Download Lesson 1 - What is Social Psychology?

Lesson 1
Introduction to
Social Psychology and Some
Research Methods
1
Today’s Outline



Introduction
What Is Social Psychology?
Theoretical Perspectives in Social Psychology
1. Role theory
2. Reinforcement theory
3. Cognitive theory
4. Symbolic interaction theory
5. Evolutionary theory
2
Finding Answers – What Social
Psychologists Do

Social psychologists find answers by applying
the methods of science.

They make systematic observations of
behavior and formulate theories that are
subject to testing.
3
Social Psychology

A Formal Definition:
– The systematic study of the nature and
causes of human social behavior.
4
Social Psychologists study:
1.
The activities of individuals in the presence of others
2.
The processes of social interaction between people
3.
The relationship between individuals and groups.
4.
The nature an causes of social behavior.
5.
Social behavior in a systematic fashion.
5
Social Psychology: Four Core Concerns
6
Social Psychology
and Other Fields

Sociology is the scientific study of human
society.
– Social psychologists who work in this tradition
are interested in the relationship between
individuals and groups.
7
Social Psychology
and Other Fields

Psychology is the scientific study of the
individual and of individual behavior.
– Social psychologists who work in this tradition
are concerned with individual behavior and
social stimuli.
– Therefore,
Social Psychology = sociology + psychology
8
What is a Theory?

A set of interrelated propositions that organizes and
explains observed phenomena.

It goes beyond mere observable facts by postulating
causal relations among variables.

If a theory is valid, it enables its user to explain the
phenomena under consideration and make predictions
about events not yet observed.
9
Theoretical Perspectives

Social psychology investigates the five
following theoretical perspectives:
1. Role theory
2. Reinforcement theory
3. Cognitive theory
4. Symbolic interaction theory
5. Evolutionary theory
10
Role Theory

Much of observable social behavior is people
carrying out their roles, similar to actors
performing on a stage.

According to role theory, to change a person’s
behavior, it is necessary to change or
redefine his or her role.
11
Propositions in Role Theory
People spend much of their lives
participating in groups and organizations.
2. Within these groups, people occupy distinct
positions.
3. Each of these positions entails a role, which
is a set of functions performed by the person
for the group.
1.
12
Reinforcement Theory

Central proposition:
– People are more likely to perform a
behavior if it is followed by something
pleasurable or by the removal of something
aversive.
– People will refrain from a particular
behavior if it is followed by something
aversive or the removal of something
pleasant.
13
Conditioning

In conditioning, a relationship is established
between emitting a response and receiving a
reinforcement.

If a person emits a particular response and
this response is then reinforced, the
connection between response and
reinforcement is strengthened.
14
Social Learning Theory

Individuals acquire new responses through
conditioning and imitation.
– The learner acquires new responses by observing
the behavior of another person.
– The learner neither performs a response nor
receives reinforcement.

Whether the learner will perform behaviors learned
through observation may depend on whether they
receive reinforcement.
15
Social Exchange Theory

Uses reinforcement to explain stability and
change in relations between individuals.
 Assumes individuals have freedom of choice
and often face situations in which they must
choose among alternative actions.
 Any action provides some rewards and
entails some costs.
 Individuals will maximize rewards and
minimize costs so they choose accordingly.
16
Reinforcement Theory

Reinforcement theory portrays individuals as
reacting to environmental stimuli rather than as
initiating behavior based on imaginative or
creative thought.
Limitations:
 Reinforcement theory cannot easily explain
altruism and martyrdom.
17
Cognitive Theory

The mental activities (cognitive processes) of the
individual are important determinants of social
behavior.

These cognitive processes include perception,
memory, judgment, problem solving, and decision
making.

An individual’s cognitive processes intervene between
external stimuli and behavioral responses.
18
Cognitive Structure and Schemas

Cognitive structure refers to any type of organization
among cognitions (concepts and beliefs).

Social psychologists propose that individuals use one
kind of cognitive structures called schemas to explain
complex information about other people, groups, and
situations.
19
Cognitive Consistency

Maintains that individuals strive to hold ideas that are
consistent with one another, rather than ideas that are
inconsistent or incongruous.

If a person holds several ideas that are incongruous or
inconsistent, then he/she will experience internal
conflict.
20
Symbolic Interaction Theory

Human nature and social order are products
of symbolic communication among people.

In this perspective, a person’s behavior is
constructed through a give and take during
his or her interaction with others.
21
Symbolic Interaction Theory

The “Self” occupies a central place in symbolic
interaction theory because social order is
hypothesized to rest in part on self-control.

Because individuals are continually engaging in role
taking, they see themselves from the viewpoint of
others.
– Refer to the works of Mead and Cooley

Individuals care most about the opinions of significant
others, people who control important rewards or
occupy key positions in their groups.
22
Discussion Question

Who are you?
 How did you develop your concept of self?
 Are you the same “self” today as you were
when you were a teenager?
 What social forces cause your self concept to
change over your lifetime?
23
Evolutionary Theory

Evolutionary social psychologists extend evolutionary
ideas to explain social behavior.
– The predisposition toward certain behaviors is
encoded in our genetic material and is passed on
through reproduction.
– Characteristics that enable the individual to survive
and pass on its genetic code will eventually occur
more frequently.
24
Evolutionary Theory and Mate Poaching
True or False:

Men consistently have different mating
strategies than women. Explain.

Women pursue short-term relationships more
than men, including short-term attempts to
poach desirable guys. Explain.
25
Comparison Of Theoretical Perspectives
Dimension
Role theory
Reinforcement
theory
Central concepts
Role
Stimulus-response;
reinforcement
Primary behavior
explained
Behavior in
role
Learning of new
responses
Assumptions about
human nature
People are
conformist
People are
hedonistic
Factors changing
behavior
Shift in role
expectations
Change in
reinforcement
Continued next slide
26
Comparison Of Theoretical Perspectives
Dimension
Cognitive theory
Symbolic
interaction theory
Central concepts
Cognitions;
cognitive structure
Self; role taking
Primary behavior
explained
Formation of beliefs
Sequences of acts
during interaction
Assumptions about
human nature
People act on their
cognitions
People are selfmonitoring actors.
Factors changing
behavior
Cognitive
inconsistency
Shift in others’
standards.
27
Objectives in Research

Describe reality.
 Identify correlations between variables.
 Test causal hypotheses.
 Develop and test theories.
28
Research Methods in Soc Psych


Methodology: A set of procedures that guide the
collection and analysis of data.
In a typical study:
1. Develop a research design.
2. Go in a laboratory or field setting and collect data.
3. Code and analyze the data to test hypotheses and
arrive at conclusions about the behaviors or
events under investigation.
29
What Next?

Create a hypothesis and test it! How?
– Surveys
– Naturalistic observation
– Archival research based on content
analysis
– Experiments
30