Download INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Social psychology is the scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in regard to other
people and how individuals´ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by other people. Social
psychology seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior in social situations.
Major topics in social psychology:
1. Social cognition: Social cognition is concerned with the processing, storage and application of
social information. This research area is closely related to the field of cognitive psychology.
2. Attitudes: Social psychologists are interested in the components of attitudes, how attitudes
develop and how attitudes change.
3. Violence and aggression: Social psychologists are interested in how and why people engage in
violence or act aggressively.
4. Prosocial behavior: Researchers often look at why people help others, as well as why they
sometimes refuse to help or cooperate.
5. Prejudice and discrimination: Prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes exist in any social
group. Social psychologists are interested in the origins, causes and effects of these types of
attitudes.
6. Group behavior: The behavior of groups is one of the largest research areas in social psychology.
Social psychologists often look at topics such as group dynamics, leadership, group decisionmaking, conflicts, cooperation and group influence.
7. Interpersonal relationships: Social psychologists study how interpersonal relationships affect
people by looking at attachment, liking, love and attraction.
Social psychology and other fields:
Social psychology shares a number of features with other fields within psychology as well as with other
disciplines.
 Cognitive Psychology: Cognitive psychologists study mental processes such as thinking, learning,
remembering, and reasoning. Social psychologists are interested in how people think, learn,
remember and in how these processes are relevant to social behavior.
 Personality Psychology: Personality psychologists seek to understand differences between
individuals in influencing attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. Social psychology seeks to
understand how social factors affect most of individuals, regardless of their different personalities.
 Clinical Psychology: Clinical psychologists seek to understand and treat people with
psychological difficulties. Social psychologists do not focus on disorders; rather, they focus on the
more typical ways in which individuals think, feel, behave, and influence each other. Both, for
example, may adress how people cope with anxiety or pressure in social situations.
 Sociology: Social psychology and sociology share an interest in many issues, such as violence,
prejudice, cultural differences, and marriage. Sociology focus on the group level and social
psychologists are more likely to focus on the individual level.
 Anthropology: Anthropology examines the concept of culture, and specifically the role of culture
in influencing people’s attitudes and behavior. In the last two decades social psychologists also
have shown increasing interest in examining the impact of culture on people’s thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors.
Historical Figures in Social Psychology:
 Floyd Henry Allport (1890 – 1978) - Floyd Allport is considered a founder of experimental
social psychology, in part for his theoretical rigor and emphasis on measurement, and in part for
his popular textbook Social Psychology (1924).
 Gordon Willard Allport (1897 – 1967) - Gordon Allport, younger brother of Floyd Allport,
conducted pioneering research on attitudes, prejudice, religion, etc. He also helped establish the
field of personality psychology.
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Erika Lipková
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Roger William Brown (1925 – 1997) - Roger Brown wrote the acclaimed textbook Social
Psychology (1965), which played a central role in training a generation of social psychologists. He
also made important contributions in psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology.
Donald Thomas Campbell (1916 – 1996) - Donald T. Campbell was a social psychologist and
research methodologist who coauthored some of the most frequently cited methodology books. He
was interested in many fields including sociology, anthropology, biology, and philosophy.
Leon Festinger (1919 – 1989) - Leon Festinger developed the theory of cognitive dissonance, a
motivational theory suggesting that people seek to minimize discomfort caused by inconsistent
beliefs and behaviors. He also developed social comparison theory and he documented the key
role of proximity in social relationships.
Gustave Le Bon (1841 – 1931) - Gustave Le Bon was a french social scientist who wrote about
the psychology of crowds and the "collective mind".
William McDougall (1871 – 1938) - William McDougall published one of the first social
psychology textbooks, An Introduction to Social Psychology (1908). He was controversial for his
views on eugenics and inherited racial differences.
Stanley Schachter (1922 – 1997) - Stanley Schachter became well known in the 1950s for
developing the "two-factor theory of emotion". He also researched a wide range of other
phenomena, including cognitive dissonance, overeating, and addiction.
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Erika Lipková