Introduction to Social Psychology

• No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent. John Donne
• Who are the people that define social psychology as "the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior in social situations"

  Baron, Byrne and Suls (1989)
• introduced the concept that society has inevitable links with the development of the social mind. This led to the idea of a group mind, which is important in the study of social psychology

  George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
• Social Psychology


  The scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, intentions, and goals are constructed within a social context by the actual or imagined interactions with others
• Social Psychology


  Looks at human behavior as influenced by other people and the conditions under which social behavior and feelings occur
• Topics covered in social psychology

  • The self-concept
  • Social cognition
  • Attribution theory
  • Social impact
  • Group processes
  • Prejudice and discrimination
  • Interpersonal processes
  • Aggression
  • Attitudes
  • Stereotypes
• Aristotle


  • Believed that humans were naturally sociable, a necessity that allows us to live together (an individual-centered approach)
• Plato


  • Felt that the state controlled the individual and encouraged social responsibility through social context (a socio-centered approach)
• George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel


  • Introduced the concept that society has inevitable links with the development of the social mind. This led to the idea of a group mind, which is important in the study of social psychology
• Lazarus & Steinthal


  • Wrote about Anglo-European influences in 1860. "Volkerpsychologie" emerged, which focused on the idea of a collective mind
• Wilhelm Wundt


  • Emphasized the idea that personality develops as a result of cultural and societal influences, particularly through language, which serves as both a social output of the community and a tool for fostering certain social thought in the individual
• McDougall's Introduction to Social Psychology (1908)


  The first prominent book in English, containing chapters on emotion and sentiment, morality, character, and religion that were very different from those found in the discipline today
• Allport's work (1924)


  Serves as a stronger foundation for modern thought, highlighting social psychology as a "science... which analyzes the conduct of the person in so far as his activity inspires other individuals, or is itself a reaction to this behavior"
• Murchison's first manual on social psychology (1935)


  • Condensed the results of 1,000 social psychology experiments
• Klineberg's texts (1940)


  • Examined the relationship between social environment and personality development
• Key journals in social psychology

  • Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1950s)
  • Journal of Personality, British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (1963)
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (1965)
  • Journal of Applied Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology (1971)
  • Social Psychology Quarterly, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (1975)
  • Social Cognition (1982)
  • Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (1984)
• Triplett's experiment (1898)


  • Applied the experimental method to investigate the performance of cyclists and schoolchildren on how the presence of others influences overall performance
• Sherif's study of social norms (1935)


  • Looked at how individuals behave according to the rules of society
• Lewin et al.'s research on leadership and group processes (1939)


  • Looked at effective work ethics under different styles of leadership
• Milgram's "electric shock" experiment


  • Examined the influence of authority figures on behavior, focused on obedience
• Zimbardo's jail simulation


  • Significantly illustrated how people adapt to predetermined roles in society
• Social Facilitation (Allport, 1920)


  The presence of others (the social group) can facilitate certain behavior
• Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1963)


  Behavior in the social world could be modeled
• Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1950)


  When we hold beliefs, attitudes, or cognitions which are different, then we experience dissonance - an inconsistency that causes discomfort
• Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1971)


  When divided into artificial (minimal) groups, prejudice results simply from the awareness that there is an "out-group" (the other group)
• Attribution Theory (Weiner, 1986)


  We look for explanations of behavior in the social world based on locus, stability, and controllability