1. Introduction

Question 1

Define social psychology

Answer 1

• Branch of psychology that examines social interactions and how behaviours influence each other
• Studies how the actual, imagined or implied presence of others influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviours

Question 2

Explain the difference between social psychology and common sense/philosophy

Answer 2

Although both social psychologists and philosophers address similar questions about human nature, social psychology is a science and uses experimental methods to come to its conclusions. The conclusions made from common sense are unreliable, contradictory and oversimplified

Question 3

Explain the difference between social psychology and sociology

Answer 3

Although both examine the role of situational and social influences on human behaviour, the difference lies in the level of analysis. Social psychology looks at the individual (how does the individual act/think?) and seeks for consistent, universal factors of influence regardless of culture or social class. Sociology analyses broad sociological factors (how does society act/think?)

Question 4

Explain the difference between social psychology and personality psychology

Answer 4

Both share an emphasis on the individual and the nature of their behaviour
Personality psychology = what makes individuals different from each other
Social psychology = what makes individuals similar and susceptible to the same social influences

Question 5

Explain the fundamental attribution error

Answer 5

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which behavior stems from personality traits and underestimate the role of situational factors

Question 6

What are the 2 main conflits in psychology?

Answer 6

• The need to feel good about oneself
• The need to view ourselves and the world accurately

Question 7

Explain the self-esteem approach

Answer 7

• Self-esteem = feeling positively about ourselves, evaluation of your self-worth
• We are likely to distort our view of the world (need to be accurate) in order to preserve our self-esteem
• We are likely to attribute positive feelings to painful situations in order to justify our participation in such events

Question 8

Explain the social cognition approach

Answer 8

• Approach that assumes that people want to view the world as objectively as possible
• Incorporation of human cognitive abilities (ex: reasoning, judgement, decision-making, etc.) into theories of social behaviour

Question 9

What is the connection between social psychology and social problems?

Answer 9

Social psychological research has attempted to understand human social behavior and to find solutions to social problems