Explain the effect of role-playing on attitudes in terms of cognitive dissonance theory.

AP PSYCHOLOGYUNIT 11Social Psychology

Unit 11 Objectives

• Describe the importance of attribution in social behavior and the dangers of the fundamental attribution error.
• Identify the conditions under which attitudes have a strong impact on actions.
• Explain the foot-in-the-door phenomenon and the effect of role playing on attitudes in terms of cognitive dissonance theory.
• Discuss the results of experiments on conformity and distinguish between normative and informational social influence.
• Describe Milgram’s controversial experiments on obedience and discuss their implications for understanding our susceptibility to social influence.
• Describe conditions in which the presence of others is likely to result in social facilitation, social loafing, or deindividuation.
• Discuss how group interaction can facilitate group polarization and groupthink and explain how a minority can influence the majority in a group.
• Discuss how cultural differences in social norms and gender roles influence individual behavior.
• Describe the social, emotional, and cognitive factors that contribute to the persistence of cultural, ethnic, and gender prejudice and discrimination.
• Describe the impact of biological factors, aversive events, and learning experiences on aggressive behavior.
• Discuss the effects of observing filmed violence and pornography on social attitudes and relationships.
• Explain how social traps and mirror-image perceptions fuel social conflict.
• Describe the influence of proximity, physical attractiveness, and similarity on interpersonal attraction.
• Explain the impact of physical arousal on passionate love and discuss how companionate love is nurtured by equity and self-disclosure.
• Describe and explain the bystander effect and explain altruistic behavior in terms of social exchange theory and social norms.
• Discuss effective ways of encouraging peaceful cooperation and reducing social conflict.

This unit demonstrates the powerful influences of social situations on the behavior of individuals.  Central to this topic are research studies on attitudes and actions, conformity, compliance, and cultural influences.  The social principles that emerge help us to understand how individuals are influenced by advertising, political candidates, and the various groups to which they belong.  Although social influences are powerful, it is important to remember the significant role of individuals in choosing and creating the social situations that influence them.

The unit also discusses how people relate to one another, from the negative—developing prejudice, behaving aggressively, and provoking conflict—to the positive—being attracted to people who are nearby and/or similar and behaving altruistically.  The chapter concludes with a discussion of techniques that have been shown to promote conflict resolution.

Although there is some terminology for you to learn in this unit, your primary task is to absorb the findings of the many research studies discussed.  The chapter headings, which organize the findings, should prove especially useful to you here.  In addition, you might, for each main topic (conformity, aggression, group influence, etc), ask yourself the question “What situational factors promote this phenomenon?”  The research findings can then form the basis for your answers.

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How does cognitive dissonance affect attitudes?

How does role playing affect attitudes?

What role might cognitive dissonance play in developing your position?

How does role conflict relate to cognitive dissonance?