Social Psychology o the importance of conformity pressures in social
Scientific Study of how we FEEL ABOUT, THINK groups and how people in authority could
ABOUT, and BEHAVE toward the PEOPLE around us create obedience, even to the extent of leading
and how our feelings, thoughts, and Behaviors are people to cause severe harm to others
influenced by those people Philip Zimbardo Prison Experiment (1973)
Study of the dynamic relationship between John Darley and Bibb Latane (1968) – Bystander
individuals and the people around them Intervention in Emergency
Why do we help? Why do we reject? Why do we o developed a model that helped explain when
love? How do we choose our partners? Who do we people do and do not help others in need
ask advice from? Why are we unfriendly or Berkowitz (1974) – Aggression: A Social
aggressive? What influences our purchasing habits Psychological Analysis
This course will help you examine human behavior o pioneered the study of human aggression.
and be more critical and objective with our Irvin Janis – Victims of groupthink: A psychological
relationships with other people and with study of foreign policy decisions and fiascos (Why
experiencing social phenomenon intelligent people when grouped together make
dumb decisions)
History of Social Psychology o focused on group behavior, studying why
Started when scientist formally began measuring, intelligent people sometimes made decisions
quantifying, and qualifying human behavior (duh). that led to disastrous results when they worked
First Social Psychology Experiment was conducted together.
Triplett (1898) “The dynamogenic factors in Gordon Allport and Muzafir Sherif, focused on
pacemaking and competition” intergroup relations, with the goal of
1908 was the year when the first textbook “An understanding and potentially reducing the
introduction to Social Psychology” occurrence of stereotyping, prejudice, and
1940s and 50s – Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger = discrimination.
refined research and made it more scientific (Lewin Later part of the 20th century – Integration of
= Father of Social Psychology), (Festinger = cognition into social phenomenon, communication,
Measuring variables in social research and the need and persuasion
to “lie” to participants in order to get more accurate expansion of social psychology into the field of
results attitudes, with a particular emphasis on cognitive
o Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger refined the processes
experimental approach to studying behavior, social psychologists developed the first formal
creating social psychology as a rigorous scientific models of persuasion, with the goal of
discipline. understanding how advertisers and other people
o Lewin is sometimes known as “the father of social could present their messages to make them most
psychology” because he initially developed many of effective
the important ideas of the discipline, including a Leon Festinger's important cognitive dissonance
focus on the dynamic interactions among people. theory was developed during this time and became
o In 1954, Festinger edited an influential book called a model for later research.
Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences, in In the 1970s and 1980s, social psychology became
which he and other social psychologists stressed the even more cognitive in orientation thru computer
need to measure variables and to use laboratory technology
experiments to systematically test research Focus of researchers on social cognition—an
hypotheses about social behavior. understanding of how our knowledge about our
o noted that it might be necessary in these social worlds develops through experience and the
experiments to deceive the participants about the influence of these knowledge structures on
true nature of the research. memory, information processing, attitudes, and
Understanding Adolf Hitler and Holocaust = Fueled judgment.
research interest in Social Psychology particularly in Furthermore, the extent to which humans’ decision
obedience and conformity making could be flawed by both cognitive and
Conformity Studies by Muzafir Sherif motivational processes was documented
Stanley Milgram Obedience to Authority (1974) 21st Century- Current research trends – Social
neuroscience: the study of how our social behavior
, both influences and is influenced by the activities of Evolutionary Adaptation - Assumption that human
our brain nature, including much of our social behavior, is
determined by our evolutionary past
Person and the Social Situation
Albeit we have different personalities, individual In evolutionary theory, fitness refers to the extent
characteristics, emotions, and mindsets, we cannot to which having a given characteristic helps the
deny the impact of social influences on behavior. individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a
Our behavior is influenced by the social situation higher rate than do other members of the species
Social situation = social influence (process in which who do not have the characteristic.
other people change our thoughts, feelings, and
behavior and through which we change theirs) Evolutionary Adaptation
Two fundamental motivations that guide us and
social situation- the people with whom we interact help us lead productive and effective lives: Self-
every day. concern and other concern
social influence- the process through which other Central motivations – relate to the self (Protect and
people change our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors enhance self and the people who are
and through which we change theirs. psychologically close to us) and the other relates to
the social situation (motivation to affiliate with,
Social psychology is largely the study of the social accept, and be accepted by others)
situation. Our social situations create social self-concern- The motivation to protect and
influence enhance the self and others who are close to us.
other-concern- The motivation to affiliate with,
Social psychologists believe that human behavior is accept, and be accepted by others.
determined by both a person’s characteristics and
the social situation. Principles of Self-Concern
They also believe that the social situation is the most basic tendency of all living organisms, and
frequently a stronger influence on behavior than the focus of the first human motivation, is the
are a person’s characteristics. desire to protect and enhance one’s own life and
the lives of the people who are close to us.
Kurt Lewin formalized the joint influence of person Kin Selection – strategies that favor the
variables and situational variables, which is known reproductive success of one’s relatives, sometimes
as the person-situation interaction even at a cost to the individuals own survival (We
Lewin Equation: Behavior = f (person and social sometimes make sacrifices in order to prolong the
situation) existence of our being)
indicates that the behavior of a given person at any occurs because behaviors that enhance the fitness
given time is a function of (depends on) both the of relatives, even if they lower the fitness of the
characteristics of the person and the influence of individual himself or herself, may nevertheless
the social situation. increase the survival of the group as a whole.
person refers to the characteristics of the individual We enhance our ingroup – those whom we view as
human being. being similar and important to us and with whom
we share close social connection
Evolutionary Adaptation and Human Characteristics
We are born with skills that allow us to interact Principles of Other-Concern
successfully with in our social worlds the goal of other-concern. desire to connect with
Our ancestors relied on their social skills in order to and be accepted by other people more generally
survive, ergo, we too inherited these social patterns Living together in communities, we work in work
which formed the backbone of our society groups, we worship together in a community, we
Our genetic code has provided with us our social play team sports, etc., so therefore the need for
skills. (Think phylogenetic endowment or shared affiliation (even with strangers) and acceptance is
consciousness) crucial to our social being and social existence
The cultural intelligence hypothesis. Humans have Helping, cooperating, concern, and caring are
evolved specialized skills of social cognition essential to our existence DESPITE the fact that we
are genetically predisposed to being selfish
Scientific Study of how we FEEL ABOUT, THINK groups and how people in authority could
ABOUT, and BEHAVE toward the PEOPLE around us create obedience, even to the extent of leading
and how our feelings, thoughts, and Behaviors are people to cause severe harm to others
influenced by those people Philip Zimbardo Prison Experiment (1973)
Study of the dynamic relationship between John Darley and Bibb Latane (1968) – Bystander
individuals and the people around them Intervention in Emergency
Why do we help? Why do we reject? Why do we o developed a model that helped explain when
love? How do we choose our partners? Who do we people do and do not help others in need
ask advice from? Why are we unfriendly or Berkowitz (1974) – Aggression: A Social
aggressive? What influences our purchasing habits Psychological Analysis
This course will help you examine human behavior o pioneered the study of human aggression.
and be more critical and objective with our Irvin Janis – Victims of groupthink: A psychological
relationships with other people and with study of foreign policy decisions and fiascos (Why
experiencing social phenomenon intelligent people when grouped together make
dumb decisions)
History of Social Psychology o focused on group behavior, studying why
Started when scientist formally began measuring, intelligent people sometimes made decisions
quantifying, and qualifying human behavior (duh). that led to disastrous results when they worked
First Social Psychology Experiment was conducted together.
Triplett (1898) “The dynamogenic factors in Gordon Allport and Muzafir Sherif, focused on
pacemaking and competition” intergroup relations, with the goal of
1908 was the year when the first textbook “An understanding and potentially reducing the
introduction to Social Psychology” occurrence of stereotyping, prejudice, and
1940s and 50s – Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger = discrimination.
refined research and made it more scientific (Lewin Later part of the 20th century – Integration of
= Father of Social Psychology), (Festinger = cognition into social phenomenon, communication,
Measuring variables in social research and the need and persuasion
to “lie” to participants in order to get more accurate expansion of social psychology into the field of
results attitudes, with a particular emphasis on cognitive
o Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger refined the processes
experimental approach to studying behavior, social psychologists developed the first formal
creating social psychology as a rigorous scientific models of persuasion, with the goal of
discipline. understanding how advertisers and other people
o Lewin is sometimes known as “the father of social could present their messages to make them most
psychology” because he initially developed many of effective
the important ideas of the discipline, including a Leon Festinger's important cognitive dissonance
focus on the dynamic interactions among people. theory was developed during this time and became
o In 1954, Festinger edited an influential book called a model for later research.
Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences, in In the 1970s and 1980s, social psychology became
which he and other social psychologists stressed the even more cognitive in orientation thru computer
need to measure variables and to use laboratory technology
experiments to systematically test research Focus of researchers on social cognition—an
hypotheses about social behavior. understanding of how our knowledge about our
o noted that it might be necessary in these social worlds develops through experience and the
experiments to deceive the participants about the influence of these knowledge structures on
true nature of the research. memory, information processing, attitudes, and
Understanding Adolf Hitler and Holocaust = Fueled judgment.
research interest in Social Psychology particularly in Furthermore, the extent to which humans’ decision
obedience and conformity making could be flawed by both cognitive and
Conformity Studies by Muzafir Sherif motivational processes was documented
Stanley Milgram Obedience to Authority (1974) 21st Century- Current research trends – Social
neuroscience: the study of how our social behavior
, both influences and is influenced by the activities of Evolutionary Adaptation - Assumption that human
our brain nature, including much of our social behavior, is
determined by our evolutionary past
Person and the Social Situation
Albeit we have different personalities, individual In evolutionary theory, fitness refers to the extent
characteristics, emotions, and mindsets, we cannot to which having a given characteristic helps the
deny the impact of social influences on behavior. individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a
Our behavior is influenced by the social situation higher rate than do other members of the species
Social situation = social influence (process in which who do not have the characteristic.
other people change our thoughts, feelings, and
behavior and through which we change theirs) Evolutionary Adaptation
Two fundamental motivations that guide us and
social situation- the people with whom we interact help us lead productive and effective lives: Self-
every day. concern and other concern
social influence- the process through which other Central motivations – relate to the self (Protect and
people change our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors enhance self and the people who are
and through which we change theirs. psychologically close to us) and the other relates to
the social situation (motivation to affiliate with,
Social psychology is largely the study of the social accept, and be accepted by others)
situation. Our social situations create social self-concern- The motivation to protect and
influence enhance the self and others who are close to us.
other-concern- The motivation to affiliate with,
Social psychologists believe that human behavior is accept, and be accepted by others.
determined by both a person’s characteristics and
the social situation. Principles of Self-Concern
They also believe that the social situation is the most basic tendency of all living organisms, and
frequently a stronger influence on behavior than the focus of the first human motivation, is the
are a person’s characteristics. desire to protect and enhance one’s own life and
the lives of the people who are close to us.
Kurt Lewin formalized the joint influence of person Kin Selection – strategies that favor the
variables and situational variables, which is known reproductive success of one’s relatives, sometimes
as the person-situation interaction even at a cost to the individuals own survival (We
Lewin Equation: Behavior = f (person and social sometimes make sacrifices in order to prolong the
situation) existence of our being)
indicates that the behavior of a given person at any occurs because behaviors that enhance the fitness
given time is a function of (depends on) both the of relatives, even if they lower the fitness of the
characteristics of the person and the influence of individual himself or herself, may nevertheless
the social situation. increase the survival of the group as a whole.
person refers to the characteristics of the individual We enhance our ingroup – those whom we view as
human being. being similar and important to us and with whom
we share close social connection
Evolutionary Adaptation and Human Characteristics
We are born with skills that allow us to interact Principles of Other-Concern
successfully with in our social worlds the goal of other-concern. desire to connect with
Our ancestors relied on their social skills in order to and be accepted by other people more generally
survive, ergo, we too inherited these social patterns Living together in communities, we work in work
which formed the backbone of our society groups, we worship together in a community, we
Our genetic code has provided with us our social play team sports, etc., so therefore the need for
skills. (Think phylogenetic endowment or shared affiliation (even with strangers) and acceptance is
consciousness) crucial to our social being and social existence
The cultural intelligence hypothesis. Humans have Helping, cooperating, concern, and caring are
evolved specialized skills of social cognition essential to our existence DESPITE the fact that we
are genetically predisposed to being selfish
