Social Psychology Overview

Study Notes

Peer Pressure: The influence of peers on an individual's behavior, beliefs, and attitudes.
Zimbardo Prison Study: A psychological experiment that explored the impact of social roles and situational factors on human behavior.
Milgram Shock Experiment: A controversial experiment that demonstrated the power of authority and obedience, even when it conflicts with individual beliefs.
Bay of Pigs: A failed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles backed by the CIA in 1961, highlighting groupthink and poor decision-making.
Titanic: The sinking of the Titanic in 1912, a significant example of group behavior and mass panic under pressure.
Chernobyl: The 1986 nuclear disaster, a case study of organizational culture, communication breakdowns, and their impact on safety.
Challenger: The 1986 space shuttle disaster, highlighting the dangers of groupthink and ignoring expert opinions.
Long-Term Potentiation (LTP): A persistent strengthening of synapses in the brain, crucial for learning and memory.

Peer pressure: The influence of peers on an individual's behavior, beliefs, and attitudes.
Zimbardo Prison Study: A psychological experiment that demonstrated the power of social roles and situational factors on behavior, even in the absence of real-world consequences.
- Simulated a prison environment with student participants assigned as guards and prisoners.
- Guards exhibited increasingly aggressive and abusive behavior, while prisoners became submissive and passive.
- The study was terminated early due to ethical concerns.
Milgram Shock Experiment: A series of experiments that investigated obedience to authority figures.
- Participants were ordered to administer increasingly strong electric shocks to a learner, who was actually an actor.
- The experiment revealed that individuals are surprisingly willing to obey orders, even when those orders conflict with their own morals.
Bay of Pigs: A failed attempt by the United States to overthrow the Cuban government in 1961.
- The invasion was poorly planned and executed, and it resulted in a humiliating defeat for the US.
- Example of how groupthink and conformity can lead to disastrous consequences.
Titanic: The sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 people.
- The disaster highlighted the importance of safety procedures, communication, and leadership in crisis situations.
Chernobyl: A nuclear disaster that occurred in Ukraine in 1986.
- The explosion released radioactive materials into the atmosphere, contaminating a wide area.
- Demonstrated the dangers of nuclear accidents and the importance of safety regulations.
Challenger: The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, which killed all seven crew members.
- The disaster was caused by a malfunction in the O-rings, which sealed the joints between the solid rocket boosters.
- The Challenger disaster was a significant setback for the US space program and led to a reassessment of safety procedures.
Long-term Potentiation: A process that strengthens the connections between neurons in the brain.
- This process underlies learning and memory.
- Repeated stimulation of a neuron strengthens its connection to other neurons, making it more likely that the connection will be activated in the future.