Unit 2: core studies, areas, perspective's, and debates

Question 1

what a the 5 areas ?

Answer 1

social area

development area

cognitive area

biological area

individual difference’s area

Question 2

what is the principle of the social area ?

Answer 2

The main influence on our behaviour is other people

Question 3

what are some concepts from the social area ?

Answer 3

Conformity, diffusion of responsibility, the bystander effect, responses to authority, responses to people in need, simpatia culture, whistle-blowing, the arousal-cost reward model.

Question 4

what are 3 applications of the area ?

Answer 4

• Using CCTV to deter crime
• Managers/teachers to wear formal clothing
• Companies to have an app or website to allow employees to blow the whistle

Question 5

what are the 4 studies from the social area ?

Answer 5

milgram

bocchiaro

piliavin

levine

Question 6

how does Milgrams study link to the area, and why ?

Answer 6

MILGRAM
Shows that other people (authority figures) have a large influence on behaviour (majority went to 450V when instructed by the experimenter).

Question 7

how does Piliavins study link to the area, and why ?

Answer 7

PILIAVIN
Level of help depends on the appearance of the victim - whether they appeared to be ill or drunk. Also investigated diffusion of responsibility (whether having more people present influences helping).

Question 8

how does bocchiaros study link to the social area ?

Answer 8

BOCCHIARO
Showed that people still obey authority figures even when it would be easier to disobey/blow the whistle (most recommended the unethical research and did not report it).

Question 9

how does Levines study link to the social area ?

Answer 9

LEVINE
Suggests that culture affects level of help given (countries with higher PPP were less helpful; simpatia cultures were more helpful).

Question 10

what are the strengths of the social area ?

Answer 10

+ Can help us understand the causes of historical events

+ Has practical applications (e.g. for managers wanting compliance from employees)

+ Research is often high in ecological validity when field experiments are used

Question 11

what are the weaknesses of the social area ?

Answer 11

• Research can lack controls on extraneous variables
• Research can be ethnocentric (i.e. only reflect social behaviour in one culture)
• Research can get out of date (e.g. as social behaviour changes)