~Social psychology Flashcards
What does the social area look at ?
Understanding human behaviour in a social context: looking at the factors that lead us to behave in a certain way because others are present. Social psychologists state our behaviour is influenced by the actual, imagined presence of others.
what is one assumption of the social approach?
one assumption is that other people and the surrounding environment are major influences on an individuals behaviour, thought processes and emotions.
(2nd assumption) What is a major influence on people’s behaviour?
The situation we are in and how this has an effect on our behaviour- we don’t act accordingly to our own free will. (this means the environment determines our behaviour) You may act in a way that is deemed acceptable in society.
What are the areas of applications of the social approach?
-conformity and obedience
-social identity and self perception (how we develop a sense of self)
-attitudes
-attribution (explores how as we commonly blame the situation for our behaviour while believing that other people are personally in control of their behaviour)
-discrimination & stereotypes
-pro and anti social behaviour
How is the social approach used to explain behaviour in Milgram’s (1963) study?
The results show how pressure from an authority figure could lead to people administering potentially fatal electric shocks to another individual and how they could do this despite of their discomfort. Milgram emphasised situational rather than individual explanations including the location of Yale university contributing the high obedience.
How is the social approach used to explain behaviour in Bocchiaro (2012) study?
This study also revealed high levels of obedience but seeks to investigate whether there are personality differences distinguishing those who were obedient/ disobedient or prepared to be whistle blowers. This study challenges a purely social approach by considering individual explanations.
How is the social approach used to explain behaviour in Pilliavin (1969) study?
Because they sought to investigate the impact of other people on helping behaviour in a real life setting.
How is the social approach used to explain behaviour in Levine (2001) study?
This also investigated helping behaviours, this time cross-culturally and in non-confined settings.
what is social power?
The influence a person has that allows them to change or influence others thoughts, feelings or behaviour.
What are the 3 types of social power>
1- expert power, 2- referent power, 3-legitamate power
Expert power
when someone is seen as an expert in an area as they are perceived to possess superior knowledge & experience.
-Influence increases the less we know about the aspect.
-Example: doctors.
Referent power
When someone has an influence as they are admired or respected for certain reasons. We refer to these people and want to be like them therefore we are likely to be influenced by what they say and do.
(e.g may imitate them)
-Example- celebrities/ influencers
Legitimate power
When someone influences behaviour because they are perceived as an authority figure.
We may be influenced through fear or admiration
-This was seen in a famous experiment by Milgram.
-Example: authority figure
one strength of the social approach is…
the attempt to use real life situations when studying behaviour. As social psychology is interested in human interaction this is best studied in real situations where ps have best opportunity to interact, eg with a field exp method like Pilliavin and Levine.
one weakness of the social approach is…
Ethics. it is difficult to study social behaviour without negatively impacting the ps in the study. Nowadays psychologists have strict ethical guidelines they should follow when conducting studies.
