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Social Psychology, detailed summary (IBP)
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PYC3701 Assignment 1 (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 1 2024 (576226) - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED
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PYC3701 The only Study and Exam Pack you will need! Used for Assignments and Exam period 2023
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1Chapter 1 (Social Psychology): The Science of the Social side of the Life
unofficial def: social psychology = branch of psychology that studies all aspects of our social
existence
→ social psychologists: investigate how groups influence us, how social context we find ourselves
in affects the way we make decisions + how we explain ourselves and the actions of other people
Connect with others: predictor happiness, well-being, physical
health, defines who we are, quality of existence
3 Solitary confinement: bad for mental health bc considered
aspect punishment
Behav s: Motivat “Disconnection from others” even from social media can feel
iour Cogniti ion horrible
on identity = how we think about ourselves at any given point in
time
→ social Psy (SP) covers lot of territory → much of what’s
central to human experience
Social Psychology: What is it and what is it not
OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the diverse topics that SP seeks to understand
social psychology = scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual
behavior, feelings, and thoughts in social situations OR investigates the way in which oru thoughts,
feelings, and actions are influenced by the social environments in which we find ourselves - by other
people or our thoughts about them
Social Psychology in Scientific in Nature
factors of science: 1. set of values and 2. methods that can be used to study a wide range of topics
1. values: accuracy; replicability, objectivity, skepticism, open mindedness
Why need social psychology? own experiences are unique + may not provide a solid foundation for
answering general questions + people are often unaware of the influences on them + often confusing
outcomes
→ also biases influence the way we perceive
Social Psychology Focuses on the Behavior of Individuals
- How groups influence the individual behavior
- How culture becomes internalized and affects individual preferences
- How emotions and moods affect decisions made by the individual
- look at other nonsocial factors influencing the social behavior of an individual
Social Contexts/Experiences ⇒ self-Identities ⇒ Social Behavior
Social Psychology Seeks to Understand the Causes of Social Behavior
→ actions, feelings, beliefs, memories, judgements → major influential factors
Actions and Characteristics of other persons:
→ observe other people and respond to them → other people’s emotional expressions have
powerful impact on individual
→ affected by others appearance: age, gender, attractiveness etc. → often gives good first
impression about how the person really is
Cognitive Processes:
→ try to make sense of people in our social world by attributing their actions to something about
them or something about the circumstance
→ engage in social cognition
, 2
Environmental Variables
Biological Factors:
→ relationship between environment and biology → epigenetic processes (operation of certain
genes is turned on or off)
→ evolutionary psychology = view that biological factors play role in social behavior → behavior
has been subject to process of biological evolution throughout history
→ now possess large number of evolved psychological mechanisms that
help us deal with important problems to survived
→ not all but many behaviors are influenced by bio processes
→ might differ between genders: romance → women more looking
for humor, relationship et.c
→ this does not suggests that patterns of decisions are inherited but
they might likely be affected by bio evolutionary process
The Search for Basic Principles in a Changing Social World
→ SP seeks to uncover basic principles that govern social life → basic principles that will be true
across time and in different cultures
→ acknowledge that cultures differ over the world and are constantly changing → complicated to
establish basic principles
Social Psychology: Advances at the Boundaries
OBJECTIVE: Examine the major avenues that SP is currently exploring
Cognition and Behavior: Two sides of the same social coin
past: division into 2 distinct groups → 1. behavior and 2. thought
today: both intimately and continuously linked
→ need thought, memory, intentions, emotions, attitudes and situations to understand why and
how one behaves → complex interplay between social thought and social behavior
The Role of Emotions in the Social Side of Life
→ play key role in many aspects of social life → have strong influence on our behavior and
thoughts + impressions of others are influences by our current moods
Social Relationships: How important they are for well-being
→ one of most important topics in SP: building blocks for social life
: tendency to see partener in a good light → generally good tendency as long as it is of healthy
degree and in touch with reality → mostly contributes to happiness
→ singles: seek social interaction in community instead of relationship
→ being member of several social groups predicts better psych well-being, and usually also longer
life → provide social support → resource of well-being
Social Neuroscience: The Intersection of Social Psychology and Brain Research
Everything we do, feel, imagine, create reflects activ in brain
→ Study events in brain + changes in immune system to find what portions brain + what complex
systems within brain involved in key aspects social life
Certain patterns (some event related potentials) activ occur very quickly when indiv encounter
words inconsistent with their values: nonreligious // religious against euthanasia quick reaction when
word “acceptable” about euthanasia → we process info disagreeing with attitudes very quick, even
before can put to words
, 3
Other patterns occur later: negative reactions to value-inconsistent statement
→ Mirror neurons: in frontal operculum active when observe + execute actions, key role empathy
1. videos others’ facial expressions // 2. nonsocial mvt: ppl ↗//moderate empathy ↗activ frontal
operculum 1
The Role of Implicit (Nonconscious) Processes
→ thoughts and actions are shaped by factors and processes of which we are only dimly aware
→ first impressions: often take place in automatic manner and w/o conscious thought (right/wrong)
→ stereotypes, biases etc. influence the way we perceive situations → influence the way we
behave toward people
Taking full Account of Social Diversity
→ US and other countries: more and more diversity and changes in culture and heritage
→ adopt a multicultural perspective (= a focus on understanding the cultural and ethnic factors that
influence social behavior) → recognize the potential importance of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, disability, social class, religious orientation
→ studies: preference of body types: culturally: developing countries pref heavier body type,
developed countries slimmer; SES: high - slimmer and lower - heavier
→ culture: modify the extent to which aspects of physical appearance are related to life outcomes
and psych well-being → attractiveness had influence on how people are treated
How Social Psychologists Answer the Questions they ask: Research as the Route to
Increase Knowledge OBJECTIVE: Understand the methods social psychologists use to gain insight into the question posed
Systematic Observation: Describing the World around us
systematic observation = method of research in which behaviors is systematically observed and
recorded → usually research setting
↔ naturalistic observation = observations that are done in a natural setting → hard to not influence
the observation to keep it as natural as possible
→ survey method = method of research in which a large number of people answer questions about
their attitudes or behavior → often used to assess attitudes toward a variety of social issues; makes
possible to gather many answers and can be easily compared because it is standardized; available
for many/most people
→ requirements to be useful: 1. sample must be representative of population; 2. need for careful
assessment
Correlation: The Search for Relationship
→ knowledge of correlation is very useful tool → used to make prediction → useful and important
tool in order to study relationships
→ correlational method = method of research in which a scientist systematically observes two or
more variables to determine whether changes in one are accompanied by changes in the other
→ results: tentative conclusion:
1. correlation ≠ causality
2. uncertainty about direction of correlation → which var influences which?
The Experimental Method: Knowledge Through Systematic Intervention
, 4
→ want to be able to explain relationships → often hard w/ correlation
→ experimentation/experimental method = method of research on which one or
more factors (independent variables) are systematically changed to determine
whether such variations affect one or more other factors (dependent variables) →
changes cause changes
→ key requirements for success: 1. random assignment AND 2. independent
variables + situational constantinity
(stms confounding variables → variables that are connected to other variable not studied → leads to
uninterpretable results)
Causality: The Role of Mediating Variables
→ Often 1 step further: try to get to underlying processes: not just measure single indep variable
but other factors believed to affect
→ mediating variables = variable that is affected by an independent variable and then influences a
dependent variable. Mediating variables help explain why or how specific variables influence social
behavior or thought
Meta-Analysis: Assessing a Body of Knowledge
meta analysis = average effect size observed across many studies is computed permitting assessment
of the strength of an effect. This allows strong conclusions, in part because of the increased sample
size and reduced error when many studies are combined
→ permits an assessment of how well findings are replicated → whether same pattern of results is
obtained despite variation in how particular studies were conducted
→ moderators = factors that can alter the effect of an independent variable of the dependent variable
+ can also affect the strength of relationship between two var
The Role of Theory in Social Psychology
OBJECTIVE: Explain how theories play a key role in SP research
→ do not only want to describe but also explain the world and find reasons for it
→ Build theory:
- based on existing evidences
- hypotheses (basic concepts and statements on how related, predictions)
- test by research
- if results consistent then ↗confidence / if not theory modified and further tests
- ultimately theory accepted as accurate / rejected
BUT Theories never proven in definite way, always open to test
AND Research to gather evidence NOT prove theory or bias bc really want to show true
The Quest for Knowledge and the Rights of Individuals: Seeking an Appropriate Balance
Identify how the dilemma of deception is addressed in SP
→ unique research technique to SP: deception = method whereby the researcher withhold information
about the purpose or procedure of the study from people participating in it
→ Ethical issues:
1. chances that deception may result in some kind of harm to the person exposed to it (upset by
procedure or reaction) → different levels: passive deception; extreme deception; misleading
information)
2. possibility that participants will resent being “fooled” during study → acquire neg attitudes
against studies of SP or in general
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