Introduction Flashcards
Definition of Social Psychology
A scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of Individual thoughts, feelings and behavior in social situations.
Another definition: Social psychology investigates the ways in which our thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by by the social environments in which we find ourselves - by other people or our thoughts about them.
What the term ‘Science’ refers to:
Refers to Two things:
a) a set of values (accuracy and objectivity are basic values too)
b) a method that can be used to study wide range of topics
That’s the reason social sciences can be called as ‘Science’, It’s not just for some highly advanced fields dealing with physical world.
What are Core values that needs to be adapted for psychology to be considered as science ?
- Open-Mindedness ( A commitment to changing views)
- Accuracy (Findings needs to be precise)
- Objectivity - free from biases
- Skepticism (Replication and verifiability)
Why do we need to study social psychology as everyone is in less or more an amateur social psychologist, they think about other people all their lives?
The reason is:
Such sources provide inconsistent and unreliable guide to understanding social behavior.
And also our own experiences are unique and may not provide solid foundations for answering general questions. We may be influenced by other people or experiences etc. even if we deny such sort of influence on us.
Why do we need social Psychology?
Because we can’t rely on our common sense- to solve the mysteries of social behavior.
So, we need scientific evidence about what most people do, whether they realize they do so or not and providing such evidence is, in essence, what psychology is all about.
What is Applied Psychology?
is a branch of social psychology, that draws on social psychological theories, principles, methods and research evidence, to contribute to (a) the understanding of social and practical problems and (b) the development of intervention strategies for improving the functioning of individuals, groups, organizations, communities and societies with respect to social and practical problems. In this definition, functioning is broadly viewed on several parameters.
What is the Focus of social psychologists?
It is to examine how groups influence Individual behavior, how culture becomes internalized and affects individual preferences, and how emotions and moods affect the decisions made by the individual.
This field major interest is understanding how social situations shape individual’s actions.
Does cognition play any role in social psychology?
Yes, It’s called as ‘Social Cognition’
- It means these cognitive processes like - thinking about other people - what they are like, why they do what they do, how did they behave in past etc.
- Social Psychologists understand the importance of this phenomena very well, it’s a very important area of research too.
Are environmental influences/variables studied in Psychology? Like hot weather might make a person more aggressive etc. ?
Research findings indicate that aspects of physical world can affect moods, thoughts and feelings so these variables fall in the realm of modern social psychology.
Is social behavior influenced by biological processes?
Yes, earlier they denied but now research finds that:
Our preferences, emotions, behaviors might be to some extent to relate to our biological inheritance
- although social experiences are powerful and can affect genetic factors generating complex patterns of our social lives.
What are epigenetic processes and how it affects social behavior?
These processes are - where the expression of gene is turned on or off - can influence behavior, sometimes long after exposure.
What does evolutionary perspective suggest on social behavior?
It does not suggest that we inherit specific behavior patterns but instead it contends that we inherit - tendencies or predispositions that may be apparent in our actions, depending on the environment we live in.
- This means that we have tendencies to behave in certain ways - genetic factors may play role in our behavior and thought, but they clearly our one factor among many which may influence how we think and act.
In changing world, how does psychologists use basic principles in order to understand the social behavior?
Social psychology seeks to establish the basic principles that govern social life, despite cultural differences and rapid changes in technology that affect how social life unfolds.
- Basic principles example: We have changed the way we meet our partners like we can meet them on internet from another culture or country but the basic principle of attractiveness remains the same over the time!
Plato’s role in history of social Psychology?
The republic- Plato’s book - included social psychology as political Philosophy
Who contributed to the field of social Psychology in the 2nd World War?
1950s and 1960s - Sherif, Asch and Lewin
