introducing social psychology. definition of social psychology social psychology is… the...
TRANSCRIPT
Definition of Social Psychology
• Social psychology is… the scientific study of HOW OTHER PEOPLE INFLUENCE OUR– Affect– Behavior– Cognition– Physiology/biology
• influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of other people.
What do we mean by “influence”?
• Perceiving information – five senses• Processing information – construals
Social InfluenceThe effect that the words, actions, or mere presence of other people have on our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or behavior.
Example – Jurors in a legal trial
Example – Norms
Comparison to… common sense:
• Opposites attract. • Everyone dreams.• If told to do it, most people will shock someone
almost to death.• Blind people have a more sensitive sense of hearing
and touch.• Animals process information in the same way that
people do.• A well-trained psychology can determine a person’s
hidden problems by analyzing their dreams.• Playing classical music for a young infant will result
in an increase in IQ.
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Comparison to… philosophy
• The creativity and analytical thinking of philosophers are a major part of the foundation of contemporary psychology.
• But what happens when philosophers disagree?
Comparison to… personality psychology
• When trying to explain social behavior, personality psychologists generally focus on individual differences—the aspects of people’s personalities that make them different from others.
Comparison to… sociology
• The level of analysis reflects another difference between the disciplines:
• Psychology – study of individuals in social situations
• Sociology – broad, economic, political, and historical factors that influence a given society
In what ways does the situation and the person interact?
1. Different persons respond differently to the same situation
2. Different situations prime different parts of the person
3. Situations choose the person
4. Persons choose their situations
5. Persons change the situation
6. Situations change the person
Goals!
• Goals, motives, objectives, desires, wants, needs, etc
• At a given moment, various intersecting motives underlie our thoughts and behaviors.
• Influence how we perceive and process information (construals)
• Fundamental and universal set of motives