Chapter 1 What is Social Psychology?

What Is Social Psychology?

Defining Social Psychology The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social context. Each part of this definition needs to be examined closely: – Scientific study – How individuals think, feel, and behave – Social context

Scientific Study Social psychology relies on the scientific method. Scientific method involves: – Systematic observation – Description – Measurement

How Individuals Think, Feel, and Behave Social psychology concerns a diverse set of topics. Focus is on the psychology of the individual.

Social Context Emphasis is on the social nature of individuals. – But, the “socialness” of social psychology varies. “Other people” do not have to be real or present. – Even the implied or imagined presence of others can have important effects on individuals.

Social Psychological Questions

Social Psychology and Sociology How are they different? – Sociology tends to focus on the group level. – Social psychology tends to focus on the individual level. How do the fields intersect? – Often share the same training and publish in the same journals. – Both can help in understanding societal and immediate factors that influence behavior.

Social Psychology and Related Fields

Social Belonging and GPA

Social Psychology and Clinical Psychology How are they different? – Clinical psychologists seek to understand and treat people with psychological difficulties or disorders. – Social psychologists do not focus on disorders; they focus on the more typical ways in which individuals think, feel, behave, and influence each other.

Social Psychology and Clinical Psychology (cont.) How do the fields intersect? – Numerous ways. For example, both may address how people cope with anxiety or pressure in social situations; how people perceive or act toward others, or how bullying or stereotyping can affect health.

Social Psychology and Personality Psychology How are they different? – Personality psychologists are interested in differences between individuals. – Social psychologists are interested in how social factors affect most individuals. How do the fields intersect? – Closely linked. They complement each other. – Both may examine how situational factors interact with individual differences.

Social Psychology and Cognitive Psychology How are they different? – Cognitive psychologists study mental processes overall. – Social psychologists are interested in mental processes with respect to social information and how these processes influence social behavior. How do the fields intersect? – Social cognition has become an important area within social psychology.

Social Psychology and Common Sense The “knew-it-all-along” phenomenon. Common sense seems to explain many social psychological findings after the fact. – But how does one distinguish common sense facts from common sense myths? Unlike common sense, social psychology uses the scientific method to put its theories to the test.

From Past to Present A Brief History of Social Psychology

Birth and Infancy of Social Psychology: 1880s – 1920s Who was the founder of social psychology? First textbooks were by McDougall (1908), Ross (1908), and F. Allport (1924). – These books established social psychology as a distinct field of study.

A Call to Action: 1930s – 1950s Who had the most dramatic impact on social psychology? – Quite possibly Adolf Hitler! Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues formed in 1936.

A Call to Action: 1930s – 1950s (cont’d) Sherif’s (1936) groundbreaking experimental research on social influence. Kurt Lewin, another important contributor to field – Interaction between person and environment, which later became known as interactionist perspective

A Call to Action: 1930s – 1950s (cont’d) WWII prompted social psychologists to examine the nature of prejudice, aggression, and conformity In 1953, Gordon Allport published The Nature of Prejudice Solomon Asch’s research on conformity Leon Festinger’s research on social comparison

Confidence and Crisis: 1960s – mid-1970s Milgram’s famous obedience experiments Period of expansion and enthusiasm Also a time of crisis and heated debate – Strong reactions against the laboratory experiment as the dominant research method

An Era of Pluralism: Mid-1970s – 1990s “Crisis” led to a stronger discipline. Adoption of pluralism – Acceptance of many methods of investigation in addition to the laboratory experiment – Integration of both “hot” and “cold” perspectives in the study of the determinants of our thoughts and actions – Development of international and multicultural perspectives

Social Psychology in a New Century

Integrating emotion, motivation, and cognition Biological and evolutionary perspectives Cultural perspectives New technologies

Integration of emotion, motivation, and cognition Integration of “hot” and “cold” variables concerning conflict of wanting to be right vs. wanting to feel good about oneself Growing interest in distinguishing between automatic vs. controllable processes, and understanding dynamic between them

Biological and Evolutionary Perspectives Social neuroscience Behavioral genetics Evolutionary psychology

Cultural Perspectives Defining “culture” Cross-cultural research Multicultural research

Self-Descriptions Across Cultures

Other Interdisciplinary Approaches Behavioral economics Embodied cognition

New Technologies Brain imaging technology and procedures – positron emission tomography (PET) – event-related potential (ERP) – transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) – functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Internet