Introduction to Social Psychology Flashcards
Define Social Psychology (Allport) !
Social Psychology is the SCIENTIFIC STUDY of how THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, and BEHAVIOURS are INFLUENCED by the ACTUAL, IMAGINED, or IMPLIED PRESENCE OF OTHERS
What do some additional definitions include? !
Seeks to understand the nature and causes of behaviour in social situations
Influence individual and group behaviour
Study of the RECIPROCAL INFLUENCE of the individual and their social context
Study of social thinking, influence, relations, and identities
Outline a brief history of social psychology
First experiments reported in 1898 (but ideas/interest much older)
–> David Hume (mid 1700s): worked on explanations for behaviour and prejudice
–> Wundt (mid 1800s): worked on using laboratories (first experiments)
–> Le Bon (mid 1800s): crowd behaviour
–> Gordon Allport (early-mid 1900s): role of personality to understand prejudice
What are were the main criticisms (1960s-1970s), and who put ‘social’ back into the field !
Serious question based around how well social psychology reflected and acknowledged the social, historical, cultural, and political concerns and values of people being studied.
Especially:
1. Over reliance on experimental methods
2. Excessive emphasis on individuals as individual rather than as part of complex social contexts
Tajfel and Moscovici - put social back into the area
- Tajfel: social identity theory (influence of social groups
- Moscovici: role of language in social communication
What is critical social psychology? !
Movement promoting social psychology that:
- recognises its own political, social, and historical situatedness, and that of the participants/researchers
- pursues social change and reform
It is influenced by…
1. Social Constructivism - an approach to how reality is formed: that all cognitive functions originate in social interaction
2. Discursive Psychology - proposes a view of language as ‘social action’: phenomena is constructed in discourse
What is the quantitative approach to social psychology?
Aimed at studying the relationships BETWEEN VARIABLES
- variables are expressed numerically and relationships are explored via statistical analysis
- research question - theory - hypothesis - method
- correlational and experimental approaches
- larger sample sizes
- claims of UNIVERSALITY
Every social psychological experiment has: control and random assignment (same chance of being in a given condition)
What is the qualitative approach to social psychology?
Approach to research based on the interpretation of qualitative data, not statistical analysis of numerical data
- thematic analysis / content analysis
- interpretation of experiences
- smaller sample sizes
- LOCAL claims
- utilises: interviews, focus groups, observation, text, the internet
What are the strengths and weakness of different research approaches ! (INCLUDE: GROUNDED THEORY !)
Grounded theory is a research method used to develop new theories directly from real-world data, rather than starting with a hypothesis. Researchers collect data (e.g., interviews or observations) and analyze it in cycles, breaking it into themes or “codes” to identify patterns and relationships.
Quantitative:
+ objective, generalisable (large ss), hypothesis testing
- reductionism, limited context, practical limitations
Qualitative:
+ depth/rich, gives context
- subjectivity, generalisability, time intensive
Grounded Theory
+ theory development, lived experience, person-focused
- time-consuming, subjective, complex
Outline human values in social psychology !
Values: deep rooted principles that guide attitudes, behaviours, and decision-making. Have an influence on personal and social identity formation
Can vary across culture (eg. Individualism and Collectivism)
Examples: honesty, empathy, cooperation, teamwork, altruism, helping, loyalty, tolerance, inclusion
