Social Psychology Notes PDF

Lesson No. 1: Introducing Social Social Psychology’s Big Ideas - Importance of critical thinking for Psychology Social Thinking counteracting the potential 1. Constructing our social reality...

Lesson No. 1: Introducing Social Social Psychology’s Big Ideas - Importance of critical thinking for Psychology Social Thinking counteracting the potential 1. Constructing our social reality pitfalls of intuitive judgements. The story of Raoul Wallenberg 2. Social institutions are - Intuitions and unconsciousness - Born in Sweden powerful and sometimes, are perilous and powerful. - Close to mother and grandfather perilous (full of risk or danger) - Father died from cancer 3. Attitudes shape, and are Social Influences Shape our - Become fluent in English, shaped by, behavior behavior French, German, and Russian Social Influence Social Nature of Humans - B.A. in Architecture in University 4. Social influences shape - Inherently social beings, of Michigan 1935 behavior communicating, and learning - Became concerned about the 5. Dispositions shape behavior from each other. treatment of the Jews in Nazi Social Relation - Seeks connection, belonging, Germany. 6. Social behavior is also and positive regards from others. - (1942) 10,000 to 12,000 Jews biological behavior were sent to their deaths in the 7. Feelings and actions toward Influence of Social Situations gas chambers every day. people are sometimes - Social context can lead one to - He hired 400 Jewish volunteers negative and sometimes act against his or her own belief for their own protection positive. and intention. - Invented an official looking - Situation can elicit both negative passport called “Schutzpass.” Constructing our Social Reality (compliance with cruelty) and which helped 20,000 Jews - Humans seek to explain positive actions (generosity - Threatened Nazi commanders behaviors and attributes to make during crises) which saved 70,000 Jews sense of the world - Wallenberg was arrested by the - Perceptions are shaped by Cultural Contexts soviets beliefs and values - Cultural norms and values shape - He has an honorary citizen title - Interpret situations differently our perceptions and behaviors, in Australia, Canada, Hungary, depending on their perspectives influencing aspects like: Israel, and the U.S. and loyalties. - Body image preference - Note: how we construct the - Definition of social justice Social Psychology world, and ourselves, matters. (Equality or Equity) - Scientific study of how we feel, - Expressiveness, formality, and think, and behave toward the Powerful but Perilous Social social etiquette. people around us and how our Intuitions - Focus on individualism or feelings, thoughts, and behaviors - Intuition - ability to understand collectivism are influenced by those people. something without the need of - A scientific study of: conscious reasoning. Adaptability to Social Context Social Thinking - Intuition shape our fears, - People are adaptable; attitudes How we perceive ourselves impressions, and relationships and behaviors are influenced by and others - Research reveals the intuition their environment. What we believe mind that operates alongside - Social psychologists emphasize Judgements we make conscious thought. the malleability of human Our attitudes - Intuitive thinking includes: behavior in response to external Social Influence - Automatic processing - fast social forces. Culture cognitive activity (needs only few Pressures to conform cognitive resources) Our attitudes and behavior are Persuasion - Implicit memory - unconscious shaped by external social Group of people and automatic forces. Social Relation - Heuristic - mental shortcuts for Prejudice making fast decisions Aggression Attraction and intimacy - Intuition can lead to errors Helping (misjudging own emotions, overestimate things) Personal Attitudes and Social Psychology’s Principles Research topics in social Dispositions Also Shape are Applicable in Everyday Life psychology often align with Behavior - Illuminating everyday life contemporary social issues and - Not only external but internal - Practical applications such as values: attitudes also play a crucial role health and well-being, judicial - 1940: prejudice due to fascism in in shaping behavior. procedures, and environmental Europe. - Personal attitudes affect various behavior. - 1950: Conformity during a period aspects of behavior such as: - Scope does not address of uniformity and intolerance. - Political attitudes: influence existential questions about the - 1960: Aggression amid riots and voting behavior meaning of life or ultimate rising crime rates. - Attitudes towards smoking: destiny, but focuses on practical, - 1970: gender and sexism Affect susceptibility to peer everyday questions related to spurred by the feminist pressure. beliefs, attitudes, and movement - Attitudes toward the poor: relationships. - 1980: Psychological aspects of Influence willingness to offer - Influence of social psychologists’ the arms race. help. values to their research findings. - 1990-2000: Cultural, racial, and - Behavior can shape attitudes, - Research methods encourage sexual diversity. leading individuals to reinforce using social psychology tools to beliefs in actions they have enhance critical thinking and Subjective Aspects of Science committed to or endure understanding human behavior. hardships for. Culture - Different individuals may * Social psychology is all about - Behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and respond to the same situation life – your life: your beliefs, your traditions shared by a large due to their unique personality attitudes, and your group of people from one traits. relationships. generation to next. - People’s response and reactions to identical situations may vary Social Psychology and Human - Science is not purely objective: due to different attitudes and Values They interpret nature using their personalities. own mental categories and - Attitudes and personalities Social Psychology and preconceptions. influence behavior. Sociology: Often appeal to those - perceptions are influenced by interested in challenging traditions expectations and Social Behavior is Biologically and shaping the future. preconceptions. Rooted - Social psychologists study the - We tend to overlook certain - Social behaviors have biological formation, change, and impact of details because of our roots values: expectations about the certain - Reflecting evolutionary wisdom - Investigate how values matter. that helped our ancestors influence attitudes and actions. - Scholars within the field share survive and reproduce. - Do not determine which values common assumptions and - Understanding social behavior are “Right.” viewpoints that may go requires considering both - Values vary across time and unchallenged. biological (under-the-skin) and culture, influencing research - These assumptions can limit the social (between-skins) focuses: scope of the research. influences, reflecting the - Europe: national and social - Critics from outside the field can complex interplay of biological, identity. highlight unexamined psychological, and social factors. - America: Individual behaviors assumptions: - We are bio-psycho-social and relationships - Feminist Critics: highlight organisms. - Australia: Incorporates both biases such as political theories of European and conservatism and biological North American perspectives. interpretations of gender differences. - Marxist Critics: Pointed out biases like individualism and  the negative view of Language in Psychology and Lesson No. 2: Research conformity. everyday life often contains Methods hidden value judgements: Potential Biases of Subjective - Bashful vs. cautious Forming and Testing Aspects of Science - Terrorist vs. freedom fighter Hypotheses - Progressive social psychologists - Welfare vs. aid to the needy may sometimes deny group - Nationalism vs. patriotism Theory differences and assume that - Affairs as open marriage vs. - An integrated set of principles stereotypes are always rooted in adultery that explain and predict racism. observed events. - These biases can influence how Recognizing that values - Facts are agreed upon social psychology is practiced are embedded in statements about what we and interpreted. psychological concepts observe. * Recognizing and questioning and language is crucial - Ideas that summarize and these assumptions is crucial for The presence of values in explain facts. more objective and science does not comprehensive understanding invalidate it but highlights Hypothesis of social psychology. the need for diverse - A testable proposition that perspectives and constant describes a relationship that may Psychological Concepts Contain questioning to minimize exist between events. Hidden Values bias - Purpose: Systematic observation - Allows to test a theory by Defining the Good Life and experimentation help suggesting how we might - Values influence what is to mitigate biases and falsify it considered a good life or ideal refine our understanding of - Predictions give direction to human development psychological phenomena. research and sometimes send - Abraham Maslow's concept of investigators looking for things self-actualization was influenced Is Social Psychology Simply they might never have thought by his personal values. Common Sense? of. - Phenomena are observable - Predictive feature of good Professional Advice everyday, leading to some theories can make them - Psychology advice often reflects believe that social psychology practical the values of the advisor merely documents the obvious - Western culture tend to - This also faces two opposite A Good Theory emphasize individualistic values, criticisms-being trivial for stating - Effectively summarizes many while non-western cultures often the obvious and being observations focus on collectivist values dangerous for potential - Makes clear predictions that we - Professionals may offer advice manipulating people can use to based on personal values rather - Hindsight bias - the tendency to - Confirm or modify the theory than universal principles. exaggerate, after learning an - Generate new exploration outcome, one’s ability to have - Suggest practical applications. Forming Concepts foreseen how something turned - Hidden values affect how out. Also known as the Social-Psychological Research psychological concepts are “I-knew-it-all-along” Methods labeled and interpreted phenomenon. - The same set of responses can - People often see events as Laboratory be labeled in various ways predictable after they happen. - A controlled situation depending on the psychologist’s This hindsight bias makes perspective (e.g. high results of social psychology Field Research self-esteem vs. defensiveness) studies seem obvious only after - Done natural, real-life settings the outcomes are known. outside the laboratory. - Do not rely on hindsight!!  Correlational Research - Disadvantage: Some important - Can create a set of procedures - The study of the naturally variables cannot be studied with to systematically test a occurring relationships among experiments hypothesis. variables Survey Research Random Assignment Experimental Research Survey Research - Participants are equally - Studies that seek clues to - Used to measure variables such assigned to any experimental cause-effect relationships by as status and health by group. manipulating one or more factors surveying representative (independent variables) while samples of people Control of Variables controlling others (holding them - Manipulating one or more constant). Random Sampling independent variables while - Obtain a representative group keeping everything else constant Experimental Research - Every person has equal chance to observe effect on dependent - Correlational research identifies of inclusion variables. relationships but does not - Ex. 1,200 participants can - Allows to isolate specific factors establish cause and effect. provide 95% confidence level that influence behavior - Allows prediction with a margin of error 3% or less. - Changing one variable will affect Independent Variable the other Survey Research Biases - The experimental factor - Do not specify cause and effect. - Unrepresentative Samples: if that a researcher - Measured with coefficient (r) the sample does not represent manipulates. ranging from -1.0 to +1.0 the entire population, results can Dependent Variable - Strong correlation occur in real be misleading. - The variable being world but often ambiguous - Order of Questions: The measured. - time-lagged correlations - sequence in which questions are Extraneous Variable suggest cause-effect by showing presented can influence - The variables that you sequence of events responses. are not investigating that - Response Options: The way can potentially affect the Correlation and Causations response choices are presented outcome of the study - When two variables correlate, can drastically affect survey any combination of three outcomes. Five Steps in Designing explanation is possible: - Wordings of Questions: Subtle Experimental Research: - One causes the other; or changes in question wordings - Vice versa can lead to different answers, 1. Consider your variable and how - Both may be affected by an impacting the interpretation of they are related underlying “Third factor.” results 2. Write a specific, testable hypothesis. Two Methods of Doing Framing Effect 3. Design experimental treatments Research: Correlational and - The way choices are presented to manipulate your independent Experimental (opt-in vs. opt-out) can variable significantly influence decisions, 4. Assign subjects to groups, Correlational such as organ donation or either between subjects or - Advantage: Often use real world retirement savings enrolment. within subjects. settings - Importance of framing: 5. Plan how you will measure your - Disadvantage: Causation often - The way information is dependent variable. ambiguous presented can affect decision-making Ethical Guidelines Require Experimental Researchers to: - Advantage: Can explore case Experimental Research and effect by controlling - Used to explore cause and effect 1. Obtain informed consent from variables and random (causal relationship) by participants assignment simulating real-life situations in a 2. Use deception only when controlled environment necessary and justified. 3. Protect participants from harm and discomfort 4. Maintain confidentiality of participants’ information 5. Debrief participants after the experiment, especially if deception was used.