SOCPSY 1Z03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Social Influence

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Social Psychology
• Course: SOCPSY 1Z03
• Professor: Paul Glavin

Document Summary

Formal definition: the systematic study of the nature and causes of human social behaviour. Human behaviour as a product of both social and individual factors: Generally, human behaviour is explained based on the individual/internal factors. Stanley milgram"s obedience to authority experiments challenge the idea that aggressive acts are based on something inside of you. Milgram showed that he could change the rate of compliance, and that the social situation they find themselves in is more important than the internal factors in influencing how people acted. Social psychologists are skeptical of personal experience as a means of understanding human social behaviour. They rely instead on systematic observation of behaviour. Recognizing the "power of the situation" in human social behaviour. Socialization and the social origins of the self. Impact of one individual on another"s behaviour and beliefs. Impact of a group on a member"s behaviour and beliefs. Impact of a member on a group"s activities and structures.