Chapter 1 Introduction to Social Psychology
Transcription
Chapter 1 Introduction to Social Psychology
Chapter 1 Introduction to Social Psychology This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: •Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; •Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; 1 •Any rental, lease, or lending of the program Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 How can you tell if another person is attracted to you? 2 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 In most mammalian species, a female raises offspring with no help from the male. Why are homo sapiens one of the rare exceptions? 3 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Space Blaster Does playing violent video games increase aggressiveness? Doomsday Version 2.5 4 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Chapter Outline What is Social Psychology? Major Theoretical Perspectives Basic Principles Research Methods The Network of Knowledge 5 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 What is Social Psychology? Social psychology – the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people 6 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Scientific Description and Explanation Social Psychology, like any science, involves: Description – careful and reliable observation Explanation – development of theories that connect and organize observations 7 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Scientific Description and Explanation Theories are scientific explanations that: Connect and organize existing observations Suggest fruitful paths for future research. 8 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Major Theoretical Perspectives Sociocultural Evolutionary Social Learning Social Cognitive Click On Any Perspective 9 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Sociocultural Perspective Sociocultural perspective – a theoretical viewpoint that searches for the causes of social behavior in influences from larger social groups 10 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Sociocultural Perspective What drives social behavior? Forces in larger social groups such as: norms within cultural groups social class differences nationality/ethnicity fads 11 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Sociocultural Perspective Sociocultural theorists might ask: What are the differences in social behavior across cultures? For example, women in some societies marry more than one man (polyandry). 12 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Sociocultural Perspective Social norm – a rule or expectation for appropriate social behavior Culture – the beliefs, customs, habits, and language shared by the people living in a particular time and place 13 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 esearch Culture, Choice, and Intrinsic Motivation American culture teaches children to cherish their own individual choice and independence. But Asian culture emphasizes more collective values – viewing the self as interdependent with family and social group. 14 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 esearch Culture, Choice, and Intrinsic Motivation In one study, researchers asked AngloAmerican and Asian-American children to solve word puzzles that were either: Chosen by the child (Personal Choice), Chosen by the experimenter, or Chosen by the child’s mom. 15 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Iyengar & Lepper, 1999 10 Number of Word Puzzles Completed 5 0 Personal Choice Anglo American Asian American Experimenter Choice Personal choice enhanced motivation for Anglo-American children 16 Mom Choice But Asian-American children were more motivated when their mothers had chosen the task Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Evolutionary Perspective Evolutionary perspective – a theoretical viewpoint that searches for the causes of social behavior in the physical and psychological predispositions that helped our ancestors survive and reproduce 17 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Evolutionary Perspective What drives social behavior? Genetic predispositions inherited from our ancestors that promoted their survival and reproduction, such as: The tendency to automatically recognize an angry face The tendency for mothers to feel protective of their children 18 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Evolutionary Perspective Natural selection – the process by which characteristics that help animals survive and reproduce are passed on to their offspring 19 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Natural Selection Animals with features suited to the demands of the environment will survive better than those with less well-adapted features. Those well-adapted animals will reproduce more successfully. 20 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Evolutionary Perspective Adaptation – a characteristic well designed for survival and reproduction in a particular environment 21 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Evolutionary Perspective Evolutionary theorists might ask: Are there similarities in social behavior across species? What are the similarities in social behavior across cultures and historical periods? 22 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 esearch Age Preferences in Mates One example of a seemingly universal feature of social behavior is the difference between men and women in the preference for younger versus older partners. The next slide shows the minimum and maximum ages specified in singles ads in the U.S. 23 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 DIFFERENCE FROM TARGET'S AGE 20 Young men show no particular preference for younger partners, but older men prefer partners younger than themselves Oldest preferred Youngest preferred 20 10 10 0 0 -10 -10 -20 -20 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s Women of all ages ask for men around their own age or older 10s MALE'S AGE 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s FEMALE'S AGE Kenrick & Keefe, Behavioral & Brain Sciences, (1992) 24 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Oldest preferred DIFFERENCE FROM TARGET'S AGE Youngest preferred 20 20 Marriages show a similar pattern 10 10 0 0 -10 -10 -20 -20 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 10s MALE'S AGE 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s FEMALE'S AGE Kenrick & Keefe, Behavioral & Brain Sciences, (1992) 25 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 DIFFERENCE FROM TARGET'S AGE PORO – 1913 - 1929 20 10 The same pattern was found on a remote island in the Philippines throughout the century Phoenix Singles Ads Oldest preferred Youngest preferred 0 -10 -20 10s 20s 30s 40s >50 10s 20s 30s 40s >50 MALE'S AGE FEMALE'S AGE 26 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Learning Perspective Social learning perspective – a theoretical viewpoint that focuses on past learning experiences as determinants of a person’s social behaviors 27 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Learning Perspective What drives social behavior? Classically conditioned preferences For example, the feeling of fear at sight of person who hit you. Habits rewarded by other people For example, a boy who fights frequently after his father praised him for winning fight with neighborhood bully. 28 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Learning Perspective What drives social behavior? Imitating the rewarded behavior of others For example, buying a gun after seeing a movie in which the hero wins true love after shooting half the people in his girlfriend’s neighborhood. 29 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Learning Violence From Video Games One team of researchers hypothesized that violent video games may make aggression rewarding, by allowing a person to win points for killing and maiming human-like opponents (Anderson & Dill, 2000). 30 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Learning Violence From Video Games In an experiment, students first played a violent video game (Wulfenstein) or a nonviolent game (Tetrix). They then played a competitive game in which they could retaliate against real opponents by delivering unpleasantly loud blasts of noise. 31 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Anderson & Dill, 2000 85 Retaliatory Aggression (unpleasant noise level) 80 Nonviolent Violent Students who played a violent video game demonstrated significantly higher levels of retaliatory aggression Type of Videogame 32 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Cognitive Perspective Social cognitive perspective – a theoretical viewpoint that focuses on the mental processes involved in paying attention to, interpreting, and remembering social experiences 33 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Cognitive Perspective What drives social behavior? What we pay attention to How we interpret and judge social situations What we retrieve from memory People notice the behaviors of group members who are in a minority, and exaggerate the significance of the things they do. 34 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 From Chump to Champ Research on social cognition suggests that our memory processes are often biased to make ourselves feel good. For example, Anne Wilson and Michael Ross (2001) asked students to: Describe yourself as you are now, or As you were several years ago. 35 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Wilson & Ross, 2001 4 Students described their present selves as champs, with more positive and fewer negative features than the chumps they used to be Frequency of 2 SelfDescriptions 0 Past Now Self-Description 36 (+) (-) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Perspective What Drives Social Behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary Social Learning Social Cognitive 37 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Perspective Sociocultural Evolutionary What Drives Social Behavior? Forces in larger social groups such as: norms, fads, social class, ethnic identity, Social Learning Social Cognitive 38 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Perspective What Drives Social Behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary Social Learning Genetic predispositions that promoted our ancestors’ survival and reproduction, such as: the bond between parent and child Social Cognitive 39 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Perspective What Drives Social Behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary Social Learning Social Cognitive Classically conditioned preferences Habits rewarded by others; Imitation of behavior we have seen rewarded in others 40 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Perspective What Drives Social Behavior? Sociocultural Evolutionary Social Learning Social Cognitive What we pay attention to; How we interpret and judge social situations; What we retrieve from memory 41 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Basic Principles of Social Behavior Social behavior is goal-oriented. Social behavior represents a continual interaction between the person and the situation. 42 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Behavior is Goal-Oriented At the surface level, we have many day-to-day goals. Go shopping Study for a test Get a date for Saturday night Etc. 43 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Social Behavior is Goal-Oriented At the broadest level, we can categorize social goals into fundamental motives To establish social ties To understand ourselves and others To gain and maintain status To defend ourselves and those we value To attract and retain mates 44 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation By person, psychologists mean the features or characteristics that individuals carry into social situations. By situation, psychologists mean the environmental events or circumstances outside the person. Persons and situations influence one another in a number of ways. 45 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 1. Different persons respond differently to the same situation. Example: You may see a party as a welcome chance to make new friends; another person may see the same party as an unbearable ordeal. 46 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 2. Situations Choose the Person Not everyone gets to enter every situation they would like. Example: A tall person is more likely to be encouraged to play basketball; A short person to be a jockey. 47 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 3. Persons Choose Their Situations Example: Violence-prone people choose to watch violent films; Less violent people do not. 48 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 4. Different Situations Prime Different Parts of the Person Example: Around your professor, you may show your intellectual side; around an old friend who did not go to college, you may suppress it. 49 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 5. Persons Change The Situation Example: A highly extraverted person can change a boring party into the social event of the season. 50 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 The Interaction Between the Person and the Situation 6. Situations Change the Person Example: After four years of college, your intellectual inclinations will probably be more prominent. 51 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 How Psychologists Study Social Behavior Hypothesis – a researcher’s prediction about what he or she will find 52 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 How Psychologists Study Social Behavior Descriptive methods involve attempts to measure or record behaviors, thoughts or feelings in their natural state. Experimental methods involve attempts to manipulate social processes by varying some aspect of the situation. 53 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods Social psychologists use five major types of descriptive methods Naturalistic Observation Case Studies Archives Surveys Psychological Tests 54 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Naturalistic Observation Naturalistic observation involves observing behavior as it unfolds in its natural setting. Advantages: Behaviors are spontaneous. Doesn’t rely on people’s ability to report on their own experiences 55 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Naturalistic Observation Disadvantages: Researcher may interfere with ongoing behavior. Some interesting behaviors are very rare. Observer bias – The researcher may selectively attend to certain events and ignore others. This method is time consuming. 56 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Case studies Case studies involve intensive examination of a single person or group. Advantages: Rich source of hypotheses Allows studies of rare behaviors 57 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Case studies Disadvantages: Observer bias Difficult to generalize findings from a single case Impossible to reconstruct causes from complexity of past events 58 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods Researchers can also examine archives, or public records of social behaviors. Advantages: Easy access to large amounts of pre-recorded data. Disadvantages: Many interesting social behaviors are never recorded. 59 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: The Survey Method The survey method involves asking people questions about their beliefs and behaviors. Advantages: Allows study of difficult-to-observe behaviors, thoughts and feelings 60 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: The Survey Method Disadvantages: People who respond may not be representative. Social desirability bias – the tendency for people to say what they believe is appropriate or acceptable 61 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Psychological Tests Psychological tests involve attempts to assess an individual’s abilities, cognitions, motivations, or behaviors. Advantages: Allows measurement of characteristics that are not always easily observable 62 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods: Psychological Tests Disadvantages: Tests may be unreliable (yielding inconsistent scores). Tests may be reliable, but not valid (not measuring the actual characteristics they are designed to measure). 63 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods The descriptive methods are useful in determining correlation. Correlation – the extent to which two or more more variables are associated with one another Correlation coefficient – a mathematical expression of the relationship between two variables 64 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods If we know two variables are highly correlated (e.g. ice cream sales are up on days when drowning incidents are highest), can we determine the causal relationship between them? 65 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods Variable B Variable A (drowning) (ice cream) Variable A could cause Variable B. (Eating ice cream could cause cramps, which could lead to drowning) 66 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods Variable B Variable A (drowning) (ice cream) Variable B could cause Variable A. (Parents could buy kids more ice cream to console them after their friends drown) 67 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods Variable C (heat) Variable B Variable A (drowning) (ice cream) Or a third variable could cause A and B. (Heat leads people to eat ice cream and to swim, but the two aren’t directly linked) 68 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Descriptive Methods In order to determine causality we must turn to experimental methods. 69 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods An experiment is a research method in which the researcher sets out to systematically manipulate one source of influence while holding others constant. 70 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Independent variable – the variable manipulated by the experimenter Dependent variable – the variable measured by the experimenter 71 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Social psychologists use two major types of experimental methods: Laboratory experiments Field experiments 72 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods: Laboratory Experiments Laboratory experiments involve the direct manipulation of (independent) variables and the observation of their effects on the behavior of other (dependent) variables. 73 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods: Laboratory Experiments Advantages: Allows cause-effect conclusions Allows control of extraneous variables 74 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods: Laboratory Experiments Disadvantages: Artificial situations may not represent relevant events as they naturally unfold (subjects’ responses may not be natural, since they know they are being observed). 75 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods: Field Experiments Field experiments involve the manipulation of independent variables using unknowing participants in natural settings. 76 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods: Field Experiments Advantages: Allow cause-effect conclusions Subjects give more natural responses. Disadvantages: Although participants don’t know they’re being observed, situation still unusual. Less control of extraneous factors than in laboratory experiments. 77 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Internal validity – the extent to which an experiment allows confident statements about cause and effect External validity – the extent to which the results of an experiment can be generalized to other circumstances 78 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Random assignment – the practice of assigning subjects to treatments so each subject has an equal chance of being in any condition 79 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Confound – a variable that systematically changes along with the independent variable, potentially leading to a mistaken conclusion about the independent variable 80 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Experimental Methods Demand characteristics – cues that make subjects aware of how the experimenter expects them to behave 81 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Ethical Issues The American Psychological Association’s ethical guidelines for research includes: 1. Obtaining informed consent. Informed consent – a research subject’s agreement to participate after being informed of any potential risks and his or her right to withdraw at any time without penalty 82 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Ethical Issues 2. Fully debriefing subjects after the research is completed. Debriefing – a discussion of procedures, hypotheses, and subject reactions at the completion of the study 83 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Ethical Issues 3. Evaluating the costs and benefits of the research procedures. 84 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 How Does Social Psychology Fit into the Network of Knowledge? Social psychology is closely connected to other sub-disciplines of psychology, including developmental, personality, clinical, cognitive and physiological psychology. 85 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality Environmental Clinical Cognitive Physiological 86 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Does early exposure to televised violence lead to increased aggressiveness in later years? Personality Environmental Clinical Cognitive Physiological 87 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality What individual differences predict success in marital relationships? Environmental Clinical Cognitive Physiological 88 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality Environmental Clinical How do social dilemmas contribute to overpopulation and environmental destruction? Cognitive Physiological 89 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality Environmental Clinical How do normal feelings of attachment go awry in obsessive love relationships? Cognitive Physiological 90 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality Environmental Clinical Cognitive Physiological How do attention-demanding distractions contribute to our ability to resist persuasive messages? 91 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 Area of Psychology Example of Common Question Developmental Personality Environmental Clinical Cognitive Physiological How do hormones like adrenaline and testosterone contribute to aggression? 92 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005 How Does Social Psychology Fit into the Network of Knowledge? Social psychology also connects to other disciplines, including basic research sciences like biology and sociology as well as applied fields like organizational behavior and education. 93 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2005