PS270 Study Guide - Comprehensive Final Exam Guide - Social Psychology, Social Influence, Memory
Document Summary
Cases to know: kitty genovese murder, abu ghraib, standford prison experiment. What is social psychology: (cid:862)the s(cid:272)ie(cid:374)tifi(cid:272) stud(cid:455) of ho(cid:449) people thi(cid:374)k a(cid:271)out, i(cid:374)te(cid:396)fe(cid:396)e, a(cid:374)d (cid:396)elate to o(cid:374)e a(cid:374)othe(cid:396). (cid:863, goes (cid:271)e(cid:455)o(cid:374)d (cid:862)(cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)o(cid:374) se(cid:374)se(cid:863) (cid:449)isdom, tries to establish a scientific basis for understanding social behavior, systematic observation, experimentation. Key features: focus on social behavior and thought, situations. Identifying causes: role of cognitive processes, scientific method. Provides general laws and theories about societies or societal groups, not individuals. Studies the psychological processes that people have in common that make them susceptible to social influence. Studies the characteristics that make people unique and different. Important themes: biology: social behavior is biologically rooted, evolutionary basis for behaviors, genetic influences, social neuroscience, brain areas and processes involved in social behavior. What is culture: the man-made part of the environment, material culture, subjective culture, unquestioned assumptions, ways of doing things.
