit, Erv and Fern were walking along one of the hilly San Francisco streets near the downtown area. That’s when Fern saw a scruffy-looking man in faded jeans sitting on some steps, holding a cup. Something about his facial expression struck Fern as seeming lost, maybe dejected. Surely this was one of San Francisco’s less fortunate, Fern thought to herself. Without a moment’s hesitation, Fern rummaged through her purse, walked over to the man, and dropped a handful of quarters in his cup.

“Hey, lady! What the hell d’ya think you’re doing!?!” the man exclaimed, jumping up.

Art by Distort & Mustart http://g.reenvillain.com

MYTH OR SCIENCE?

Is it true . . .

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That you judge yourself more harshly than you judge other people when something goes wrong?
That if you believe you are not prejudiced, you will not behave in prejudiced ways?
That if you’re sure of your answer, you’ll almost always stick to it even if others disagree with you?
That most people will not harm another person if ordered to do so?
That people are more likely to help others if they are the only ones available to help?
That there is a link between aggression and listening to violent music lyrics?
That people who say no to a large request are more easily able to say no to smaller requests that follow?

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“Oh, my! Aren’t you homeless!?” Fern asked, mortified and turning bright red.

“Lady, this is my home,” the man snapped, motioning with his thumb to the house behind him. “I live here! And that’s my cup of coffee you just ruined!”

Fortunately, the “homeless” man also had a sense of humor. After fishing Fern’s quarters out of his coffee and giving them back to her, he chatted with the out-of-towners, enlightening them on the extraordinary cost of San Francisco real estate. As they parted, the not-so-homeless man ended up recommending a couple of his favorite seafood restaurants.

Like Fern, we all try to make sense out of our social environments. As we navigate the world, we constantly make judgments about the traits, motives, and goals of other people. And, like Fern, sometimes we make mistakes!

In this chapter, we will look at how we interpret our social environment, including how we form impressions of other people and explain their behavior. We’ll explore how our own behavior, including the likelihood that we will help or harm others, is influenced by the social environment and other people. In the process, we’ll come back to Erv and Fern’s incident with the “homeless” man to illustrate several important concepts.