Social Psychology

Question 1

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Ethics?

Answer 1

• issues of informed consent in Sherif’s Study
• causing psychological harm in Milgram’s Study
• no right to withdraw in Milgram’s Study
• no privacy in Milgram, Sherif or Burger’s Study

Question 2

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Practical Issues in the Design of the Research?

Answer 2

• lab experiments like Milgram’s Study is not ecologically valid and there is a chance of demand characteristics from the setting to affect the results
• self reports lead to social desirability when measuring obedience or prejudice
• androcentric samples in Sherif’s and Milgrams Study

Question 3

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Reductionism?

Answer 3

• oversimplifing behaviour in the Social Impact Theory by only having one explaination which is the formula
• reductionist conclusions from studies:
• Social Identity Theory: ingroups and outgroups lead to prejudice
• Milgrams Agency Theory: agentic state affects level of obedience
• questionnaires reduces the complexity of prejudice behaviour

Question 4

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Comparisons Between Ways of Explaining Behaviour using Different Themes?

Answer 4

• Explaination of Prejudice:
• Social Identity Theory
• Realistic Conflict Theory
• Explaination of Obedience:
• Agency Theory
• Social Impact Theory
• Prejudice and Obedience are affected by…
• personality
• culture
• gender
• situation

Question 5

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Psychology as a Science?

Answer 5

• Lab Experiments like Milgram’s Study are controlled and have high levels of reliability
• Questionnaires can be bias as the results may be affected by social desirability, so it lacks validity
• Field Experiments like Sherif’s Study is not scientific and is subjective

Question 6

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Culture and Gender?

Answer 6

• Obedience is not affected by gender
• Obedience is affected by culture:
• individualistic cultures are less obedient
• collectivistic cultures are more obedient
• Prejudice is affected by culture and stereotypes

Question 7

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding the Nature-Nurture Debate?

Answer 7

Nature:

• Role of Personality in Obedience:
• individuals with an internal locus of control are less obedient than those with an external locus of control
• individuals with an authoritarian personality are more likely to obey
• Role of Personality in Prejudice:
• individuals with an authoritarian personality are hostile to minority groups

Nurture:

• Role of Situation in Obedience:
• personal responsibility
• gradual commitment
• buffers
• authority figure
• Role of Situation in Prejudice
• situation involving two groups arises, prejudice increases
• situation involving competition arises, prejudice increases

Question 8

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding the Development of Psychology Overtime?

Answer 8

Burger’s Study in 2009 which was a more ethical version of Milgram’s 1963 Study

Question 9

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding Social Control?

Answer 9

• Reduction of Prejudice:
• from the Realistic Conflict Theory: use of subordinate goals within groups
• Increasing Levels of Obedience:
• from Milgram’s Experiment 13: authority figure wears a uniform
• from Milgram’s Agency Theory: create an agentic state for children to obey parents

Question 10

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding the Use of Psychological Knowledge in Society?

Answer 10

Reduction of crowd behaviour, terrorism, conflict and prejudice within society:

• Social Identity Theory: describes how prejudice is caused through ingroup/outgroups- terrorists favour their ingroup as they see it as superior
• Realistic Conflict Theory: competition of limited goods in times of economic hardship in society causes conflict and prejudice between individuals
• Robbers Cave Experiment: evidence that superordinate goals reduce prejudice

Question 11

What are the Issues and Debates in Social Psychology Regarding the Socially Sensitive Research?

Answer 11

• prejudice is linked to racism: Social Identity Theory
• cultural differences in social psychology as they all have a different viewpoint of behaviour