Introduction to social psychology

Question 1

Define social psychology

Answer 1

The scientific investigation of how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied present of others

Question 2

What does social psychology focus on?

Answer 2

The effects of social and cognitive processes on the way people perceive, influence and interact with others

Question 3

What is the scientific method?

Answer 3

1) Observation//hunch
2) Develop a theory about social behaviour from the observation
3) Produce a testable hypotheses
4) Empirical research –> Predictions disconfirmed means no support for theory so modify or reject theory. Predictions confirmed means support for theory

Question 4

Why is social psychology social?

Answer 4

It deals with how people are affected by other people who are physically present or imagined to be present or even implied to be present.

Question 5

Why is social psychology a science?

Answer 5

It uses scientific methods to construct and test theories. Social psychologists construct theories from data or previous theories and then conduct empirical research

Question 6

What is the dominant approach in contemporary social psychology?

Answer 6

Social cognition

Question 7

What is a problem with defining social psychology?

Answer 7

It isn’t properly differentiated from other disciplines, as both clinical and social psychologists study the family of ‘intergroup relations’