For this assignment, you will identify the main concepts and terms learned in this weeks online lectures and textbook readings an
For this assignment, you will identify the main concepts and terms learned in this week’s online lectures and textbook readings and create a fictional case study (may not be related to actual individuals).
You will use the following guidelines while writing your case study:
- Background: You need to describe the demographics of individuals involved in the case study such as their age, gender, occupation, education, relationships, and family history.
- The case story: You need to describe a scenario using third person in which an individual is challenged with a situation causing cognitive dissonance.
- Analysis of the case: You need to utilize the information learned from the online lectures and text readings to analyze the case study. Be specific in your analysis using supporting evidence from outside sources when needed.
- Recommendations: You need to end the case study with your recommendations or suggestions you would have implemented in such a situation to assist in changing the behavior of the individual involved in the case study.
Submission Details:
- Support your responses with examples.
- Cite any sources in APA format.
Response Influences.html
Response Influences
What happens when we purchase something we really don't want?
The foot-in-the-door phenomenon (Myers, 2008) discusses the tendency of salespeople to talk you into something smaller to get you to respond more favorably to larger requests. This can be described in behavioral terms as shaping a behavior to a desired result. The desired result may go against what you need or believe.
You may feel tense when you purchase things you don’t want or need. However, you can justify your behavior to lessen the tension. Here is an example:
A woman goes to buy a 36-inch digital television to replace her old analog television, but ends up buying a 56-inch high-definition television.
Self-Justification
My feeling of buying the larger television was one of exuberance and reward for besting the salesperson. I got 20% off the sales price, and a credit account at only 17% interest. I thought “I deserve something like this.”
Cognitive Dissonance
When I got the television home, I recalled I only wanted to replace my old television with a newer digital one. I don’t have room for the new television. How did this happen?
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
I knew how much I wanted to spend and what I needed, but the salesperson had such a good pitch. She helped me understand that high definition is the latest technology and that I would not enjoy the 36-inch television that I originally chose.
Low-Ball Technique
The salesperson was so helpful. When she learned the 36-inch television was out of stock, she suggested that for just a bit more, I could go with the larger 56-inch high-definition television.
Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
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Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
2 Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
How Beliefs and Attitude affect Behavior
Attitude Toward Others
Do you think before you act? When introduced to someone, how often do you automatically perceive the person based on your attitudes and beliefs and not the person's actual characteristics? For instance, if someone introduces you to Dr. Smith, you might immediately categorize the doctor as learned and maybe having an air of wisdom and authority because of being a doctor. However, when the same person is introduced by the first name of Penelope, would you act in the same manner? The answer is probably no because you are not aware of the profession to which the person belongs and so cannot relate to your perception about the person.
Although individuals have several characteristics, your attitude toward a person is shaped by your initial meeting and the information about the person that is communicated to you. However, whatever your attitudes or beliefs about this person may be initially, you can act in a manner you have learned is appropriate. This is because as you learn more about an individual, you adjust your attitudes and act accordingly. Clearly, attitudes do not necessarily dictate your behavior.
Your attitude is, in part, a product of what you learn through your interactions with others. The sum of your experiences makes up your attitudes and beliefs. Although your attitudes and beliefs define who you are, they are always adaptable and susceptible to change, depending on your life experiences.
How Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
Who is your favorite actor? It is probably someone who can effectively play any role, from a down-and- out salesperson to a business tycoon to an alien from the world of “Lupine.” Many of us tend to consider our favorite actors our role models, believing, through their on-screen personas, they have the perfect attitude and behavior. The fact is actors are not always perfect; they sometimes must do a scene many times before they get it right. However, in our everyday lives, we really don't have the luxury of retakes. Our roles are defined by how we and others perceive we should act in each situation.
Another example to explain the effect of attitudes and beliefs on behavior would be the reality programs broadcast on television. In one such program, a group of strangers are placed in a remote location where they must compete with one another in activities, attitudes, and behavior. Although these types of shows are expected to depict reality, most of them are not real-life situations. Just because these people are not professional actors doesn't mean they are not acting. They are put into situations where they act in a manner they feel is right for those situations.
Even the classic role-playing experiment, the Stanford prison experiment (Myers, 2008), is not a real-life depiction of prisoners and correction officers. Instead, it depicts how students playing the roles of prisoners and correction officers perceive the prisoners and officers to act and behave in various situations. In all these situations, the participants don't necessarily have to change their whole persona; they just adjust their behavior according to the situation.
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
3 Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
How Beliefs and Attitude affect Behavior
References Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
© 2016 South University
,
How Beliefs and Attitude Affect Behavior.html
How Beliefs and Attitude Affect Behavior
Your attitudes and beliefs control how you receive, process, store, and then use information. Your memory has the rare ability of putting things into groups, so when you need to recall something, you first look for a general memory (or a particular category). For instance, when you hear the word “cup,” depending on your memories, you probably think of a fine porcelain cup with hand-painted flowers (which you saw in an antique showroom) or a plain brown cup (which is on your desk). If you see an incomplete picture of a cup, your brain can put together the missing parts to create a whole cup. Your brain tends to shape a general image into what you perceive it to be.
Now that you have understood how your visual memory works about naming and identifying things, let's discuss your concepts regarding attitudes and beliefs. According to Myers (2008), an attitude is "an efficient way to size up the world. When we respond quickly to something, the way we feel about it can guide how we react" (p. 120). We all have an ever-growing and evolving reservoir of memories, and the way our memories are organized helps shape and maintain our beliefs and attitudes.
See the linked document for information about our attitude toward others and how attitudes manipulate behavior.
Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Additional Materials
View the PDF transcript for Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
media/week2/SUO_PSY3010 Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior.pdf
Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
2 Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
How Beliefs and Attitude affect Behavior
Attitude Toward Others
Do you think before you act? When introduced to someone, how often do you automatically perceive the person based on your attitudes and beliefs and not the person's actual characteristics? For instance, if someone introduces you to Dr. Smith, you might immediately categorize the doctor as learned and maybe having an air of wisdom and authority because of being a doctor. However, when the same person is introduced by the first name of Penelope, would you act in the same manner? The answer is probably no because you are not aware of the profession to which the person belongs and so cannot relate to your perception about the person.
Although individuals have several characteristics, your attitude toward a person is shaped by your initial meeting and the information about the person that is communicated to you. However, whatever your attitudes or beliefs about this person may be initially, you can act in a manner you have learned is appropriate. This is because as you learn more about an individual, you adjust your attitudes and act accordingly. Clearly, attitudes do not necessarily dictate your behavior.
Your attitude is, in part, a product of what you learn through your interactions with others. The sum of your experiences makes up your attitudes and beliefs. Although your attitudes and beliefs define who you are, they are always adaptable and susceptible to change, depending on your life experiences.
How Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
Who is your favorite actor? It is probably someone who can effectively play any role, from a down-and- out salesperson to a business tycoon to an alien from the world of “Lupine.” Many of us tend to consider our favorite actors our role models, believing, through their on-screen personas, they have the perfect attitude and behavior. The fact is actors are not always perfect; they sometimes must do a scene many times before they get it right. However, in our everyday lives, we really don't have the luxury of retakes. Our roles are defined by how we and others perceive we should act in each situation.
Another example to explain the effect of attitudes and beliefs on behavior would be the reality programs broadcast on television. In one such program, a group of strangers are placed in a remote location where they must compete with one another in activities, attitudes, and behavior. Although these types of shows are expected to depict reality, most of them are not real-life situations. Just because these people are not professional actors doesn't mean they are not acting. They are put into situations where they act in a manner they feel is right for those situations.
Even the classic role-playing experiment, the Stanford prison experiment (Myers, 2008), is not a real-life depiction of prisoners and correction officers. Instead, it depicts how students playing the roles of prisoners and correction officers perceive the prisoners and officers to act and behave in various situations. In all these situations, the participants don't necessarily have to change their whole persona; they just adjust their behavior according to the situation.
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
3 Attitude toward Others and how Attitudes Manipulate Behavior
How Beliefs and Attitude affect Behavior
References Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
© 2016 South University
,
Attitude, Belief, and Self-Serving Bias.html
Attitude, Belief, and Self-Serving Bias
Imagine a futuristic society that has no violence and corruption and where most vices and personal choices have been eradicated. This is the type of society shown in the movie Demolition Man (1993). In one of the not-so-memorable scenes, a man looks into what appears to be a futuristic phone booth.
The man asks the booth, "I don't know . . . lately I just don't feel like there's anything special about me." The voice of the computer, demonstrating infinite wisdom and insight states, "You are an incredibly sensitive man who inspires joy-joy feelings in all those around you" (The Internet Movie Database, 2008, n.p.).
When you hear something that you want to hear regarding your own behavior or attitudes, what does that do? Read your daily horoscope for a month, and you may come up with some underlying themes. The daily horoscope usually contains a reference to financial, relationship, and career-related issues. It is specific enough to pique your interest but ambiguous enough to allow for a great level of interpretation—your horoscope is what you interpret it to be. This also gives you an idea of what we mean by a self-serving bias.
A self-serving bias helps you move to a more positive frame of mind. Looking at yourself in a favorable light helps you rationalize when things don't go as planned, and you tend to behave in ways that supports your own bias, as well as your own impression of yourself.
Let's understand the concept of self-serving biases with the help of examples. See linked document.
The Internet Movie Database. (2008). Memorable quotes for demolition man. Retrieved from http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/quotes
Additional Materials
View the PDF transcript for Examples of Self-Serving Bias
media/week2/SUO_PSY3010 Examples of Self-Serving Bias.pdf
Examples of Self-Serving Bias
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
2 Examples of Self-Serving Bias
Attitude, Belief, and Self-Serving Bias
Examples of Self-Serving Bias
Self-serving biases lead to self-serving attributions—taking responsibility for your actions when the outcome is what you want and attributing the results to other factors when the outcome is not what you want.
Example 1
Football fans have favorite football teams. For serious fans, watching a football match of their favorite team is more than just a form of entertainment.
In 2007, the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants in a division play-off game. The New York Giants won the next two games as well, and were declared Super Bowl champions. However, the big story at the time was the relationship between Jessica Simpson (singer and celebrity) and Tony Romo (the Dallas quarterback). Most of the Dallas Cowboys bans blamed Jessica Simpson for the Dallas Cowboys’ loss. They considered her a symbol of bad luck for Tony and declared she caused too much distraction. They did not recognize even once the proficiency of the New York Giants or that Dallas Cowboys might not have performed as well as they could have.
Example 2
Writing essays and short- and long-term papers is a common practice in most educational programs. There are specific styles of writing that are considered acceptable: for example, the American Psychological Association (APA) format and style. Most assignments have 10-20 percent of the total points assigned for following the APA format and style when writing assignments, leaving 80-90 percent of the total marks for the content alone. If a student scores 35 out of 50 on an assignment, the student may blame the APA format for the score and not the fact that the student missed answering many of the questions.
© 2016 South University
,
Examples of Self-Serving Bias
PSY3010 Social Psychology
©2016 South University
2 Examples of Self-Serving Bias
Attitude, Belief, and Self-Serving Bias
Examples of Self-Serving Bias
Self-serving biases lead to self-serving attributions—taking responsibility for your actions when the outcome is what you want and attributing the results to other factors when the outcome is not what you want.
Example 1
Football fans have favorite football teams. For serious fans, watching a football match of their favorite team is more than just a form of entertainment.
In 2007, the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants in a division play-off game. The New York Giants won the next two games as well, and were declared Super Bowl champions. However, the big story at the time was the relationship between Jessica Simpson (singer and celebrity) and Tony Romo (the Dallas quarterback). Most of the Dallas Cowboys bans blamed Jessica Simpson for the Dallas Cowboys’ loss. They considered her a symbol of bad luck for Tony and declared she caused too much distraction. They did not recognize even once the proficiency of the New York Giants or that Dallas Cowboys might not have performed as well as they could have.
Example 2
Writing essays and short- and long-term papers is a common practice in most educational programs. There are specific styles of writing that are considered acceptable: for example, the American Psychological Association (APA) format and style. Most assignments have 10-20 percent of the total points assigned for following the APA format and style when writing assignments, leaving 80-90 percent of the total marks for the content alone. If a student scores 35 out of 50 on an assignment, the student may blame the APA format for the score and not the fact that the student missed answering many of the questions.
© 2016 South University
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