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Prof PSC Johnson
August 2, 2010 Chapter 1: In t roducing Social Psychology
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What is Social Psychology Social Psychology-is a science that studies the in fluences of our situations, with special attention to how we view and a ffect one another, the scientific study of how people think about, in fluence, and relate to one another. Focuses on individuals and uses experimentation First experiments in 1898, first social texts in 1900s Social thinking-how we perceive ourselves and others, what we believe, judgments we believe, our attitudes Social in fluence- culture, pressures to conform, persuasion, g roups of people Social relations- prejudice, aggression, attraction and i ntimacy, and helping Social Psychologys Big Ideas We Construct our social reality We view reality through the lens of our own beliefs and values When we see consistent behavior in a person we att ribute it to their personality Our social institutions are often powerful but sometimes perilous Institutions shape our fears, impressions, and relationships.
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PSC 151
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Much of our thinking happens out of sight, automatic p rocessing, implicit memory, and heuristics. We often judge the likelihood of things by howeasily mental i mages come to mind. Fear of f lying-911- Id rather drive than f ly-flying is actually safer. Social in fluences shape our behavior Relationships are extremely important, we are social animals, we long to connect and belong. Mehl & Pennebaker (2003) University of Texas students wore microcassette r ecorders and microphones, and once every 12 minutes d uring their waking hours, the computer operated r ecorder would imperceptibly record for 30 seconds, and found almost 30% of students t ime was spent in conversation.
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We respond to our immediate contexts, even when the situation leads us to act against our expressed attitudes. There are evil powerful situations: Nazi Germany in fluenced m any to assist in the Holocaust Situations also elicit generosity and compassion: after 911 N Y was overwhelmed by donations, food, clothing, and help f rom volunteers. Place, education level, and media watched heavily in fluenced a ttitude toward raq I war. Culture helps define situation:
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PSC 151
Prof Johnson
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Skinny or voluptuous body? Social justice as equally? Socialism, capitalism Are you expressive or reserved? Focused primarily on you or on family/group? Personal Atti tudes and Dispositions also shape behavior Inner attitudes affect our behavior Political attitudes in fluence voting behavior Personality dispositions After years of imprisonment one can display bit terness and revenge or like Nelson Mandela seek reconciliation and unity w ith his former enemies Social Behavior is Biologically rooted Our inherited human nature predisposes us to behave in ways that have helped our ancestors survive and reproduce. We also are endowed with a capacity to learn and adapt to varied environments. Social neuroscience: integration of biological and social perspectives Social Psychologys Principles are applicable in everyday life Social psychology is all about life-your life, your beliefs, your a ttitudes, and your relationships. Psychology and Human Values
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PSC 151
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Obvious ways values enter psychology, it reflect social h istory Choosing research topics Study of Prejudice during Fascist 1940s Study of Conformity during Europes 1950s Study of Aggression during r iots of 1960s Study of Gender and sexism during feminist movement in 1970s Psychological aspect of arms race in 1980s Diversity in culture, race, and sexual orientation in 1990s and 21st century Values differ across t ime and across culture Europe-social identity America-individual identity Values also in fluence the types of people who are attracted to various disciplines NOT focused on which values are RIGHT Not-so obvious ways values enter psychology The subjective aspects of science Science is not purely objective We interpret nature using our own mental categories Dalmatian sniffing around in picture of blots
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PSC 151
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When scholars share a common viewpoint or come from same culture, their assumptions may go unchallenged knew it all along: is social psychology simply common sense
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