Obvious ways that human values influence social psychology - ️️- Values affect
when/how social psychologists choose research topics, in ways like
--> Current events (studying riots in the 60's)
--> Across cultures (American social psychologists often focus on individuals, how one
pers...
PSY 240 WWU Exam 1
Obvious ways that human values influence social psychology - ✔️✔️- Values affect
when/how social psychologists choose research topics, in ways like
--> Current events (studying riots in the 60's)
--> Across cultures (American social psychologists often focus on individuals, how one
person thinks about others, is influenced by and relates to them)
--> The types of people who are attracted to various disciplines (students majoring in
the humanities may seem different than those majoring in the natural sciences; social
psychology and sociology may attract people who are eager to challenge tradition and
more inclined to shape the future than preserve the past, and studying social science
might also enhance such beliefs)
--> being the object of social psychological analysis (social psychologists investigate
how values form, why they change, and how they influence attitudes and actions)
Questions that social psychology seeks to answer: - ✔️✔️- Does our social behavior
depend more on the situations we face or on how we construe them?
- Would people be cruel if ordered?
- To help others or to help oneself?
Social Psychology - ✔️✔️the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and
relate to one another
specifically, the study of social thinking, social influence, and social relations
Social thinking - ✔️✔️how we perceive ourselves and others, what we believe,
judgments we make, and our attitudes
1. We construct our social reality
2. Our social intuitions are powerful, but sometimes perilous
3. Attitudes shape, and are shaped by, behavior
Social influence - ✔️✔️culture, pressures to conform, persuasion, groups of people
4. Social influences shape behavior
5. Dispositions shape behavior
Social relations - ✔️✔️prejudice, aggression, attraction and intimacy, helping
6. Social behavior is also biological behavior
7. Feelings and actions toward people are sometimes negative (prejudiced, aggressive)
and sometimes positive (helpful, loving)
, Central concepts behind social psychology - ✔️✔️- We construct our reality
- Our social intuitions are often powerful but sometimes perilous
- Social influences shape our behavior
- Personal attitudes and dispositions also shape behavior
- Social behavior is biologically rooted
- Social psychology's principles are applicable in everyday life
"We construct our reality" concept - ✔️✔️There is an objective reality out there, but we
always view it through the lens of our beliefs and values
e.q. Princeton-Dartmouth football game;
Political views of protesters; beliefs about ourselves
"Our social intuitions are often powerful but sometimes perilous" concept - ✔️✔️Our
instant intuitions shape fears, impressions, and relationships; however, we must
understand the origin of these intuitions to estimate the value of them
e.q. mental images of plane crashes; middle-aged people buying clothes more snug
"Social influences shape our behavior" concept - ✔️✔️Our culture, immediate contexts,
and external social forces shape our attitudes and behavior
e.q. areas that are devastated by hurricanes are often overwhelmed with donated items
and offers of assistance; where in the world you live largely impacts your view on same-
sex marriage; culture influences many behaviors, such as how expressive or reserved
you are, what kind of person you are attracted to, whether you are family focused or self
oriented, etc.
"Personal attitudes and dispositions also shape behavior" concept - ✔️✔️(Self-
Explanatory); Attitudes and personality influence behavior
e.q. our political attitudes influence our voting behavior; our attitudes towards alcohol
influence our susceptibility to peer pressure to drink alcohol;
personality dispositions also affect behavior, such as different people facing the same
situation acting differently, emerging from years of political imprisonment, one person
exudes bitterness and seeks revenge while the other seeks reconciliation and unity with
their former enemies
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