1. Social psychology differs from sociology in a few ways even though there is some
overlap. First note that both involve groups of people in the environment, but with social
psychology we are focusing on the individual within the group, rather than the dynamics of the
group itself. For the individual operating within a social structure (every second of our life!),
who we are and the information we process is constantly being bombarded by the environments
around us. Who we are is a product of the influence that our environment has on our thoughts,
feelings, and ultimately behaviors.
When we look at the individual in a group, we need to understand that person’s unique
phenomenological perspective: That is, how they see the world. In social psychology, we want to
understand the individual’s person perception. This is comprised of four key components:
Information you know about other people, information you know about yourself, goals, and
expectations. Basically, when you walk into a waiting room at the doctor’s office, you look
around and combine multiple points of information almost instantaneously. You look around at
the people already there, you are aware of who you are and why you are there, you keep in mind
your goals for this endeavor to the doctor, and you have certain expectations as to what getting to
the end result of seeing the doctor will look like. This decision making process is referred to as
social cognition.
So if you got onto an empty train in the middle of the night and only saw one creepy
looking stranger, where would you decide to sit? Now think about why you would sit wherever
you decided to. How do those reasons fit in with your understanding of person perception?
Consider someone from another culture, what can you tell from looking at them? How much do
you really know about someone just by looking?

2. The truth is you use multiple pieces of information to make even the quickest of
decisions. Sometimes these decisions are biased or based on stereotypes. Consider what our
society perceives as being trustworthy. Now consider people throughout history that fit this mold
but are not trustworthy! Another key point to remember is that all of these components of social
cognition have a place within the brain as well—particularly dopaminergic pathways related to
pleasure and reward. So if you make eye contact with someone you perceive as trustworthy (or
attractive), your brain is more likely to influence you with regards to how you process and utilize
this information.