1. Social Psychology Lesson 1
Intro – what is psychology? what is social psychology?
Obedience

2. Introductions!
Post it notes
3 things I can do to help you learn

3. Showbie - Groups
12A – HFWLU
12B – H93UA
12D – D6GZY

4. Print out the checklist!
Year 12 of the course
Miss Mawdsley
Mrs Watts
Social Psychology
Behavioural Psychology (Learning)
Cognitive Psychology
Biological Psychology
All topics Include: Research methods, statistics a practical project and a Key Question.

5. Course Structure - Social
Social Psychology
Obedience
Prejudice
Key studies (2)
Research methods (including maths/stats)
Practical (questionnaire)

6. What is Psychology?
Pop Psychology – theories or concepts that may or may not have basis in psychology
Can be oversimplified based on anecdotal evidence and popular beliefs – unsupported claims
Scientific psychology- based on documented research evidence
Activity ----

7. Psychology – how is it considered a science?
Empirical methods – means information gained through direct observation or experiment
To collect facts
Does not rely on beliefs
Important – anyone can make claims
‘Direct testing’ i.e. Observation and experiments
High control over variables

8. Back to Social Psychology! The Social approach
In pairs – take turns to describe yourselves to each other. Who are you?
What did you notice?
Social roles
Groups
Social identity/group identity

9. In pairs – discuss what you think social psychology is about

10. Do other people influence us. Do we influence other people
Do other people influence us? Do we influence other people? How do people affect us?
How do we interact with others?
How do we interact and behave in groups? Do groups influence the way in which we think or behave? How do groups affect us?
How does culture influence our behaviour?
What role does society play in a person’s thinking or behaviour?

12. You can use the books to help – but don’t copy!
In pairs discuss the diagrams and come up with a description of social psychology.
You can use the books to help – but don’t copy!
We will go through answers together and you must have notes on this section as you may be required to define or describe social psychology.
Behaviour is affected by their experiences within a society and culture, where they are members of certain groups.

13. Gordon Allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods "to understand and explain how thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings" (1985).
Social perception and social interaction are also vital to understanding social behaviour.
Social psychology looks at a wide range of social topics, including obedience, prejudice, group behaviour, social perception, leadership and conformity.

14. Obedience

15. What is obedience? 2 minute discussion
In your own words – what is obedience?
When did you last obey someone? Who were they?
What do you think makes people obey?

16. Key words are very important
Obedience
A type of social influence where someone acts in response to a direct order usually given by someone considered to have more authority than themselves
Key words are very important

17. Authority figures – examples?

18. Why are we more likely to obey a legitimate authority figure?
What makes them a legitimate authority figure?

19. Who are you more likely to obey, and why?
1. A fireman in uniform approaches you in the street and tells you to cross to the other side of the street immediately
2. You volunteer to contribute ideas to a book, for which you’re being paid, and in your first session another volunteer tells you to step on snails and then write about the experience

20. Obedience – Milgram Why is obedience seen to be important in society?
Society is hierarchal in nature
Survival function
Social order and harmony
Without obedience there would be challenges to social order
Societal breakdown

21. Why Study Obedience?
Why do people suspend moral judgements and carry out an order that is inhumane or destructive?
“The Nazi extermination of European Jews is the most extreme instance of abhorrent immoral acts carried out by thousands of people in the name of obedience” - Stanley Milgram
At the time historians were under the impression that the Nazi soldiers had a character flaw that made them more obedient to orders.
Follow orders – exterminate Jews
Authority figure
Eichman – mild mannered not the monster everyone assumed.
“Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?" (Milgram, 1974).

22. Reminder about the homework policy!
You will have a review every 5 lessons (approx.)
This means you are responsible for reviewing the content from each lesson and assessing your understanding
Revising as you go rather than all at the last minute