SOCPSY 1Z03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Scientific Method, Stanley Milgram, Social Influence
23 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
The systematic study of the nature and causes of human social behaviour . Human behaviour is influenced by external forces. Social psychologists argue that good and evil acts reside within the individual. Conducted experiment to figure out why so many people participated in world war 2. Examined justifications for acts of genocide by those accused at ww2 criminal trials. Their defence was often based on obedience, meaning they were just following orders from their superiors. Wanted to investigate whether germans were particularly obedient to authority figures since this was a common explanation for all the nazi killings in ww2. Key ideas to take away from this course. Most of us believe our behaviour is driven by individual traits. This is biased, we overplay individual factors and underplay external factors. Social psychologists are skeptical of personal experience as a means to understanding human social behaviour. Recognizing the power of the situation in human social behaviour.
