Social Psychology Chapter One
What is Social Psychology?
"How the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others" (Gordon Allport)
What are "Cold" and "Hot" perspectives in Social Psychology?
A "Cold" perspective emphasizes the role of cognition in Social Psychology (Common in the 1970's and 80's) whereas a "Hot" perspective emphasizes the role of emotion and motivations as influences for our thoughts and actions.
Who is Kurt Lewin?
A pioneer of social psychology who became famous the term he coined--"action research" (e.g. getting people to eat organ meats in wartime). (1930's-40's)
What is Cognitive dissonance?
A theory developed by Leon Festinger, reminiscent of a consistent in the 1960's seeking metaphor.
How old is the study of Social Psychology?
As a young science, it is less than 100 years old
What are some examples of some interdisciplinary fields related to Psychology?
Behavioral Economics, Embodied Cognition (e.g. people literally washing their hands to relieve feelings of guilt), and Psychological/Political Science (e. g. fundamental differences in the way conservatives and liberals process social information).
How does our desire "be right" conflict with our desire to "feel good about ourselves"?
Being correct can sometimes reveal something disconcerting or negative about ourselves while feeling good about something might mean we are making the wrong judgement or decision.
What are the differences between Social Psychology and Clinical Psychology?
Clinical Psychologists seek to understand and treat people with psychological difficulties or disabilities whereas Social psychologists are concerned with the more typical ways people think.
What is the difference between Social Psychology and Cognitive Psychology?
Cognitive Psychologists are concerned with how people think, learn, remember, and reason whereas Social Psychologists are concerned with these same things but rather in the respect to social information.
What important things have been learned form cross-cultural research?
Differences have been found between Collectivist Eastern Cultures and Individualist Western Cultures which result in difference reactions to social situations.
What characterized the 1990's in Social Psychology?
Integrative approaches including neuro, basic research, and applied research; lab experiments complementing other methods; more multicultural and international study.
How is interacting with another person different from interacting with an object?
Interactions with other people are mutual.
How does the popularity of shows like "The Bachelorette" illustrate part of the appeal of Social Psychology?
It shows how people are fascinated by how we relate to one another.
What characterized Social Psychology in the mid 1960's to early 70's?
It was a time of great productivity but also of crisis involving ethics, the applicability of lab experiments, low status in psychological community, and an identity crisis.
What is the difference between Social Psychology and Personality Psychology?
Personality Psychology is concerned with stable differences between individuals whereas Social Psychologists are concerned with how social situations affect most individuals regardless of personality.
What are some non-invasive techniques Social Psychologists now use in order to understand the interplay between the brain and discreet thoughts, feelings, and behavior?
Positron Emission Tomography (PET), event-related potential (ERP) transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
What are some examples of new fields within Psychology?
Social Neuroscience, Behavior Genetics, and Evolutionary Psychology.
What are the differences between Social Psychology and Sociology?
Social psychology has a more individual focus (while sociology focuses on groups) and Social Psychology is more likely to conduct experimental studies compared to Sociology.
When was attribution theory most dominating in the field of Social Psychology?
The 1970's.
What is the Interactionist Perspective?
The Interactionist Perspective is an emphasis on the dynamic interplay between internal and external forces. Created by Kurt Lewin this idea made a stark contrast from other psychological paradigms.
What is Social Cognition?
The encoding, storage, retrieval, and processing of social information; attained new emphasis in the 1970's .
What is the "Consistency Seeker" Metaphor for the human thinker?
The idea that people are motivated by the perceived dependencies among their cognitions.
What is the "Motivated Tactician" Metaphor for the human thinker?
The idea that people choose among several cognitive strategies for interpreting social situations and use them depending on their goals in a situation.
What is the "Cognitive Miser" Metaphor for the human thinker?
The idea that people have take shortcuts in interpreting social situations because we have finite resources to devote.
What is the "Naive Scientist" Metaphor for the human thinker?
The idea that people take all the information from social situations and apply that information as logically as possible, learning from the social environment like a so-called little scientist.
What marked Social Psychology's emergence as a distinct field?
The publication of three textbooks in (the early 1900's).
What is Applied Research?
The study of a topic for the purpose of practical application.
What is Basic Research?
The systematic study and theories within a topic of study.
What did Gregory Walton and Geoffrey Cohen find in their study of social belonging among college students?
They found that providing information telling students about the uncertainty of belonging typical in freshman year, feelings of stress and struggle, and that it would be overcome by the end of freshman year increased the academic performance of African-American students all four years.
Who conducted the first social psychology experiments?
Triplett (in 1897)
What sort of topics were studied in Social Psychology in the 1950's and 60's?
War related topics such as prejudice, conformity, and obedience.
What is Lewin's equation?
[B = f(p + e)]; it is an equation for behavior stating that behavior is a function of the person in their environment.
