PSY 124 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Personality Psychology
17 Oct 2018
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Chapter 1 - What is social psychology
What is social psychology?!
-There are 3 types of “social”!
1. Prosocial: doing things that are beneficial !
2. Asocial: doing things that are neither beneficial nor harmful !
3. Antisocial: doing things that are harmful !
-Social psychology: the scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context !
•It’s a science which means it follows the scientific approach!
•Its based on theories to help explain social psychological phenomenon and to drive the research !
•The ABCs of social psychology (Affect, Behaviour, and Cognition) !
-Focus on the psychology of the individual !
-Non-social factors are sometimes examined that effect people’s thoughts, emotions, motives, and actions !
-Sometimes the thoughts and feelings of people about non-social things are examined!
-You’re looking for thoughts, feelings, or behaviours that either (a) concern other people, or (b) are influenced by
other people !
-The social force is known as the pressure to conform or “conformity” (the tendency to give in to group pressure,
real or imagined) !
-Social psychologists are more likely to conduct experiments in which they manipulate some variable and
determine the effects of the manipulation, using precise, quantifiable measures!
-Applied social psychology: the application of social psychological theories and principles to applied issues !
-The differences between social psychology and…!
•Sociology !
-Focuses more on group or societal factors (race, nationality, class, etc) !
•SP focuses on the individual within the group!
-They take a top down approach when looking at certain phenomenon!
•SP takes a bottom up approach !
-They are more concerned with the environment around the individual than the individual themselves !
-They share interests in issues like crime, discrimination and prejudice, and social justice !
•Clinical psychology !
-Focuses more on disorders and therapeutic change !
-Focuses on individual problems (brain disorders, self-awareness) !
-They share interests in issues as individuals experience social situations and the effect of social labels and
stigma on behaviour !
•Personality psychology !
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Document Summary
Asocial: doing things that are neither bene cial nor harmful. Social psychology: the scienti c study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context. It"s a science which means it follows the scienti c approach. Its based on theories to help explain social psychological phenomenon and to drive the research: the abcs of social psychology (a ect, behaviour, and cognition) Focus on the psychology of the individual. Non-social factors are sometimes examined that e ect people"s thoughts, emotions, motives, and actions. Sometimes the thoughts and feelings of people about non-social things are examined. You"re looking for thoughts, feelings, or behaviours that either (a) concern other people, or (b) are in uenced by other people. The social force is known as the pressure to conform or conformity (the tendency to give in to group pressure, real or imagined)
