Introduction to Social Psychology

Course Overview

• Reminder: Contact instructor with questions or concerns.
• Video aims to provide context for social psychology alongside textbook readings.

Definition of Social Psychology

• Elliot Aronson's Definition:
  • Scientific study of how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others.

Key Aspects of the Definition

1. Influence of Others:
   • Core focus on how individuals are shaped by their social environments and situations.
2. Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors:
   • Broad scope; includes observable behaviors as well as emotions and cognitive processes.
3. Individual Perspective:
   • Examines individual responses to social influences and recognizes variability in reactions.
4. Scientific Discipline:
   • Relying on experimentation to investigate social phenomena.

Construals in Social Psychology

• Construals:
  • Subjective interpretations of social situations that vary by personal background and experiences.
• Naive Realism:
  • The belief that our perceptions represent objective reality, despite differing interpretations.

Overcoming Naive Realism

• Social psychology employs experimentation to objectively test assumptions about social thinking and behavior.

Methodology of Social Psychology

• Basic Description:
  • Describing and reliably observing human behavior.
• Explanations:
  • Using scientific theories to explain observations and predict future behavior.
• Distinction between common sense explanations (folk wisdom) and scientific rigor.

Relationship with Other Disciplines

• Connections:
  • Personality Psychology: Focuses on individual dispositions, while social psychology emphasizes social influence on thoughts and behaviors.
  • Developmental Psychology: Studies changes across the lifespan influenced by social factors.
  • Cognitive Psychology: Examines mental processes related to reasoning and decision-making.
  • Clinical Psychology: Addresses emotional and psychological functioning.
  • Biopsychology: Explores biological influences on behavior.

Comparison with Sociology and Personality Psychology

• Sociology: Focuses on large social factors, structures, and institutions affecting society.
• Personality Psychology: Investigates individual differences and unique traits.
• Social Psychology: Focuses on individual behavior within social contexts, differing from broader sociology and narrower personality psychology.

Example: Pro-social Behavior

• Sociological Perspective: Looks at societal factors encouraging pro-social behavior.
• Personality Perspective: Investigates individual traits contributing to pro-social behavior.
• Social Psychological Perspective: Explores how social situations influence pro-social behavior.

Conclusion

• Social psychology is a diverse field that examines how real or imagined presence of others influences thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
• The upcoming weeks will cover various topics within social psychology.