Chapter1 Introducing Social Psychology

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Introducing Social

Psychology

Chapter 1

Dr. Edith Singer

Lauder Business School

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What is Social Psychology?

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Some big ideas in social

psychology

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We construct our social reality

1. Urge to explain behavior

2. Attribute behavior to a cause (e.g. consistent and

distinctive behavior personality attribution)

3. Make life predictable, orderly, and controllable

In a way we are all intuitive scientists!

Our beliefs shape our perception, emotions, and

action.

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Social intuitions are

powerful and perilious

y Our intuitions shape our fears, impressions, and

relationships.

y Unconscious mind automatic processing; thinking

occurs offstage.

y Dual processing: conscious and unconscious level of

thinking, memory, and attitudes.

y We trust our memories more than we should.

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Social influences shape our behavior

y We are social beings and respond to our immediate

contexts.

y Our cultures define our situations.

y Our attitudes and behavior are shaped by external social

forces.

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Personal attitudes and dispositions

shape our behavior

y Our inner attitudes and dispositions also affect our

behavior.y We are both creatures and creators of our social worlds.

y Our worlds arise from the interactions between situations

and persons.

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Social behavior is also

biological behavior

y Inherited human nature (genes) for survival and

reproduction

ySensitive and responsive to social context

y Neurobiology: brain, mind, and behavior social

cognitive neuroscience (e.g. stress hormones affect

feeling and action; social ostracism elevates blood

pressure; social support strengthens immune system)

We are bio-psycho-social organisms!

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Social Psychology and Human Values (1)

y SP investigates how values form, why they change,

and how they influence attitudes and actions.

y Science is never purely objective. Scientists interpret

nature, using their own mental categories.

y We have a tendency to prejudge reality based on our

expectations not situation-as-it-is, but situation-as-

we-construe-it.

y We agree because we are of the same culture shared

beliefs called social representations.

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Social Psychology and Human Values (2)

Psychological advice reflects the advice givers

personal values.

y What is a good life?

y Define terrorist, define freedom fighter.

y How do these terms affect you: (a) the loss of innocent

lives, (b) collateral damage?

y How about (a) welfare or (b) aid to the needy? Or (a)

nationalism vs. patriotism.

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Is social psychology common sense?

y Problem with common sense: hindsight bias!

(Life is lived forward, but understood backwards.

Soren Kierkegaard)

y Common sense is conducive to arrogance an

overestimation of our intellectual powers.

y Reflect: What are stupid mistakes?

y Reflect: Which saying is correct?

Science helps us sift reality from illusion and

genuine predictions from easy hindsight.

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Research Methods in

Social Psychology

Researet s

C rrelati nal

AdvantagesOften uses real w rl

settings

DisadvantagesCausati n ften

ambigu us

Experimental

AdvantagesCan expl r e cause

an effect bycontrolling variables

an by r an omassignment

Disadvantages

Often uses contrivedlaboratory settings