Goals

• Recognize the principles of social cognition, including the fundamentals of how we form judgments about other people.
• Summarize factors that contribute to prosocial behavior.
• Understand and know how to overcome the bystander effect.

Social Psych

There's a replication crisis--people are complex and somewhat inconsistent in their behavior. Studies aren't replicating the way scientists expect them to.

Quick and easy thinking

Stereotypes are pretty automatic. Prejudices are less so. Discrimination does not have to happen.

We're wired to make quick judgments – just keep thinking beyond them!

• Stereotypes
  • Automatic judgments about people based on appearance or social group.
    • People assume topics about Native Americans are going to be sad.
• Prejudice
  • Tendency to dislike people based on stereotypes.
  • People harbour negative attitudes or feelings towards others.
    • People will dislike shows if they contain minority representation because of stereotypes.
• Discrimination
  • Negative behavior based on stereotypes and prejudice.
  • Can be thought out of; the behavior can be corrected.
    • Microaggressions: A negative comment or action towards a group of people.
    • Micro-invalidations: Excluding or negating thoughts and feelings of people.

Forming Judgments by Observing Behavior

• Attribution
  • Trying to determine the causes of someone's behavior.
• Personal Attribution
  • Caused by personality/who they are.
• Situational attribution
  • Caused by external reasons.
• Fundamental Attribution Error
  • A common tendency to overestimate the role of personal factors and overlook the impact of situations in judging others.
    • Someone who is excessively speeding and weaving in traffic may be doing so because they are bleeding out, not necessarily because they are inconsiderate of others.

Look for the helpers

Why do we help other people?

• We're in a good mood
• We are like the person we're helping
• We want to express empathy and gratitude
• We feel guilt and are repenting
• We want to appear like good people
• We're setting up a quid pro quo
• We've been taught about and/or value social responsibility

Bystander Effect

People are less likely to help if there are others nearby.

Steps to helping

Be an active bystander. Do not stand by, step up.

• Notice the event
• Interpret the event as needing intervention
• Assume responsibility
• Know the appropriate form of assistance
• Provide help
  • Yell; call out an abuser; distract them, so the victim can escape.
  • Asking other people if they are okay with a situation.
  • Becoming the third-wheel in a sticky situation.
  • Sharing concerns with the victim in question.