Social Psychology Study Guide PDF

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Social Psychology Social Psychology: The study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Affect, Cognition, Behavior: Emotional, mental, and behavioral responses in social situations. Construal: The way people perceive and interpre...

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Social Psychology Social Psychology: The study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Affect, Cognition, Behavior: Emotional, mental, and behavioral responses in social situations. Construal: The way people perceive and interpret the social world. Key Figures: Kurt Lewin: Focused on behavior within context (field theory). Fritz Heider: Developed attribution theory, focusing on internal (personal traits) vs. external (situational) causes of behavior. Leon Festinger: Known for cognitive dissonance theory, which explains discomfort caused by conflicting beliefs or actions. Chapter 2: Research Methods in Social Psychology Scientific Method: Steps in research—observation, hypothesis, experimentation, conclusion, and replication. Operational Definition: How a variable is defined and measured in a study. Institutional Review Board (IRB): Ensures research is conducted ethically. Key Figures: Solomon Asch: Studied conformity in groups (Asch line experiment). Latane and Darley: Researched the bystander effect (less likely to help in a group). Stanley Milgram: Conducted obedience experiments, showing how far people would go when ordered to do something (shock study). Chapter 3: Social Cognition Social Cognition: The study of how people process and use social information. Heuristics: Mental shortcuts used for quick decision-making. Priming: When exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another. Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for and interpret information that confirms existing beliefs. Key Figures:  Tversky & Kahneman: Researched heuristics, including representativeness and availability heuristics. Harold Kelley: Developed the covariation model of attribution (how people determine cause and effect). Chapter 4: Social Perception Social Perception: How we form impressions and make inferences about others. Attribution Theory: Explains how people assign causes to their own and others’ behavior. Correspondence Bias: The tendency to overemphasize internal characteristics (traits) and underemphasize external factors when explaining others' behavior. Halo Effect: The tendency to assume that someone with one positive trait (e.g., attractiveness) has other positive traits. Key Figures: Edward Jones & Keith Davis: Developed correspondent inference theory (making judgments about traits). Paul Ekman: Identified six universal facial expressions (anger, fear, disgust, surprise, happiness, and sadness). Chapter 5: The Social Self Self-Concept: The collection of beliefs about oneself, including identity and self-esteem. Self-Enhancement: The desire to maintain or improve self-esteem. Self-Verification: The desire for others to see us as we see ourselves, even if that means receiving negative feedback. Ego-Depletion: The idea that self-control is a limited resource that can be used up. Key Figures: Charles Cooley: Developed the concept of the looking-glass self (how self-perception is shaped by how we think others see us). Markus & Kitayama: Studied differences in self-concept across cultures (independent vs. interdependent self). Tory Higgins: Developed self-discrepancy theory, which compares how people see themselves with how they ideally want to be. Key Terms and Concepts Recap: 1. Construal: How people perceive and interpret the world. 2. Operational Definition: A precise definition of how a concept is measured. 3. Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for making quick decisions. 4. Priming: The influence of a stimulus on the response to another. 5. Confirmation Bias: The tendency to favor information that supports existing beliefs. 6. Correspondence Bias: Overemphasizing personality traits over situational factors in others. 7. Halo Effect: Assuming positive traits in someone based on one favorable trait. 8. Self-Concept: An individual’s collection of beliefs about themselves. 9. Ego-Depletion: The temporary loss of self-control after exertion. Articles Recap: 1. Social Cognition (Bargh et al., 1996): People can unconsciously be influenced by their environment. 2. Social Perception (Dion et al., 1972): Attractive people are often judged more favorably due to the "halo effect." 3. Self-Promotion (Scopelliti et al., 2015): Bragging can backfire, making people like you less.