Introduction
Have you ever found yourself wondering why people respond the way they do in certain situations? What factors influence how someone responds or how they behave? What causes us to be attracted to someone? And what factors may contribute to prejudiced attitudes or beliefs? What about aggression—are individuals who are aggressive and who harm others different from the rest of us? Or are we all capable of harming someone in certain circumstances? This first chapter will provide both an overview of the field of social psychology, as well as a review of common research methods used within the field. The field of social psychology examines a variety of factors related to how we interpret our social world and how this affects our attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions.
Learning Objectives
- Understand and define social psychology
- Recognize the distinct differences between social psychology and other forms of psychology, such as developmental and clinical psychology
- Review and recognize at least three of the major areas of focus in social psychology
- Develop an understanding of the “levels of analysis” and be able to apply these various levels to case examples
- Identify primary research methods used in social psychology, such as experiments, correlations, and survey research
Social psychology is such an exciting science precisely because it tackles issues that are so familiar and so relevant to our everyday life. Humans are “social animals.” Like bees and deer, we live together in groups. Unlike those animals, however, people are unique, in that we care a great deal about our relationships. In fact, a classic study of life stress found that the most stressful events in a person’s life—the death of a spouse, divorce, and going to jail—are so painful because they entail the loss of relationships (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). We spend a huge amount of time thinking about and interacting with other people, and researchers are interested in understanding these thoughts and actions. Giving up a seat on the bus for another person is an example of social psychology. So is disliking a person because he is wearing a shirt with the logo of a rival sports team. Flirting, conforming, arguing, trusting, competing—these are all examples of topics that interest social psychology researchers.
At times, science can seem abstract and far removed from the concerns of daily life. When neuroscientists discuss the workings of the anterior cingulate cortex, for example, it might sound important. But the specific parts of the brain and their functions do not always seem directly connected to the stuff you care about: parking tickets, holding hands, or getting a job. Social psychology feels so close to home because it often deals with universal psychological processes to which people can easily relate. For example, people have a powerful need to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). It doesn’t matter if a person is from Israel, Mexico, or the Philippines; we all have a stro