Social Psychology
I have to admit it: I secretly think social psychology is the most fun area of psychology. It’s all about how we deal with one another; how we influence each other, how we fall in love, why we argue, why we conform to the group’s wishes – some of the most well-known studies in psychology were done by social psychologists, like Milgram’s obedience studies, Ash’s conformity studies, and that study that took place in a men’s bathroom in which they….well, you’ll find out. Have fun listening to episodes in this topic area of psychology.
Episodes
- Episode 116: Social Loafing – Don’t Be a Sucker or a Free Loader!
Do you like working in a group? Most people don’t because they’re afraid that they’ll have to do most of the work (wind up being a sucker) and that other group members won’t do their share of the work (free loaders). Want to find out how to avoid this and make your group work productive? Learn how the Agile software development technique can be adapted to your help your next group project be a success.
Social Loafing (free riding) occurs when…
- …group members don’t value the group goal
- …individual contributions to the group effort cannot be measured
- …a group member’s effort is duplicated (or even surpassed) by someone else
- …a group member feels that he or she doesn’t have a unique skill to devote to the group effort
- …when a group member feels that what he or she has been asked to do is harder than what others have been asked to do
- …a group member doesn’t think (or doesn’t know) whether or that others in the group are working on the task (or how hard they are working on the task)
Solutions:
- Make sure that each group member has a different set of skills
- Everybody has to believe that the task is important
- Assign roles to group members (note taker, time keeper, questioner, reporter, etc.)
- The group has to know exactly what is expected, i.e., how will you know when the task is “done”?
- make sure that the groups break down the larger goal (write a paper, do a project) into smaller “phases”
- Ask each person in the group to “grade” themselves and everyone else in the group
- Make sure that the group meets as often as possible – if not every day then every other day. Once a week is probably not often enough
- use some Agile methods in these meetings: a) what have you done since the last meeting?, b) what are you planning to do before the next meeting?, c) is anything blocking you?
Articles on Social Loafing
- Social loafing: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 681-706
- Shepperd, A. (1993). Productivity loss in performance groups: A motivation analysis, Psychological Bulletin, 113, 67-81.
Resources on the Agile Software Development process
- The New Methodology by Martin Fowler
- The Agile Journal – a discussion site for those interested in Agile
- The Agile For All site. "Agile Bob" is the person who provided the training that I received in Agile. He’s an excellent trainer.
- Episode 115 (Video): Violent Video Games – What Does the Research Say?
Recent research on violent video games is pretty conclusive and you’re not going to like it: there’s good evidence that people if you play violent video games you might be less likely to a) notice aggressive events, b) perceive fewer or less severe injuries, c) feel less sympathy for violence victims, and d) have less negative attitudes towards violence. In this video I take a close look at this research.
- Episode 102: How to Create an Online Experiment on Eyewitness Testimony Accuracy
Want to create an online experiment? Here’s how to do it. I’ll show you how you can create an online experiment using Sproutbuilder and Google Forms. Using these two tools, you’ll be able to get creative and put together an experiment online that others all over the world can take.
- Episode 98: Evolutionary Psychology – An Interview with Dr. David Buss
Do you know your own “mate value” in the dating world? Curious about evolutionary psychology? In this interview with Dr. David Buss we discuss a number of interesting and controversial topics, such as the matching hypothesis and date rape.
- Episode 97: Stanley Milgram Obedience Study Finally Replicated
The obedience studies originally conducted by Stanley Milgram (sometimes referred to as the Milgram Shock studies) have finally been replicated in a university setting. Will people obey an authority figure and give a stranger a dangerous shock? Or have things changed in the last 40 years such that people will be more willing to be disobedient to authority?
- Episode 93: Your Brain on a Website
How can you use psychology to design a website so people are likely to buy products from you? Or design a website so people are likely to donate money to your cause? In this episode Dr Susan Weinschenk discusses some of these ideas from her book Neuro Web Design. Ever thought you could apply brain science to web design?
- Episode 91: The Psychology of Effective Meetings
Do you hate meetings as much as I do? Business people and students often hate meetings and group projects because it’s hard to get everyone to participate and it’s hard to just get things done. I talk with professional project manager April Montana who shares with you some of her secrets to making group members get things done.
- Episode 89: Don’t Touch That Dial! Why You Should Love Commercials
Watching commercials actually increases your enjoyment of the show. Do you believe it? Did you, like myself, pay good money on a Tivo or video digital recorder just so you could avoid commercials? Well, before you skip passed those commercials check out this episode of The Psych Files.
- Episode 78: The Psychology of Tipping
How can waiters increase their tips? Would you believe psychologists have devoted a great deal of research to this question? Join me as we take a look at what waiters and waitresses can do to increase the amount of the tip their customers give them.
- Episode 75: Science Proves Subliminal Tapes Work! Well….not really
Do subliminal messages in self-help tapes really work? There actually is some evidence that people can be influenced by subliminal messages. Can your self-esteem be raised with subliminal tapes? These questions answered once and for all at The Psych Files podcast.
- Episode 74: Social Influence in a Virtual World – A Virtual Door in the Face
The Foot in the Door and the Door in the Face are two classic social influence techniques that have been heavily studied by psychologists. Join me for this fascinating conversation with Paul Eastwick, who along with Dr. Wendy Gardner from Northwestern University ventured into There.com to see if these very effective real-world techniques were equally effective on avatars.
- Episode 73: On the Folly of….Politics
On The Folly of Rewarding A While Hoping For B is a well known article by Steven Kerr that appeared in The Academy of Management Executive. Want an example of how insightful Steven Kerr was with this article that is still relevant today? Look no further than the US election and Comedy Central.
- Episode 67: The Olympic Silver Metal? What a Bummer!
Psychologists say that winning the silver medal – coming in second – is actually less satisfying than coming in third – the bronze. Why is that? Find out why winning the silver is…a bummer.
- Episode 66: What to do about Mom? Personal Control and Aging
Do nursing homes and assisted living facilities have to be so depressing? Is there a way to help senior citizens have more energy and more enthusiasm for life? What do psychologists know that you should know about how to help the elderly feel good about life?
- Episode 63: Cognitive Dissonance, the Monty Hall Problem and a Possible Resolution?
Cognitive Dissonance – one of the most established and respected theories in psychology – is under attack. An economist – M. Keith Chen – uses what is called the “Monty Hall problem” to show that the research on cognitive dissonance may be seriously flawed.
- Episode 62: Sustainability and Human Behavior
Sustainability – what does it mean? Are you concerned about how human beings are using up our natural resources and are you perhaps worried about the future of our planet? Listen to Dr. Deborah Rowe talk about this concept of sustainability and find out what this movement has to do with psychology
- Episode 60: The Full Monty Backstage – Body Image and Gender Differences
The Full Monty: maybe you’ve seen the movie or the musical, but what is it like backstage? What are the actors thinking? What would you be thinking if you had to take your clothes off in front of an audience? Would it make a difference if you were a man or a woman?
- Episode 58: Speed Dating – You Don’t Know What You Want
Do you really know what you want in a romantic partner? The answer is….no. How often have you heard that men want women with great bodies and women want a good provider? Learn more about what women (and men) really want in this fascinating study conducted in a speed dating event.
- Episode 51: Elliot Spitzer’s Wife: Hero or Victim?
People have been talking about Elliot Spitzer and his wife Silda. Why did she stand by and support him when it appears he clearly betrayed her trust? Would you believe that the “Covariation Principle” can be applied to this situation?
- Episode 50: Psychological Study Ripped Straight from….the Bible?
How many scientific studies find their inspiration from a parable in the bible? I’ll go over a very interesting study based on the Good Samaritan parable. Are people more likely to help someone if they are thinking “pious” thoughts at the time?
