Socialpsykologi

Question 1

How is social psychology defined on Wikipedia?

Answer 1

social psychology is the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others

(The statement that others’ presence may be imagined or implied suggests that we are prone to social influence even when no other people are present, such as when watching television, or following internalized cultural norms)

Question 2

How has the relationship between social psychology and sociology developed since WWII?

Answer 2

During the years immediately following World War II, there was frequent collaboration between psychologists and sociologists. However, the two disciplines have become increasingly specialized and isolated from each other in recent years, with sociologists focusing on “macro variables” (e.g., social structure) to a much greater extent.

Question 3

How can one, in broad terms, describe the historical difference between American and European social psychology?

Answer 3

As a broad generalization, American researchers traditionally have focused more on the individual, whereas Europeans have paid more attention to group level phenomena

Question 4

Which subdomains of social psychology were studied most during the 1930s?

Answer 4

Attitudes and small group phenomena were the most commonly studied topics in this era.

Question 5

Which subdomains of social psychology were studied most during WWII?

Answer 5

During World War II, social psychologists studied persuasion and propaganda for the U.S. military.

Question 6

Name four crises of social psychology during the 1970s

Answer 6

There was heated debate over (1) the ethics of laboratory experimentation, (2) whether or not attitudes really predicted behavior, and (3) how much science could be done in a cultural context. This was also the time when (4) a radical situationist approach challenged the relevance of self and personality in psychology.

Question 7

Name three prominent social psychology phenomena which were studied during the 1960s

Answer 7

Cognitive dissonance, bystander intervention, and aggression

Question 8

Give two examples of how social psychology reached a more mature level in both theories and methods during the 1980s and 1990s

Answer 8

1. Careful ethical standards now regulate research

2. Pluralistic and multicultural perspectives have emerged