Psyc - reading
Week 23 - March 16th, 2026 Chapter 64: Defining Social Psychology
The History of Social Psychology
ocial cognition: the study of
S - Asch (Conformity)
how people think about the social - Milgram (obedience)
world - Zimbardo (roles)
- Big ideas: power of the social situation and shift to cognitive
ocial neuroscience: the study of
S psychology
how our social behaviour both The Person and the Social Situation
influences and is influenced by
- Social psychology = social situation = social influence
the activities of our brain
- Social psychology is the study of the dynamic relationship
between individuals and the people around them
- Our behaviour is profoundly influenced by thesocialsituation→
ocial situation: the people with
S
whom we interact every day
the people who we interact with everyday
ocial influence: the process
S - Social situations create social influence
through which other people - Person-situation interaction equation: Behavior = f (person, social
change our thoughts, feelings and situation)
behaviors and through which we →
the behaviour of the person at any given time depends on the
change theirs characteristics of the person and the influence of the social
situation
erson-situation interaction: the
P The Social Situation Creates Powerful Social Influence
joint influence of person variables - People usually value either social relationships the most
and situational variables - We are also influenced by the people who are not present →
internalized behaviour
“ I’m different with my friends vs - We carry our own personal social situations around with us
my prof vs my family” everyday
- The social situation is a stronger determinant of behavior than
ehavior is influenced by both
B
personality
personal characteristics and the
social situation (Lewin).
→
ex. Cult suicide = shows how a strong leader has a strong
influence on the group
ocial support: The perception or
S - Extreme situations (ex. Terrorist attacks) stem from social
actuality that we have a social situations then the characteristics of the individual
network that can help us in times - Social support: People play an enormous role for our physical and
of need and provide us with a mental health
variety of useful resources (e.g., - social psychological research results suggest that one of the
advice, love, money) most important things you can do for yourself is to develop a
stable support network
Social Influence Creates Social Norms
- Social influence can occur passively without obvious intent of one
ocial norms: the ways of
S person to influence another
thinking, feeling, or behaving that →
ex. Starting to like jazz music cause our roomie plays it a lot
are shared by group members and - And can be very obvious
perceived by them as appropriate →
trying to sway a jury
- One outcome of social influence = social norms
- Though norms we learn what people actually do and what we
should not do
, Different Cultures Have Different Norms
ulture: A pattern of shared
C - Our culture influenced our thoughts, feelings and behaviours
meaning and behavior among a through teaching, imitation and other forms of social transmission
group of people that is passed - Different fundamental social norms between Western cultures and
from one generation to the next East Asian cultures
● Western: values individualism; children are taught to
develop personal self
● East Asian: values collectivism; children are taught to
develop harmonious relationships w/ others
Define social psychology
- Social psychology is the
eview the history of the field of social psychology and the topics that social
R
psychologists study
Summarize the principles of social psychology
Describe and provide examples of the person-situation interaction
Review the concepts of social norms and cultures
he history of social psychology includes the study of attitudes, group behavior,
T
altruism and aggression, culture, prejudice, and many other topics.
Social psychologists study real-world problems using a scientific approach
ocial psychologists study the person-situation interaction: how characteristics
S
of the person and characteristics of the social situation interact to determine
behaviour
Many social behaviours have been selected by evolutionary adaptation
he social situation creates social norms–shared ways of thinking, feeling and
T
behaving
ultural differences–for instance, in individualistic versus collectivistic
C
orientations–guide our everyday behaviour
Psyc - reading
Week 23 - March 17th, 2026 Chapter 65: Exploring Attitudes and Changing Attitudes Through Persuasion
ttitude: a psychological
A Attitudes are Evaluations
tendency that is expressed by - Attitudes involve a preference for or against the attitude object
evaluating a particular entity with ● Ex. “i hate cheerios” “i love bill” “i dislike snakes”
some degree of favour or disfavor - Our attitudes are an essential part of “us”
- E very human holds thousands of attitudes
Attitude object: a person, a - Each of our attitudes has its own unique characteristics
Week 23 - March 16th, 2026 Chapter 64: Defining Social Psychology
The History of Social Psychology
ocial cognition: the study of
S - Asch (Conformity)
how people think about the social - Milgram (obedience)
world - Zimbardo (roles)
- Big ideas: power of the social situation and shift to cognitive
ocial neuroscience: the study of
S psychology
how our social behaviour both The Person and the Social Situation
influences and is influenced by
- Social psychology = social situation = social influence
the activities of our brain
- Social psychology is the study of the dynamic relationship
between individuals and the people around them
- Our behaviour is profoundly influenced by thesocialsituation→
ocial situation: the people with
S
whom we interact every day
the people who we interact with everyday
ocial influence: the process
S - Social situations create social influence
through which other people - Person-situation interaction equation: Behavior = f (person, social
change our thoughts, feelings and situation)
behaviors and through which we →
the behaviour of the person at any given time depends on the
change theirs characteristics of the person and the influence of the social
situation
erson-situation interaction: the
P The Social Situation Creates Powerful Social Influence
joint influence of person variables - People usually value either social relationships the most
and situational variables - We are also influenced by the people who are not present →
internalized behaviour
“ I’m different with my friends vs - We carry our own personal social situations around with us
my prof vs my family” everyday
- The social situation is a stronger determinant of behavior than
ehavior is influenced by both
B
personality
personal characteristics and the
social situation (Lewin).
→
ex. Cult suicide = shows how a strong leader has a strong
influence on the group
ocial support: The perception or
S - Extreme situations (ex. Terrorist attacks) stem from social
actuality that we have a social situations then the characteristics of the individual
network that can help us in times - Social support: People play an enormous role for our physical and
of need and provide us with a mental health
variety of useful resources (e.g., - social psychological research results suggest that one of the
advice, love, money) most important things you can do for yourself is to develop a
stable support network
Social Influence Creates Social Norms
- Social influence can occur passively without obvious intent of one
ocial norms: the ways of
S person to influence another
thinking, feeling, or behaving that →
ex. Starting to like jazz music cause our roomie plays it a lot
are shared by group members and - And can be very obvious
perceived by them as appropriate →
trying to sway a jury
- One outcome of social influence = social norms
- Though norms we learn what people actually do and what we
should not do
, Different Cultures Have Different Norms
ulture: A pattern of shared
C - Our culture influenced our thoughts, feelings and behaviours
meaning and behavior among a through teaching, imitation and other forms of social transmission
group of people that is passed - Different fundamental social norms between Western cultures and
from one generation to the next East Asian cultures
● Western: values individualism; children are taught to
develop personal self
● East Asian: values collectivism; children are taught to
develop harmonious relationships w/ others
Define social psychology
- Social psychology is the
eview the history of the field of social psychology and the topics that social
R
psychologists study
Summarize the principles of social psychology
Describe and provide examples of the person-situation interaction
Review the concepts of social norms and cultures
he history of social psychology includes the study of attitudes, group behavior,
T
altruism and aggression, culture, prejudice, and many other topics.
Social psychologists study real-world problems using a scientific approach
ocial psychologists study the person-situation interaction: how characteristics
S
of the person and characteristics of the social situation interact to determine
behaviour
Many social behaviours have been selected by evolutionary adaptation
he social situation creates social norms–shared ways of thinking, feeling and
T
behaving
ultural differences–for instance, in individualistic versus collectivistic
C
orientations–guide our everyday behaviour
Psyc - reading
Week 23 - March 17th, 2026 Chapter 65: Exploring Attitudes and Changing Attitudes Through Persuasion
ttitude: a psychological
A Attitudes are Evaluations
tendency that is expressed by - Attitudes involve a preference for or against the attitude object
evaluating a particular entity with ● Ex. “i hate cheerios” “i love bill” “i dislike snakes”
some degree of favour or disfavor - Our attitudes are an essential part of “us”
- E very human holds thousands of attitudes
Attitude object: a person, a - Each of our attitudes has its own unique characteristics
