SOCIAL AREA
Definition:
- An attempt to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings and
behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied
presence of others
Key assumptions:
- We behave differently in different situations depending on the social roles we take +
on the perceived/actual presence of others
- Other people and the environment's influence on our behaviour
- Our relationships with other people also influence how we behave
Why this area is useful (for what or to whom):
- Looks at: s
elf concept, social cognition, attribution theory, social influence, group
processes, prejudice + discrimination, interpersonal processes, aggression, attitudes +
stereotypes
Key points for comparison:
- Way research is carried out: F ield experiments, surveys, laboratory experiments
→ social psychologists are as systematic + scientific in how they approach their research as
psychologists working in other areas of that subject
- Links to debates: socially-sensitive research, ethical considerations,
individual/situational, reductionism/holism,
Strengths Weaknesses
Research within the social area can help Findings from research within the social
improve our understanding of human area may not be true for all time
behaviour ↪ Social situations can change over time
↪ particularly extent to which this is affected by
other people
Research within social area often helps to Given the socially-sensitive nature of much
bring psychology to wider audiences research within the social area
↪ given the way in which research often seeks to ↪ It can be difficult to stay within the ethical
explain real-world events guidelines
, CLASSIC: MILGRAM - RESPONSE TO PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY
Link to Key theme:
- Milgram’s study would appear to tell us that obedience to those in authority
(even when they are asking us to cause harm to someone else) is much more common
than we would like to believe
Link to Area:
- Reveals extent to which people’s behaviour can be
influenced by other people around them:
→ his participants did not want to administer high voltage electric shocks to the ‘learner’ but,
in the face of the prods from the ‘experimenter’, they went against their desires and behaved
in the way that was requested of them
Links to debates:
FREEWILL/DETERMINISM:
determined 65% obeyed
↪ i .e administered electric shocks to the learner all the way up to max 450v
freewill 35% didn’t obey & chose how they acted
↪ i .e walked away from experiment before reaching max 450v
USEFULNESS:
useful Can be useful as it suggests to people of authority that people in positions
subordinate to them can generally be expected to be obedient
↪ useful in schools & business or military settings
not useful Can be abused by those who might seek people to obey them for malicious purposes
INDIVIDUAL/SITUATIONAL:
individual - Description of how they behaved shows they were uncomfortable
- 65% obeyed which shows power of the situation
- Milgram carried out variations ( e.g having victim in same room as the teacher)
to see which features had the greatest impact & it was the situation
situational - 35% disobeyed which shows personalities are a great impact on
behaviour
- Milgram collected background info on his participants to see if they
were any individual factors of those who were obedient and
disobedient
Definition:
- An attempt to understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings and
behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied
presence of others
Key assumptions:
- We behave differently in different situations depending on the social roles we take +
on the perceived/actual presence of others
- Other people and the environment's influence on our behaviour
- Our relationships with other people also influence how we behave
Why this area is useful (for what or to whom):
- Looks at: s
elf concept, social cognition, attribution theory, social influence, group
processes, prejudice + discrimination, interpersonal processes, aggression, attitudes +
stereotypes
Key points for comparison:
- Way research is carried out: F ield experiments, surveys, laboratory experiments
→ social psychologists are as systematic + scientific in how they approach their research as
psychologists working in other areas of that subject
- Links to debates: socially-sensitive research, ethical considerations,
individual/situational, reductionism/holism,
Strengths Weaknesses
Research within the social area can help Findings from research within the social
improve our understanding of human area may not be true for all time
behaviour ↪ Social situations can change over time
↪ particularly extent to which this is affected by
other people
Research within social area often helps to Given the socially-sensitive nature of much
bring psychology to wider audiences research within the social area
↪ given the way in which research often seeks to ↪ It can be difficult to stay within the ethical
explain real-world events guidelines
, CLASSIC: MILGRAM - RESPONSE TO PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY
Link to Key theme:
- Milgram’s study would appear to tell us that obedience to those in authority
(even when they are asking us to cause harm to someone else) is much more common
than we would like to believe
Link to Area:
- Reveals extent to which people’s behaviour can be
influenced by other people around them:
→ his participants did not want to administer high voltage electric shocks to the ‘learner’ but,
in the face of the prods from the ‘experimenter’, they went against their desires and behaved
in the way that was requested of them
Links to debates:
FREEWILL/DETERMINISM:
determined 65% obeyed
↪ i .e administered electric shocks to the learner all the way up to max 450v
freewill 35% didn’t obey & chose how they acted
↪ i .e walked away from experiment before reaching max 450v
USEFULNESS:
useful Can be useful as it suggests to people of authority that people in positions
subordinate to them can generally be expected to be obedient
↪ useful in schools & business or military settings
not useful Can be abused by those who might seek people to obey them for malicious purposes
INDIVIDUAL/SITUATIONAL:
individual - Description of how they behaved shows they were uncomfortable
- 65% obeyed which shows power of the situation
- Milgram carried out variations ( e.g having victim in same room as the teacher)
to see which features had the greatest impact & it was the situation
situational - 35% disobeyed which shows personalities are a great impact on
behaviour
- Milgram collected background info on his participants to see if they
were any individual factors of those who were obedient and
disobedient
