2. This Week Housekeeping What is Social Psychology Psycho-social factors of behaviour Conceptual frameworks (Ways of understanding) Social Cognition Social Exchange Theory Symbolic Interaction Fun Learn something
11. What is Social Psychology Psychology Acknowledges social and cultural forces Individual is primary unit of analysis Evaluates differences in behaviour at functions of: Personality Emotional makeup Aptitude Sociology Acknowledges individual processes Give priority to the impact of social dynamics and social contexts which shape: Cognition Emotional experiences Behaviour
12. What is Social Psychology The ‘Social’ Effect of others on individual behaviour The situation (context) Interactions and exchanges at the micro-level, group dynamics and group development, and crowds at the macro-level. The ‘Psychological’ Individual and individual traits/responses
13. What is Social Psychology Study of relationships between people with respect to: Individual ‘mental processes’ (psychodynamics) and; Meaning given to experience as it derives from social values/norms Social psychologists are interested in the impact that social environment and interaction has on attitudes and behaviors
14. What is Social Psychology Concerned with a wide range of social topics, including: group behavior social perception leadership nonverbal behavior conformity aggression prejudice
15. How could this happen? When someone is in an accident or otherwise needs help, he or she has a better chance of getting help if only one other person is present than if several are present. True. Video “The Bystander Effect” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsPfbup0ac Three traditional social psychological explanations Social influence Evaluation apprehension Diffusion of responsibility
16. Social Influence The effects of others behaviour on your actions and decisions Interpretation (Informational) People look to others to assess whether there is an emergency, and if so, what to do about it. If no one else is doing anything then perhaps it’s not an emergency. Social norms (Normative) Social norms prescribe the privacy of intimate relationships. Clark, R. D., III, & Word, L. E. 1972. "Why don't bystanders help? Because of ambiguity." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 392-400.
17. Evaluation Apprehension Emotional rather than cognitive Concern with what others might think about them People may experience evaluation apprehension when they are part of a negatively stereotyped group and involved in a stereotype-linked activity. http://www.despair.com/connot.html
18. Diffusion of Responsibility Less people = less diffusion Many of the 38 witnesses of Kitty Genovese’s murder said they assumed someone else had taken action Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OdKow7IAuw Latane, B., & Darley, J. 1970. The unresponsive bystander: Why doesn't he help? New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts
19. Other factors Gender Would they have reacted differently if victim and assailant were same gender? They were different gender? Socioeconomic Would someone have been more likely to respond if the attack occurred in an affluent area? Gender is a central factor in most social situations
20. Conceptual (Theoretical) Frameworks A conceptual (theoretical) frameworkis used in research to outline possible courses of action or to present a preferred approach to an idea or thought.
21. Key principles of behaviourism Reward = encourages behaviour Punishment = discourages behaviour We learn behaviours by doing or watching, and experiencing consequences Social Learning Theory – individual behaviour Social Exchange Theory - applies these principles to understanding social behaviour
22. Social Exchange Theory Every human relationship involves the exchange of resources: Material (money, goods) Intangible (status, affection) If balance becomes unequal, disadvantaged partner may exit Key factor is availability of alternatives May remain if alternatives are worse
25. Tables can be turnedhttp://www.funagain.com/control/product?product_id=014054
26. Social Exchange Theory Gives Gets Time & expertise (P) Time (S) Subservient behaviour (S) Status acknowledgement Status enhancement (P) Personal satisfaction (P) Individual tutoring (S)
27. Social Exchange Theory – Main Points Facilitates the analysis of behaviour in the context of social interaction Answers offered emphasise situated, individual power Method minimises effect of socialstructuresthat may advantage the other Gender Age Occupation
28. Social Cognition Emphasises the ways in which we think about our social worlds Two fundamental premises: Cognitive mediation = thought intervenes between action and behaviour Because we can’t perceive or use all the information in a situation our minds only process a portion Distinguishes between the ways our thoughts are organised and processed
29. Schemas Social Schemas Organised, abstract frameworks of information Repeated experience with people, social roles, or situations allow us to develop expectations of ‘typical’ behaviour We develop schemas about: People and ourselves Social position (gender or race stereotypes) Social roles (parent, student, teacher) Social situations (going to the movies, queuing)
30. Schemas When we enter a situation we need to: Attend to some things in the environment, but not all Store some information, but not all Retrieve information from long-term memory, but not all Info is used to make social inferences Decisions Judgements of probability Evaluations Attributions of causality or assessments of the characteristics of others
31. Schemas The schemas we develop are informed and influenced by existing schemas People in different social positions and with different social experiences may develop systematically different schemas Variations lead to systematic differences in the evaluations and judgements
32. Symbolic Interaction Emphasises the everyday interactions and negotiations that constitute social life Meaning is not inherent in the people or objects a person encounters but is created by the person perceiving them This implies that one of the main tasks of social interaction is to come to a shared definition into a common perspective that facilitates the accomplishment of their mutual goals
33. Symbolic Interaction Symbolic Interaction is the nuances of an interaction Symbolic gestures used in interactions include: Sitting or standing Tone of voice Non verbal indications
34. Summary Social Exchange Theory focuses on the nature of exchanges What do people get; what do they give? Who has the power? Social Cognition Theory Actors perceptions, thoughts and Expectations about self and others behaviour SymbolicInteraction Addresses actual negotiations between actors What symbolic gestures are used in the interaction
Notes de l'éditeur
Groupbehaviour- large and small, crowds, dyadsSocial perception – how we perceive society and othersLeadership - political, warNonverbal Behaviour – cultural, virtualConformity – why do people conform, implicationsAggression – conflict, interpersonal, civil, wars, terrorismPrejudice – stereotyping, bias
Social behaviourcan be caused by multiple factors and understood in a variety of ways. Let’s go back to the video we watched last weekVideo 3.36
Situation is often ambiguous so people look to others for clues about how to act
if no one else is intervening they may be appear foolish or wrong to intervene Example – In the past a woman may have felt uncomfortable working in a male-dominated environmentPeople who run on crime shows who aren’t guilty
Diffusion of responsibility – people will usually leave it up to others to assistHypothesised that if the Kitty Genovese tragedy had happened in a park where the only people present were Kitty, the assailant and bystander, the bystander would have been more likely to help Movie theatre power outage story What would you do – movie theatre scenario, baby in the car, Kitty Genovese
In the Kitty Genovese case, in woman/man households it was the man who decided to take action These are crucial question in social psychology because, more than many other discipline, it sees human behaviour as rooted in social context, Examples where this could come into play? You are on the train station a woman is being hit by another woman A man is hitting a woman A woman is slapping a child A woman is hitting a man No one has only one factor
In the research possible causes of behaviour a framework assists, as the name says, in ‘framing’ the ideas, methods of reserch etc
People tend to stay in mutually rewarding relationships. If the exchange relations are not mutually rewarding a relationship is likely to be terminated by the disadvantaged partner.
Story of the teacher and student – who gives what, who gets what (whiteboard)
Does the student have other ways of passing the course?
How we think about our environment affects how we behave. Two different people in the same situation may behave differently, based on how they think about the situation
The need for cognitive efficiency encourages the development of cognitive categories such as social schemas as a way of organising informationExamples (Woody Allen ‘type’)Schema exercise
Whay are schemas necessary and how do they work?We use schemas in selecting what to attend to, what information to retain in memory, and what information to retrieve in making social inferences.
Like building blocks - something plus something = somethingIs something always the sum of all it’s parts?
