social area

Question 1

principles

Answer 1

the main influence on our behaviour is other people (either immediately present, or whose presence is implied or believed).

Question 2

concepts

Answer 2

• obedience to authority figures
• simpatia culture
• diffusion of responsibility
• arousal-cost reward model
• Whistle-blowing
• conformity

Question 3

applications

Answer 3

• the use of CCTV. This is based on the principle that people will behave differently (e.g. avoid carrying out anti-social behaviours) if they believe their behaviour is being watched.

-managers/teachers to wear formal clothing
and act sternly to get obedience

• firms to have an app or website to make
  anonymous whistle-blowing possible

Question 4

studies that link to the area

Answer 4

• milgram
• bocchiaro
• piliavin
• levine

Question 5

strengths of the area

Answer 5

• helps improve our understanding of human behaviour, particularly the extent to which this is affected by other people
• extremely useful as it has practical application in a range of different settings
• helps to bring psychology to wider audiences given the way in which research often seeks to explain real world events
• high in ecological validity particularly if it makes use of field experiments ( Piliavin’s research into helping behaviour demonstrated that the helpa person offered depended upon the type of victim)

Question 6

weakness of the area

Answer 6

• findings may not be true for all time as social situations can change over time
• findings may not be true for all places as social situations can change from one culture to another
• given the socially sensitive nature, it can be difficult to stay within the ethical guidelines
• boundaries can become blurred between the social area and the cognitive area, particularly when looking at social cognition