PSYC 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Prosocial Behavior, Jonathan Haidt, Émile Durkheim

• School: American River College
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 300
• Professor: Fratello

Document Summary

Humans are similar to bugs, like ants. Key lesson of social psychology is that behavior is deeply affected by the situation. Social psychology emphasizes power of social influence to affect our thought and even emotions. And thus power of situations to affect behavior. We go along with what other people say (test about moving dot) We look to other people to interpret the situation. William james (1990) proposed ideomotor action- thinking leads to doing. Chartrand and bargh (1999) built on this idea to propose that people unconsciously mimic others behaviors. We are tuned to others- tend to do as they do without thinking (yawning) Study: confederate rubs his face and then subject is more likely to rub their face. More time you spend with someone, the more you look like them. 75-85% of aggressive crimes caused by alcohol. 99% of us households have tvs- similar in other parts of world.