This document provides an overview of social psychology. It discusses that social psychology is the study of how humans interact with and behave towards each other in specific situations. It also outlines some basic beliefs in social psychology, including that behavior is influenced by society, experiments can test theories, behavior reveals personality, and behavior helps achieve goals. Finally, it mentions two notable theories - attribution theory, which examines external and internal factors that influence behavior, and self-perception theory, which looks at how we observe and judge others.
15. 1. Behavior and decision-making are
largely influenced by society.
Even if a decision is made privately,
an individual is influenced by society.
16.
17. 2. Experiments may be conducted to
back up theories.
• Social psychology is viewed as predictable
and able to be tested. Psychologists are
encouraged to test their theories multiple
times and objectively measure the results to
support their argument.
18. 3. Behavior is used to assess someone’s
personality and character.
20. 4. Behavior helps to reach certain
goals
• our society influences our
behaviors and decisions. But all
of these decisions are made to
complete a goal.
24. Attribution Theory
• The two main categories
within Attribution Theory include
external factors (money, weather,
etc.) and internal factors
(personal beliefs, insecurities,
etc.)
What Is Social Psychology?
Let’s start with a brief definition of social psychology. Social Psychology is the study of how humans behave and interact with each other, mainly in specified situations. This field takes a look at individual behavior in a much larger social context.
Psychologists in this field believe that all behavior takes place in a social context. By looking at society’s influence on the individual, we can begin to understand the inner workings of the mind and why certain decisions are made.
The coronavirus pandemic, like many historical events, tends to bring out the good and bad in people.
You may see stories online of people selflessly giving up their time, money, or lives to help others.
But you may also see stories that show blatant disregard for the truth or even the lives of others. The decisions we have had to make during this pandemic are largely influenced by the people around us. A young, healthy person may decide to self-isolate, for example, not for themselves but to “protect the herd.”
As you were cooped up in quarantine, you probably asked yourself a lot of questions about human behavior. I know I did. These extreme circumstances can often bring out big questions about human nature and how we work together in a society. And these big questions aren’t new. Social psychologists have been attempting to answer these questions for decades.
The impact of society on the individual has been on the minds of psychologists and philosophers since the Ancient Greeks. Aristotle, for example, emphasized the importance that a state or political community has on an individual’s survival. He also believed that our language and laws separated us from other animals, and some of these “laws” included everyone’s different roles to create a thriving economy.
But Aristotle didn’t conduct experiments the way that psychologists do now. This way of validating theories was not popular in social psychology until the late 1800s. At this point, a few psychologists had written about the influence of society on our behavior, but didn’t have data to back it up.
One of the earliest experiments in social psychology as we know it today occurred in 1895. Norman Tripplett was an American psychologist at Indiana University. He conducted an experiment in which children wound up a fishing rod. Some children completed the task alone, while others were in the presence of other children. Tripplett found that the children who were among peers were motivated to complete the task faster.
This is how Social Facilitation Theory was born.
Social Psychology gained popularity in the early 1900s, but really took off in the later part of the century. World Wars and the Great Depression in America raised a lot of questions about society and its influence on individuals.
During the 60s and 70s, darker and more shocking experiments on human behavior forced psychologists to look at the process in which experiments are conducted and how to ethically approach social psychology.
The study has expanded well beyond America’s borders. Today, research and influence from all over the world has continued to shape social psychology and how it’s approached. There is still much to learn!
Basic Beliefs in Social Psychology
The basic tenets of social psychology do more than address how humans interact with others. They also lay out how to collect data and observe people to build theories within social psychology. Here are some of the main ideas that have shaped social psychology and remain at the core of this field.
Behavior and decision-making are largely influenced by society. Even if a decision is made privately, an individual is influenced by society.
A person may not choose to steal, even if no one is looking and they won’t get caught. They are simply influenced by the laws laid out by society.
2. Experiments may be conducted to back up theories.
Social psychology is viewed as predictable and able to be tested. Psychologists are encouraged to test their theories multiple times and objectively measure the results to support their argument. This process is evolving as psychologists discover what it truly means to be “objective.” Some famous experiments have been discredited due to bias from the researcher. This is an ever-evolving process.
Behavior is used to assess someone’s personality and character. You’ve probably heard this phrase before: “Actions speak louder than words.” In social psychology, actions speak very loud.
A handful of theories in social psychology look at the ways in which we assess another person’s behavior and how that shapes our perception of that person. We also use these types of assessments to make judgements on our personality and character.
Behavior helps to reach certain goals. Yes, our society influences our behaviors and decisions. But all of these decisions are made to complete a goal. This could be the fulfillment of physical needs or to obtain a certain status within society.
These four ideas will show up again and again as you read about social psychology’s most famous theories and experiments.
Attribution Theory
Why did your best friend lie to you? Why did that guy cut you off in traffic? Why does a billionaire abandon their riches for a more spartan lifestyle?
Every day, you are faced with hundreds of decisions. You make some of these decisions alone. You make some of them in front of other people. Sometimes, you observe the behaviors of others and make judgements as to why those decisions were made.
Attribution theory looks at the way that we observe others and explain their decisions. We are meaning-making creatures. We want to understand why someone made specific decisions or what factors are contributing to their behavior.
The two main categories within Attribution Theory include external factors (money, weather, etc.) and internal factors (personal beliefs, insecurities, etc.)
Self-Perception Theory
Attribution looks at the ways that we observe and make judgements about the behavior of others. Self-perception theory looks at the ways that we observe and make judgements about our behavior. And the way that we perceive ourselves is crucial to the goals we set, our mental health, and how our life plays out.
Bobo Doll Experiment
One of the most famous experiments in all of psychology helped to form Social Learning Theory.
The Bobo Doll Experiment placed children in a room with an adult, an inflatable Bobo Doll, and other toys and activities. Some adults acted aggressively toward the doll, while others left it alone or were gentle. Psychologists found that the children who observed adults being aggressive were more likely to be aggressive themselves. This showed that children can learn by modeling or observing others.
There’s a Lot to Learn in Social Psychology!
This is just the tip of the iceberg! There is a lot more to the scientific field that we call social psychology. After all, it’s been discussed since the days of Aristotle!
This field will continue to evolve, especially as the world faces new challenges and creates new technology. Social media, for example, is at the core of many social psychology studies. Thirty years ago, “social media” wasn’t even a term.
