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Questions and Answers
What is the primary focus of social psychology, according to the American Psychological Association (APA)?
What is the primary focus of social psychology, according to the American Psychological Association (APA)?
What is the relationship between mental states and social situations, according to social psychologists?
What is the relationship between mental states and social situations, according to social psychologists?
What was a primary concern in social psychology during the 1970s?
What was a primary concern in social psychology during the 1970s?
Who conducted the first published study in the field of social psychology?
Who conducted the first published study in the field of social psychology?
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What is the primary focus of sociologists in recent years?
What is the primary focus of sociologists in recent years?
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What was the focus of early social psychologists in the 19th century?
What was the focus of early social psychologists in the 19th century?
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What emerged as a challenge to social psychology in the 1970s?
What emerged as a challenge to social psychology in the 1970s?
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What was the primary focus of social psychologists during World War II?
What was the primary focus of social psychologists during World War II?
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What is a current area of interest for many social psychologists?
What is a current area of interest for many social psychologists?
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In what period did collaborations between psychologists and sociologists frequently occur?
In what period did collaborations between psychologists and sociologists frequently occur?
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What is social psychology concerned with understanding, explaining, and predicting?
What is social psychology concerned with understanding, explaining, and predicting?
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What is a concern of social psychologists in applied psychology?
What is a concern of social psychologists in applied psychology?
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How do social psychologists view human behavior?
How do social psychologists view human behavior?
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What is the significance of Kurt Lewin's research program in social psychology?
What is the significance of Kurt Lewin's research program in social psychology?
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What emerged in the 1970s as a challenge to social psychology?
What emerged in the 1970s as a challenge to social psychology?
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What is a characteristic of modern social psychology research?
What is a characteristic of modern social psychology research?
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Study Notes
Definition of Social Psychology
- Social psychology is the study of how an individual's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by other people, whether actual, imagined, or symbolically represented.
- It is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by the perceived, imagined, or implied presence of others.
Focus of Social Psychology
- Seeks to understand, explain, and predict how the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals are influenced by others.
- Views human behavior as resulting from the relationship between mental states and social situations.
- Studies the social conditions under which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occur, and how these variables influence social interactions.
History of Social Psychology
19th Century
- Emerged from the larger field of psychology in the 19th century.
- Social psychologists attempted to discover concrete cause-and-effect relationships that explained social interactions.
- First published study in the field of social psychology was Norman Triplett's 1898 experiment on the phenomenon of social facilitation.
20th Century
- Influential research program established by Kurt Lewin and his students.
- During World War II, social psychologists focused on studies of persuasion and propaganda for the U.S. military.
- Post-war, researchers became interested in social problems, including gender and racial prejudice.
- Collaborations between psychologists and sociologists were common, but later became increasingly specialized and isolated.
1960s-1970s
- Growing interest in topics such as cognitive dissonance, bystander intervention, and aggression.
- Conceptual challenges emerged, including ethical concerns about laboratory experimentation and the accuracy of attitudes in predicting behavior.
1980s-1990s
- Developed solutions to these issues with regard to theory and methodology.
- Emergence of situationism, which challenges the relevance of self and personality in psychology.
21st Century
- Ethical standards regulate research, and pluralistic and multicultural perspectives have emerged.
- Modern researchers focus on phenomena such as attribution, social cognition, and self-concept.
- Concerned with applied psychology, contributing to applications in health, education, law, and the workplace.
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Description
Learn about the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by others. Discover how social psychology explains and predicts individual behavior.
