Post on 09-Apr-2018
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Introducing Social
Psychology
Chapter 1
Dr. Edith Singer
Lauder Business School
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What is Social Psychology?
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Some big ideas in social
psychology
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We construct our social reality
1. Urge to explain behavior
2. Attribute behavior to a cause (e.g. consistent and
distinctive behavior personality attribution)
3. Make life predictable, orderly, and controllable
In a way we are all intuitive scientists!
Our beliefs shape our perception, emotions, and
action.
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Social intuitions are
powerful and perilious
y Our intuitions shape our fears, impressions, and
relationships.
y Unconscious mind automatic processing; thinking
occurs offstage.
y Dual processing: conscious and unconscious level of
thinking, memory, and attitudes.
y We trust our memories more than we should.
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Social influences shape our behavior
y We are social beings and respond to our immediate
contexts.
y Our cultures define our situations.
y Our attitudes and behavior are shaped by external social
forces.
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Personal attitudes and dispositions
shape our behavior
y Our inner attitudes and dispositions also affect our
behavior.y We are both creatures and creators of our social worlds.
y Our worlds arise from the interactions between situations
and persons.
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Social behavior is also
biological behavior
y Inherited human nature (genes) for survival and
reproduction
ySensitive and responsive to social context
y Neurobiology: brain, mind, and behavior social
cognitive neuroscience (e.g. stress hormones affect
feeling and action; social ostracism elevates blood
pressure; social support strengthens immune system)
We are bio-psycho-social organisms!
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Social Psychology and Human Values (1)
y SP investigates how values form, why they change,
and how they influence attitudes and actions.
y Science is never purely objective. Scientists interpret
nature, using their own mental categories.
y We have a tendency to prejudge reality based on our
expectations not situation-as-it-is, but situation-as-
we-construe-it.
y We agree because we are of the same culture shared
beliefs called social representations.
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Social Psychology and Human Values (2)
Psychological advice reflects the advice givers
personal values.
y What is a good life?
y Define terrorist, define freedom fighter.
y How do these terms affect you: (a) the loss of innocent
lives, (b) collateral damage?
y How about (a) welfare or (b) aid to the needy? Or (a)
nationalism vs. patriotism.
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Is social psychology common sense?
y Problem with common sense: hindsight bias!
(Life is lived forward, but understood backwards.
Soren Kierkegaard)
y Common sense is conducive to arrogance an
overestimation of our intellectual powers.
y Reflect: What are stupid mistakes?
y Reflect: Which saying is correct?
Science helps us sift reality from illusion and
genuine predictions from easy hindsight.
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Research Methods in
Social Psychology
Researet s
C rrelati nal
AdvantagesOften uses real w rl
settings
DisadvantagesCausati n ften
ambigu us
Experimental
AdvantagesCan expl r e cause
an effect bycontrolling variables
an by r an omassignment
Disadvantages
Often uses contrivedlaboratory settings