PSYC 2210: Introduction to Social Psychology with Dr. William Stern

Definition of Social Psychology

  • Social Psychology is the study of how the actual, implied, and imagined presence of others influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

The Three Types of Presence

  • Actual: The physical presence of people, which can influence behavior like alcohol consumption or peer pressure.

  • Imagined: Anticipating how others might react to our behavior, such as when choosing clothing or shoes.

  • Implied: The influence of human-made artifacts or social artifacts, such as obeying a traffic light at 3 AM3\,AM even when alone.

Kurt Lewin’s Framework

  • Kurt Lewin established that both personal and situational factors influence behavior.

  • Movement is expressed as: B=f(P,E)B = f(P, E)

  • Note: While we often assume behavior is an issue of individual personality, it is frequently a response to social situations.

Key Study Areas

  • Social Cognition: How we think about others, explain behavior, make judgments, and the role of unconscious cognition in forming attitudes and stereotypes.

  • Decision-Making: The inability to accurately predict future events and its impact on decisions.

  • Social Memory and Feeling: The relationship between thinking, feeling, and situational memory.

  • Influence and Interaction: How to persuade others and the underlying causes of aggression.