Introducing Soc.Psy Flashcards
Chapters 1 and 2. Introduction and a few terms relating to Research Methods
Social psychology = the attempt to ___
understand and explain (through scientific study) how
thoughts, feelings and behaviours
are influenced by the real, imagined or implied presence of other people
Social influence
the effect that the words, actions, or mere presence of other people have on our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or behavior
Social vs Personality Psychology
Personality:
- how particular traits are acquired
- how these traits influence the individual’s behaviour
Social:
-impact of the social SITUATION on individual behaviour
but also:
–individual difference variables and tendencies, such as social attitude (and how it changes) etc
The 3 factors determining individual behaviour
1) Biological constitution
2) Acquired traits
3) Social & physical context
Sociology vs Social Psychology
Sociologists:
trace social behaviour upwards to STRUCTURAL VARIABLES, such as norms, roles or social class
Soc. Psychologists:
trace it downwards to the individual’s goals, motives and cognitions
Social Facilitation
an improvement in the performance of well-learned/easy tasks, and worsening of performance of poorly-learned/difficult tasks, due to the presence of others
Fundamental Attribution Error
a cognitive bias to assume that a person’s actions depend on what “kind” of person that person is, rather than on the social and environmental forces that influence the person.
Validity
a measure that measures precisely what it is supposed to measure
Internal Validity
when an observed relationship between independent and dependent variables reflects a CAUSAL relationship
Social Desirability
we are likely to want to be seen in a positive light, and ay therefore adjust our responses or behaviour in order to avoid being negatively evaluated
External Validity
the findings can be generalised to apply to other settings and populations
