LECTURE 1: INTRO TO SOCIAL PSYCH
What is Social Psychology?
- ‘Social Psychology involves the use of scientific methods to understand and explain how the
thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individual are influenced by the actual, imagined or
implied presence of others – Allport, 1954
o Links people’s cognition, affective states and behaviour to social world.
o Not limited to social interaction.
o Process-oriented discipline – what people do, why they do it and causation?
- Influence of society on the individual – thought, individual, feeling, action – also interested
in how the four points build society.
- ‘The scientific study of the reciprocal influence of the individual and his/her social context’ –
Manstead and Hewstone (1995)
Types of theories in Social Psychology:
- Individual psychology: Person:
o Specific emotions, fundamental drives and motives, personality and basic cognitive
function – basic individual capabilities.
- Immediate social context: Situation:
o Specific others and social groups (sense of identity that informs what we do).
- Broader societal context: Society:
o Intergroup relations, difference in status and culture.
- Why did people vote the way they did in Brexit?
o Something about them: direct personal experience, self-interest and individual
beliefs.
o Something around them: contact with different cultures in community, affiliations
with specific groups and rhetoric community/political leaders.
o Structural relations between groups: histories between groups and actual/perceived
intergroup relations.
Research Methods used in Social Psychology:
- Social Psychology as a science:
o Basic assumption – possible and useful to study human social thought/behaviour
scientifically.
o People typically influenced by others around them.
o Target of prejudice/discrimination = detrimental to health and wellbeing.
o Different from other sciences – studying ourselves
o Relevance of social psychology = implications: intuitive theories about the world can
contaminate scientific theories.
- Common-sense is not always true: Cannot always rely on it.
o Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006 – advantage of unconscious thought (distraction
before making a complex decision (rather than considering all options)
▪ Nieuwenstein et al, 2015 – no difference in making rash decision,
considering all option or distraction before choice.
What is Social Psychology?
- ‘Social Psychology involves the use of scientific methods to understand and explain how the
thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individual are influenced by the actual, imagined or
implied presence of others – Allport, 1954
o Links people’s cognition, affective states and behaviour to social world.
o Not limited to social interaction.
o Process-oriented discipline – what people do, why they do it and causation?
- Influence of society on the individual – thought, individual, feeling, action – also interested
in how the four points build society.
- ‘The scientific study of the reciprocal influence of the individual and his/her social context’ –
Manstead and Hewstone (1995)
Types of theories in Social Psychology:
- Individual psychology: Person:
o Specific emotions, fundamental drives and motives, personality and basic cognitive
function – basic individual capabilities.
- Immediate social context: Situation:
o Specific others and social groups (sense of identity that informs what we do).
- Broader societal context: Society:
o Intergroup relations, difference in status and culture.
- Why did people vote the way they did in Brexit?
o Something about them: direct personal experience, self-interest and individual
beliefs.
o Something around them: contact with different cultures in community, affiliations
with specific groups and rhetoric community/political leaders.
o Structural relations between groups: histories between groups and actual/perceived
intergroup relations.
Research Methods used in Social Psychology:
- Social Psychology as a science:
o Basic assumption – possible and useful to study human social thought/behaviour
scientifically.
o People typically influenced by others around them.
o Target of prejudice/discrimination = detrimental to health and wellbeing.
o Different from other sciences – studying ourselves
o Relevance of social psychology = implications: intuitive theories about the world can
contaminate scientific theories.
- Common-sense is not always true: Cannot always rely on it.
o Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006 – advantage of unconscious thought (distraction
before making a complex decision (rather than considering all options)
▪ Nieuwenstein et al, 2015 – no difference in making rash decision,
considering all option or distraction before choice.
