Chapter 1: Intro to Social Psychology Part 1: Thurs. Jan. 19 (Basic Outline only)
Social Psych and Other Fields Little overlap with clinical psych Differences? Personality Psych – a good amount of overlap with social psy How do they differ?
Cognitive psych – good amount of overlap Subfield of social cognition Sociology - different level of analysis and research methods How do they differ?
Is this different from common sense? Common sense relied on explanations after the fact –hindsight Some social psych findings appear counterintuitive Examples? Social psych uses theories to make predictions (hypotheses) What are theories?
History of Social Psych Early years: 1880s-1920s Earliest finding related to social performance? Rise of research: 1930s-1950s Influence of the wars Expansion: 1960s and 70s
Pluralism: 70s-90s What was examined? Current era’s important influences – Social cognition Evolution Cultural influences Technology
Virtual Environment Research Immersive VE research Advantages for social psych? Stanford Univ. example – recycling behavior:
Examples from Jim Blascovich’s research group: Risk-taking and conformity: Casino research – what does he examine? Immersive violent video games: What outcomes are assessed? Eyewitness testimony: Recreations of crimes – Lineups -
Social Psychology and Values Our values influence our research. Our choice of research topics Our observations of people Where is most social psych research done? Influence on theory development?
Application – video on American approach to healing after trauma Ethan Watters “Crazy Like Us” Experience in Sri Lanka – differences in coping?