Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited PSY 2110F SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Introduction Blackboard Course Outline Questions
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Chapter 1: Introducing Social Psychology
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Chapter outline What is social psychology? Major themes in social psychology Social psychology and human values I knew it all along Research methods 3
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited What is Social Psychology? What is Psychology? “The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes” Utilizes the scientific method Method: Systematic observations Values: rigor, objectivity, open- mindedness Talking, sleeping, running, eating, reading, aggression, reproductive behaviour Judgments, sensory perceptions, feelings, memories Why do we act and think the way that we do? What are the causes of our behaviours, thoughts and feelings?
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited What is Social Psychology (cont’d) Psychological Explanations of Behaviour Perspectives Levels of analysis Biological Influences Neuroscience Evolution Psychological Influences Cognition Learning Psychodynamic Socio-cultural Influences Cultural background Presence of others
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited What is Social Psychology (cont’d) Social Psychology The scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another Why do we act and think the way that we do… …in social situations? What are the causes of social behaviour?
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited What is Social Psychology (cont’d) Social behaviour or mental processes
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Social Psychology vs. Sociology Social Psychology Focuses on the behaviour of individuals General focus of psychology Sociology Focuses on the behaviour of groups or societies Culture The ways of thinking, acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life Language, food, art, rituals, gestures, dress Government, economics, religion, military Social stratification Social Inequality Economic, gender, racial Share topics, but from different perspectives Group vs. individual Macro- vs. micro-oriented E.g., violence Sociology Group differences Males vs. females High income vs. low income Social Psychology Causes (individual) Situational/social factors Personality, learning, biology E.g., gender inequality Sociology: societal differences in patriarchy Social Psychology: Effects on sense of self
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Social Psychology vs. Personality Psychology Social Psychology Seeks to understand the causes of social thoughts, feelings and behaviours Personality Psychology Personality : our characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving Descriptive Trait theories Individual differences Causal Psychodynamic Humanistic Social-cognitive Social psychology focuses more on how other people affect our thoughts, feeling and actions Personality psychology focuses more on individual differences Again, share topics, but different perspectives E.g., Task performance Personality Psychology Locus of control Self-esteem Social Psychology Presence of others E.g., Conformity Personality Psychology Openness Neuroticism Social Psychology Presence of others
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Major Themes in Social Psychology 10
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Social Influences Shape Our Thoughts and Behaviour Cultural Categories Gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, religion Syrian strikes Beauty Social justice Equality vs. equity Expressiveness The self versus the family Presence of Others Task performance Donations Helping Looting Conformity, obedience
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Social Behaviour is Biologically Rooted Behaviours are the result of evolution Biologically predispositioned to think and act in particular ways Provided advantages in survival and reproduction Social behaviours are biologically rooted Attraction Aggression Cooperation But, nature and nurture
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Relating to Others is a Basic Need We are social animals Mehl & Pennebaker (2003) Spend about 30% of our days talking Lack of social contact or acceptance can have detrimental effects Self-esteem Self-concept Depression/anxiety
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited Social Intuitions: The Role of Unconscious Processes Thinking (judgments, attitudes) operates on two levels Automatic and Controlled Processes Automatic Unconscious Fast Parallel processing Controlled Conscious Slow Serial processing We are keenly aware of what we think and how we behave We infer why we think and why we behave the way we do We attempt to provide logical justifications for our thoughts and behaviours But we don’t know if our arguments are correct explanations for our thoughts We are unaware of the factors that went into thoughts and behaviours Unknown biases E.g., stereotypes, attributions, motivations