Social Psychology - Intro Flashcards
What is construction of reality
The axiom that each person’s view of a reality is a construction shaped by cognitive and social processes
What is pervasiveness of social influence
The axiom that other people influence virtually all of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour and whether they’re physically present or not
What is seeking connectedness
People see support, liking and acceptance from the people and groups they care about and value
What is social psychology
The scientific study of the effects of social and cognitive processes on the way individuals perceive, influence and relate to others
What are social processes
The ways in which input from the people and groups around us affect our thoughts, feelings and actions
What are cognitive processes
The understanding of the world around us and our actions are influenced by our memories, perceptions, thoughts and emotions
What is social constructionism
Emphasises the way social phenomena develops in social contexts
What is postmodernism
Emphasis that apparent realities are only social constructs and are subject to change
What are social representations
Socially shared beliefs and values associated with our cultures
What are the disciplines of social psychology
- scientific discipline: the gathering of data to test hypotheses that are derived from theories
- critical social psychology: argues that social psychology is limited by its focus on universals of human nature which don’t exist
What are the 3 main areas in social psychology
- social thinking: how we define ourself and how we think about others
- social influence: conformity, persuasion
- social behaviour: how we act in different situations
What are explicit and implicit processes
How obvious or subtle social influence can be:
Explicit = obvious, Implicit = subtle
What is prejudice
Assumption of a person based on their membership in a particular group
