CHAPTER 1 (introducing social psychology) Flashcards
social psychology
is the scientific study of how we feel about, think about and behave towards the people around us and how our feelings, thoughts and behaviours are influenced by those people
how did sociology begin?
when scientists were able to first measured thoughts, feelings and behaviour of humans
who is the father of sociology?
Kurt Lewin
who refined the experimental approach?
Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger
who developed a model to explain why do and don’t help and when?
John Darley and Bibb Lantane in 1968
who pioneered the study of human aggression and when?
Leonard Berkowitz in 1974
what did Irving Janis study in 1922?
he focused on group behaviour, studying why intelligent people sometimes made decisions that led to disastrous results when they worked together
what did Gordon Allport and Muzafir Sherif study?
they focused on intergroup relations to understand and reduce stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
how did sociology develop in the 70s and 80s?
it became more cognitive oriented
social cognition
an understanding of how our knowledge about our social worlds develop through experience and the influence of these knowledge structures on memory, information processing , attitudes and judgment
social neuroscience
the study of how social behaviour both influences and is influenced by the activities of our brain
social influence
the process through which other people change our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and through which we change theirs
evolutionary adaptation
the assumption that human nature, including much of our social behaviour, is determined largely by our evolutionary past
fitness
refers to the extent to which having a given characteristic helps the individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a higher rate than do other members of the species who do not have the characteristic
self concern
motivation to protect and enhance the self and the other people who are psychologically close to us
other concern
motivation to affiliate with, accept and be accepted by others
kin selection
strategies that favour the reproductive success of one’s relative, sometimes even at a cost to the individuals own survival
in group
those we view as being similar and important to us and with whom we share close social connections
social norms
the way of thinking, feeling, or behaviour that are shared bu group members and perceived by them as appropriate
culture
represents a group of people, normally living within a given geographical region, who share common set pf social norms, including religious and family values and moral beliefs
individualism
cultural norms, common in Western societies, that focus primarily on self-enhancement and independence
collectivism
these norms indicate that people should be more fundamentally connected with others and thus are more oriented towards in dependence
what are the ABC’s of sociology?
A (affect), B ( behaviour) and C (cognition)
social cognition
cognition that relates to social activities and that help us understand and predict the behaviour of ourselves and others
