Introduction to social psychology Flashcards
What is social psychology
It is the scientific study of the ways in which the imagined, actual or implied presence of others influences our thoughts, feelings and behaviours (Allport, 1985)
What should the scientific method stand by
the falsification principle: studies should look to disprove theories rather than to prove them (Karl popper)
What are key sections in social psychologies history
1880: Ringleman studied whether group size impacts individual effort in a group task
1897: Trippet - whether the presence of others enhanced performance on a simple cycling task
1908 - the first 2 books titled social psychology
What are the two main perspectives within social psychology
1) Gestalt psychology
2) Behaviourism
What is Gestalt psychology?
The study of social cognition - how the social environment is reflected within the brain, and how we perceive aspects of the social world
What is behaviourism?
Skinner and Watson:
- human behaviour can be shaped and influenced by simple positive and negative reinforcement and punishment within the environment
What are the five basic themes in social psychology
1) power of the situation
2) subjective reality
3) irrationality of people
4) group dynamics
5) there are wider practical implications
what are stereotypes
overgeneralised belief about a category of people
what are gender stereotypes
overgenralised beliefs about specific genders. expectations of different features, traits and behaviours which we deem characteristic of a gender
what are gender biases
prejucidce and discrimination towards a gender, often based on gender stereotypes
How is gender discrimination evident in academia
men are more likely to
- get reserach funding
- take up senior roles within academic departments
- rated as higher than females by students
What did Macnell et al (2015) demonstrate about gender bias within academia
men are rated significantly higher on
- professionalism
- fairness
- enthusiasm
- respect
- promptness
