PSYCO 241 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Introduction Outline n n

PSYCO 241: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Introduction

Outline n n n Introduction to the Course What is Social Psychology? Some Themes in Modern Social Psychology n n Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology and Personality Psychology History of Social Psychology Three Worlds of Social Psychology

What is Social Psychology? n The study of “how the thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1968, p. 3).

Some Themes in Modern Social Psychology n n Social Influence Situations Constructions and construals Basic Human Needs n n Accuracy Esteem

Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology (adapted from Doise, 1976) Intrapersonal Interpersonal Intragroup (positional) Intergroup (ideological)

Social Psychology and Related Disciplines (adapted from Aronson et al. , 2001) Sociology Social Psychology Personality Psychology Provides general laws and theories about societies, not individuals Studies the psychological processes people have in common with one another that explains their social behaviour. Studies the characteristics that make individuals unique and different from one another.

History of Social Psychology n n Classical Foundations Social Psychology and Empirical Science n n Triplett (1898) Ringelmann (1913) Mc. Dougall (1908) Ross (1908)

History of Social Psychology n Social Psychology Splits from General Psychology n n Behaviourism Gestalt psychology

History of Social Psychology n Social Psychology and the Second World War n n n European researchers Group behaviour Social problems and applied social psychology

History of Social Psychology n Growth and integration (1950 and 1960) n n Cognitive and social processes Basic science and social problems n n n Health Education Law Business Environment

History of Social Psychology n The Crisis of Confidence in Social Psychology n n Ethical concerns Artifacts and experimenter effects Positivism vs. constructionism Cultural context

Three Worlds of Social Psychology (Moghaddam, 1987) n First World n n Second World n n United States Europe, Canada, Australia, Russia Third World n South-East Asia, Africa, South America