| Social psychology is the scientific study
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| | emerged. Modern researchers are
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| of how people's thoughts, feelings, and
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| | interested in a variety of phenomena, but
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| behaviors are influenced by the actual,
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| | attribution, social cognition, and the
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| imagined, or implied presence of others
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| | self-concept are perhaps the greatest
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| (Allport, 1985). By this definition,
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| | areas of growth in recent years. Social
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| scientific refers to the empirical method
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| | psychologists have also maintained their
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| of investigation. The terms thoughts,
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| | applied interests, with contributions in
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| feelings, and behaviors include all of
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| | health and environmental psychology, as
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| the psychological variables that are
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| | well as the psychology of the legal
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| measurable in a human being. The
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| | system.
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| statement that others may be imagined or
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| | Intrapersonal phenomena
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| implied suggests that we are prone to
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| | Attitudes
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| social influence even when no other
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| | The study of attitudes is a core topic in
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| people are present, such as when watching
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| | social psychology. Attitudes are involved
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| television, or following internalized
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| | in virtually every other area of the
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| cultural norms.
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| | discipline, including conformity,
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| Social psychologists typically explain
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| | interpersonal attraction, social
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| human behavior as a result of the
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| | perception, and prejudice. In social
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| interaction of mental states and
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| | psychology, attitudes are defined as
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| immediate, social situations. In Kurt
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| | learned, global evaluations of a person,
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| Lewin's (1951), famous heuristic,
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| | object, place, or issue that influence
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| behavior can be viewed as a function of
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| | thought and action (Perloff, 2003). Put
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| the person and the environment, B=f(P,E).
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| | more simply, attitudes are basic
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| In general, social psychologists have a
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| | expressions of approval or disapproval,
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| preference for laboratory based,
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| | favorability or unfavorability, or as Bem
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| empirical findings. Their theories tend
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| | (1970) put it, likes and dislikes.
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| to be specific and focused, rather than
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| | Examples would include liking chocolate
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| global and general.
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| | ice cream, being anti-abortion, or
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| Social psychology is an interdisciplinary
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| | endorsing the values of a particular
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| domain that bridges the gap between
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| | political party.
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| psychology and sociology. During the
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| | Social psychologists have studied
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| years immediately following World War II,
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| | attitude formation, the structure of
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| there was frequent collaboration between
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| | attitudes, attitude change, the function
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| psychologists and sociologists (Sewell,
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| | of attitudes, and the relationship
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| 1989). However, the two disciplines have
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| | between attitudes and behavior. Because
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| become increasingly specialized and
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| | people are influenced by the situation,
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| isolated from each other in recent years,
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| | general attitudes are not always good
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| with sociologists focusing on "macro
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| | predictors of specific behavior. For a
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| variables" (e.g. social structure) to a
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| | variety of reasons, a person may value
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| much greater extent. Nevertheless,
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| | the environment and not recycle a can on
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| sociological approaches to social
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| | a particular day. Attitudes that are well
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| psychology remain an important
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| | remembered and central to our
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| counterpart to psychological research in
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| | self-concept, however, are more likely to
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| this area.
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| | lead to behavior, and measures of general
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| History
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| | attitudes do predict patterns of behavior
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| The discipline of social psychology began
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| | over time.
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| in the United States at the dawn of the
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| | Persuasion
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| 20th Century. The first published study
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| | The topic of persuasion has received a
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| in this area was an experiment by Norman
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| | great deal of attention in recent years.
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| Triplett (1898) on the phenomenon of
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| | Persuasion is an active method of
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| social facilitation. During the 1930s,
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| | influence that attempts to guide people
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| many Gestalt psychologists, particularly
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| | toward the adoption of an attitude, idea,
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| Kurt Lewin, fled to the United States
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| | or behavior by rational or emotive means.
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| from Nazi Germany. They were instrumental
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| | Persuasion relies on "appeals" rather
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| in developing the field as something
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| | than strong pressure or coercion.
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| separate from the behavioral and
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| | Numerous variables have been found to
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| psychoanalytic schools that were dominant
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| | influence the persuasion process, and
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| during that time, and social psychology
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| | these are normally presented in four
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| has always maintained the legacy of their
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| | major categories: who said what to whom
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| interests in perception and cognition.
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| | and how.
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| Attitudes and a variety of small group
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| | The Communicator, including credibility,
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| phenomena were the most commonly studied
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| | expertise, trustworthiness, and
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| topics in this era.
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| | attractiveness.
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| During WWII, social psychologists studied
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| | The Message, including varying degrees of
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| persuasion and propaganda for the U.S.
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| | reason, emotion (such as fear), one-sided
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| military. After the war, researchers
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| | or two sided arguments, and other types
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| became interested in a variety of social
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| | of informational content.
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| problems, including gender issues and
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| | The Audience, including a variety of
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| racial prejudice. In the sixties, there
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| | demographics, personality traits, and
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| was growing interest in a variety of new
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| | preferences.
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| topics, such as cognitive dissonance,
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| | The Channel, including the printed word,
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| bystander intervention, and aggression.
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| | radio, television, the internet, or
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| By the 1970s, however, social psychology
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| | face-to-face interactions.
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| in America had reached a crisis. There
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| | Dual process theories of persuasion (such
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| was heated debate over the ethics of
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| | as the Elaboration Likelihood Model)
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| laboratory experimentation, whether or
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| | maintain that the persuasive process is
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| not attitudes really predicted behavior,
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| | mediated by two separate "routes."
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| and how much science could be done in a
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| | Persuasion can be accomplished by either
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| cultural context (see Gergen, 1973). This
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| | superficial aspects of the communication
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| was also the time when a radical
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| | or the internal logic of the message.
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| situationist approach challenged the
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| | Whether someone is persuaded by a popular
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| relevance of self and personality in
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| | celebrity or factual arguments is largely
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| psychology.
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| | determined by the ability and motivation
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| Social psychology reached maturity in
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| | of the audience. However, decades of
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| both theory and method during the 1980s
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| | research have demonstrated that deeply
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| and 1990s. Careful ethical standards now
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| | held attitudes are remarkably resistant
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| regulate research, and greater pluralism
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| | to persuasion under normal circumstances.
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| and multicultural perspectives have
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