Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology of 97 prophecies, our initially false expectations shape the way we act toward someone. In turn, this person responds to our behavior in ways that confirm our expectations. First, attitudes influence behavior more strongly when situational factors that contradict our attitudes are weak. According to the theory of planned behavior, our intention to engage in a behavior is strongest when we have a positive attitude toward that behavior, when subjective norms (our perceptions of what other people think we should do) support our attitudes, and we believe that the behavior is under our control. Second, attitudes have a greater influence on behavior when we are aware of them and when they are strongly held. Third, general attitudes best predict general classes of behavior, and specific attitudes best predict specific behaviors. Attitudes predict behavior best when situational influences are weak, when the attitude is strong, and when we consciously think about our attitude. Behavior also influences attitudes. Counter attitudinal behavior is where a person behaves in a way that is inconsistent with their attitudes. This is most likely to create cognitive dissonance (an unpleasant state of tension) when the behavior is feely chosen and threatens self-worth, or produces foreseeable negative consequences. To reduce dissonance, we may change our attitude to become more consistent with how we have acted. The self-perception theory also helps promote attitude change, where we make inferences about our own attitudes in much the same way by observing how we behave. Persuasion represents the intersection of social thinking and social influence. In persuasion, communicator credibility is highest when the communicator is perceived as expert and trustworthy. Fear-arousing communications may be effective if they arouse moderate to strong fear and suggest how to avoid the feared result. The central route to persuasion occurs when people think carefully about the message and are influenced because they find the arguments compelling. It works best with listeners who have a high need for cognition. For those with a low cognition need, the peripheral route works better. This occurs when people do not scrutinize the message but are influenced mostly by other factors such as a speaker’s attractiveness or a message’s emotional appeal. 11.3 Group Behavior Group Behavior- Much of human behavior occurs in groups. People often form groups to share interests and activities and to perform tasks and achieve goals that are too complex or demanding to be accomplished by one person. Asch’s Study on Conformity- In psychology, the Asch conformity experiments, or the Asch Paradigm, were a series of laboratory experiments, directed by Solomon Asch in the 1950s, that demonstrated the degree to which an individual's own opinions are influenced by those of a majority group. Each participant was placed in a room with seven confederates. Confederates were introduced as participants to the real participant. Participants were shown a card with a line on it, followed by a card with three lines of different lengths, labeled A, B, and C, respectively. Participants were then © 2015 Achieve Page 85