Social Psychology - Summary

,Ch .
1 INTRODUCTION TO

p .
9 -
40 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY




SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY The scientific study of how people 's
-




thoughts , feelings and behaviours

are influenced by other people .




two general categories description and explanation
.
:




THEORY
-

Scientific explanation that connects

and organizes existing observations
and suggests fruitful paths for
future research .




→ future research ; predict and control events



interdisciplinary bridges in social psychology
•

many


MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
→ ⑤ s




SOCIOCULTURAL -

The theoretical viewpoint that

PERSPECTIVE Searches for the causes of social

behavior in influences from larger
social groups .




-
B
e.g .
nationality ,
social class ,
etc .




→ focuses on the central importance of social norms

and culture



EVOLUTIONARY A theoretical viewpoint that searches
-




PERSPECTIVE for the causes of social behavior in


the physical and psychological pre
-




dispositions that helped our ancestors
survive and reproduce .




• the central
driving forces of evolution are adaptations
-




and natural selection
fear
e.g paternal
→ .


; care

, SOCIAL LEARNING A theoretical viewpoint that focuses on
past
-




PERSPECTIVE learning experiences as determinants of a

person
's social behavior .




→ reward and punishment
→
focuses on individually unique experiences


SOCIAL COGNITIVE A theoretical viewpoint that focuses the
-




on


PERSPECTIVE mental processes involved in
paying attention
to , interpreting . and remembering social

experiences .




b
emphasizes subjective interpretations of situations
-




b related to current
goals

=D interaction between inner experience and outside

world


=D
Combining perspectives ?


BASIC PRINCIPLES OF


b. ⇒
-
-




SOCIAL BEHAVIOR




•
two principles shared by all perspectives


i. social behavior is
goal-oriented . People interact

With each other to achieve some goal or satisfy
some inner motivation .




2. Social behavior represents a continual interaction

between the person and the situation .




•
social behavior is goal-oriented . . .




→ to establish social ties

↳ innate desire


D to understand ourselves and others
.




b
managing our lives ; fundamental to relationships


→ to gain and maintain status

cos social benefits

, to
→
defend ourselves and others

↳ survival



→
to attract and retain mates
cos reproduction


hierarchical
=D
goals are

Maslow 's
CD see e.g .

hierarchy of needs


•
the interaction between the person and the situation


PERSON -


Features or characteristics that individuals

carry into social situations .




SITUATION -




Environmental events or circumstances outside
the person .




⇒ neither person nor situation are fixed
↳ different social situations trigger different goals


HOW PSYCHOLOGISTS STUDY

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-




SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

-
DESCRIPTIVE METHOD
-




DESCRIPTIVE Procedure for
measuring or
recording behaviors
-




,


METHOD thoughts ,
and feelings in their natural state
C
including naturalistic observations case
,


studies archival studies surveys , and
, ,


psychological tests ) .




① NATURALISTIC Recording everyday behaviors as
they unfold
-




OBSERVATION in their natural settings .




→
advantages : spontaneous and natural behavior
e




→
disadvantages :
.

hard to ensure people don't notice
,




they are being observed

behaviors rare
•

some are




OBSERVER -


Error introduced into measurement when an

BIAS observer overemphasizes behaviors he or she

expects to find and fails to notice behaviors
he or she does not expect .

, ② CASE STUDY -
An extensive examination of an individual or


group .




→
understand a rare I unusual individual group
→
causes not clear , only hypothesis

GENERAL ABILITY The extent which of
to
findings particular
-




the a

research study extend to other similar

or cases circumstances
.




③ ARCHIVAL -

Examination of systematic data originally
METHOD collected for other purposes C such as marriage
licenses or arrest records ) .




of similar solution to
→
examining a number cases : the

of
problem generalize bi lily

→
disadvantage :
many social phenomena do not get recorded
→
advantage :
provide an
easy access to an abundance
of real .

world data



④ SURVEY A
technique in which the researcher asks
-




METHOD people to report on their beliefs , feelings ,


or behaviors .




→
advantage : collect data about phenomena that are

rarely demonstrate 'd in public
→
disadvantage :
dishonesty , memory biases




social The for
tendency people to say what they
-




DESIRABILITY believe is appropriate or acceptable .




BIAS



REPRESENTATIVE A of characteristics
group respondents having
-




SAMPLE that match those of the larger population
the researcher wants to describe .




⑤ PSYCHOLOGICAL Instrument for person 's abilities
assessing
-

a
,

TEST motivations
Cognitions ,
or .