Introduction to Social Psychology Chapter 1

Introduction to Social Psychology

Course Overview and Plan for Today

  • Introduction

  • Review of Syllabus

  • Start Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Psychology

Instructor Background

  • About Me

    • Second Year PhD student in Social Psychology

    • Research Interests: Social Identity, Identity threat, and Intergroup relations.

Course Resources

  • Required Resources

    • Weekly readings

    • Lectures/Slides

  • Optional Resource

    • "Social Psychology (5th Edition)" by Serena Chen, Tom Gilovich, Dacher Keltner, Richard Nisbett

Assessments Overview

  • Exams and Quizzes

    • Total of 5 quizzes and 2 exams

    • Coverage: Material from lectures/slides and readings

    • Weighting: 90% of overall grade (70% Exams, 20% quizzes)

    • Note: Lowest quiz score will be dropped at the end of the semester

    • Midterm Exam: Covers chapters 1-8

    • Final Exam: Covers chapters 9-14

  • Participation and Extra Credit

    • Attendance and Participation: Worth 10% of total grade

    • Requirement: Write name on attendance paper and answer questions during class

    • Extra Credit: Up to 2% available through SONA subject pool or writing assignment

Defining Social Psychology

What is Social Psychology?

  • Definition: The scientific study of the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of individuals in social situations;

    • Investigates how people think about, influence, and relate to each other.

Example Research Questions in Social Psychology

  • Exploration of specific topics such as:

    • Indifference to the suffering of others.

    • Motivation behind self-sacrificial behavior.

    • Factors contributing to cult membership.

    • Dynamics of relationship success and failure.

    • Influences on consumer behavior.

The Power of the Situation

Key Concept: The Power of the Situation

  • Kurt Lewin's Insight: Behavior is a function of the interplay between individuals and the surrounding forces (situational context).

Case Study: The Milgram Experiment

  • An examination of obedience and authority figures in social psychology.

Good Samaritans Study (Darley & Batson, 1973)

  • Experimental Design:

    • Participants described their religious orientation in terms of personal salvation versus moral/spiritual values.

    • Delivered a sermon on the Good Samaritan along a designated route.

    • Conditions varied: Plenty of time versus being late, influencing willingness to help a distressed individual.

  • Findings:

    • Predictor of Helping Behavior: The urgency of pace (whether participants were told they were running late).

Understanding Attribution and Behavior

Fundamental Attribution Error

  • Definition: The tendency to overemphasize internal characteristics of an individual while underestimating situational factors when interpreting behavior.

    • Key Question: Do internal factors (traits, values) exert more influence on behavior than external situational factors?

Channel Factors

  • Situational conditions that seem minor but can significantly impact behavior.

  • Example: Nudges to encourage vaccination (Leventhal, Singer, and Jones, 1965):

    • Scary literature about tetanus vs. providing a roadmap with scheduled vaccination times.

Perception and Interpretation in Social Psychology

The Role of Perception

  • Concept: Reality is interpreted via subjective understanding, leading to potential errors in judgment.

    • Application: This notion applies to both visual perception and social perception.

Gestalt Psychology

  • Definition: A theory proposing that individuals perceive objects based on active interpretation rather than automatic registration.

    • The term “Gestalt” translates from German as “form” or “figure.”

Interpretation Mechanisms in Social Psychology

Construal

  • Definition: The subjective interpretation of stimuli or social situations.

Schemas

  • Definition: A mental framework or structure that organizes and interprets information based on previous experiences.

    • Examples:

    • First-day-of-school schema.

    • Coffee shop schema (expectations based on context).

Stereotypes

  • Definition: A subtype of schemas—beliefs regarding attributes that characterize members of specific groups.

Cognitive Processes: Automatic vs. Controlled

Automatic Processing

  • Characteristics:

    • Fast, effortless, and often outside conscious awareness (e.g., recognizing faces).

  • Advantages of Automatic Processing:

    • Beneficial in situations of threat or where actions are routine.

    • Useful for low-impact decisions.

Controlled Processing

  • Characteristics:

    • Deliberate, slow, and under conscious control requiring mental effort and motivation.

  • Advantages of Controlled Processing:

    • Essential for tasks requiring focus or when facing new situations.

    • Critical for high-impact decisions.

Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Evolution and Natural Selection

  • Definition: An evolutionary process that leads to the survival of traits that favor adaptation and reproduction.

  • Argument by Evolutionary Psychologists: Just as physical features evolve, behavioral tendencies emerge through adaptation to environment.

Human Universals

  • Definition: Behaviors and institutions observable across cultures.

  • Examples of Universals:

    • Living in a family, age status, social dance, childhood fear of strangers, and defining characteristics of attraction.

Universal Emotions

  • List of Recognized Human Emotions:

    • Anger, Disgust, Happiness, Fear, Sadness, Surprise.

Theory of Mind

  • Definition: The cognitive ability to understand another individual's mental state, encompassing beliefs, desires, and intentions which aid in anticipating responses.

Evolution and Gender Roles

  • Concept of Parental Investment: Recognizing different costs and benefits to reproduction between genders, influencing roles and behaviors.

Caveats in Evolutionary Theory

Important Notes on Evolutionary Insights

  • Insights derived from evolutionary theory tend to be descriptive, not prescriptive.

  • Caution against the Naturalistic Fallacy: The incorrect assumption that current natural behaviors dictate how things ought to be.

  • Acknowledgment of significant influence from evolutionary pressures on human tendencies and behaviors.

Cultural Impact on Human Behavior

Culture and Human Behavior

  • Though universal behaviors exist, they can take various forms across different cultures.

  • Historical context: Variations are evident between Western and non-Western cultures across many domains.

Independent vs. Interdependent Cultures

Comparison Table: Cultural Perspectives on Self

  • Independent Cultures:

    • Distinct self-conception, ability to act independently, personal distinctiveness, rules applying universally.

  • Interdependent Cultures:

    • Self viewed as connected to others, preference for collective action, importance of maintaining harmony and hierarchical structures in relationships.