10 incredible phenomena of Social Psychology

In the 5 years that I have studied Psychology in SevilleI have seen many boring things but I have also read about some very interesting experiments that have caught my attention.

They are the typical experiments that later I commented to my friends with the typical comment. Did you know… ?

As i said Philip Zimbardo, one of the best known psychologists in the world:

“I've been very interested in how and why normal people do abnormal things, things that seem out of this world. Why do good people sometimes act like the devil? Why do smart people sometimes do silly or irrational things? "

I present you the 10 studies in social psychology that have had the most influence in the history of Psychology. Each one of them explains a part of your life and you probably haven't stopped to think why you act in a certain way or have certain thoughts.

1-The effect of conformity

It was demonstrated by the psychologist Asch in the 1950s. In an experiment, he brought together several actors and a normal person. They were shown leaves with stripes of different sizes and asked which was larger, first asking the actors to answer wrong on purpose.

The effect was that the normal subject responded the same as the actors. Did you know it was wrong and gave the same answer to agree with others or did your perception change due to the answers of others?

2-Do we pay attention to our environment?

In 2007 a curious experiment was carried out: the famous violinist from the United States, Josh Bell, dressed in street clothes and played in the Washington DC subway. This man played on a $ 4 million violin and when he gives concerts people usually pay up to $ 100 per ticket. Would people gather to see him play on the subway? The result was that few people stopped to listen to his music, while he made just $ 32 in one day..

3-The Standford Prison Experiment Are we autonomous or do we do what society tells us to do??

This experiment was developed in 1971 by the psychologist Philip Zimbardo in Standford with volunteers playing the roles of guards and prisoners in a fictitious jail (all mentally stable). Zimbardo's intention was to discover what happened when a human being was stripped of his individuality and dignity and his life was completely controlled..

The result of this situation was that, although physical punishment was prohibited, the guards became sadistic (they mistreated the prisoners despite knowing that they were innocent) and the inmates began to experience symptoms of depression and acute stress. It was decided to end the experiment just 6 days after it started..

Some of the conclusions were:

• 1) individual personalities are "covered up" when given authority.

• 2) individuals act as they think they should act without using their own judgment.

• 3) subjects reacted to the needs of the situation, not to its values.

What will happen then in prisons around the world? Are human rights really respected?

4-Robber's Cave Experiment: The Power of Higher Goals

The psychologists Muzafer Sherif and Carolyn Sherif observed how in two groups of adolescents who did not know each other at all, internal hierarchies were formed and a group identity was formed. After a while, conflicts arose between the two groups. However, by setting higher goals (such as lack of water or food), the two groups collaborated effectively together..

It is a phenomenon that is well observed in the movie Independence Day; when there is an otherworldly force that threatens human existence, all nations unite to fight it.

5-The halo effect

The halo effect is a classic in social psychology. This effect explains that overall evaluation of a person (for example “he is a good person”) comes from judging specific traits (for example "is attractive"). That is, it is enough for us to perceive a positive trait in a person to decide that they also have other positive traits. You can see this well in famous actors; because they are attractive, we believe that they are also intelligent, friendly or kind.

6-The Stanley Milgram Experiment: Obedience

In 1963, the psychologist Stanley Milgram carried out a series of studies to study the effect that the orders of the authority figures.

In the experiment an authority figure asked a volunteer teacher to administer electric shocks to students for every bad answer. When performing the crash, the teachers could hear the (pretended) screams of pain from the students. However, the teachers did not stop because the authority figures ordered them to do so..

It demonstrated the influence that authority figures have on our behavior, even if they ask us for things that are unacceptable for our values ​​and morality..

7-The spectator effect

Have you found yourself in a situation in which someone is suffering (they are robbing, attacking or has fallen) and no one comes to help them?

After the incredible murder of Kitty genovese in 1964, they set out to investigate human behaviors in emergency situations.

It was found that when there is an emergency situation, someone is less likely to act in a group than if they are alone. However, if someone takes the first step, the chances of more people joining are increased..

8-Cognitive dissonance

Festinger and Carlsmith conducted an experiment in 1959 that explained how we form a story about our life and identity, why we think and behave the way we do, and how we form our values..

The cognitive dissonance it is the tension we feel when we are considering two options that conflict, because one of them is not in accordance with our values. For example, if you go to war and one of your values ​​is peace, you will experience dissonance (tension) and you will tend to overcome it by creating a new higher value, such as defending your family or your country..

9-The effect of the false Ross consensus

It was demonstrated by the psychologist Lee Ross in an investigation of 1977. This is one of the most common phenomena and that most attracts my attention. It is based on the fact that people tend to believe that others think the same as they do, that is to say that the set of opinions, beliefs and own impressions is the most common among others, when in reality it is not..

In addition, it was shown that when someone believes that others think differently, they perceive extreme personalities.

10-The theory of social identity

This theory explains how we categorize ourselves and others to distinguish ourselves.

Its main elements are:

• 1) Categorization: we put ourselves and others in categories (Latin, European, Muslim, political are categories)

• 2) Identification: we associate with a group that increases our self-esteem (groups of friends, profession, family ...). This is closely related to social cognition..

• 3) Comparison: we compare ourselves with other groups and we always perceive ours as more positive.

• 4) Psychosocial distinction: we want our identity to be distinguished from that of others in a positive way.

Have you observed any of these effects in your life?