Psychology 2070A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Scientific Method, Folk Psychology, Construals

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2070A/B
• Professor: Erin Heerey

Document Summary

Exams: midterm thursday feb. 15th, 40, 60 mc, chapter 1-6, final april, 40, 60 mc, chapter 7-12. Why study it: curiosity, to understand yourself, reduce future attempts to influence self, many problems are social, environmental issues, health/well-being, political issues, relationship issues. Construal: the way in which people perceive, comprehend, and interpret the social world, construals are subjective interpretations of social phenomena. Ideas and assumptions tested using the scientific method: goes above and beyond speculatio(cid:374) or si(cid:373)ple (cid:862)(cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)o(cid:374)-se(cid:374)se(cid:863) a(cid:374)s(cid:449)ers that (cid:373)a(cid:455) (cid:271)e incorrect. Philosophy: social psychology, theorizing and subsequent controlled experimentation, philosophy, observation and subsequent theorizing. Social psychology vs. sociology: how and why the community works the way it does, shared interest in societal influences on behaviour, differ in level of analysis, social psychology studies individuals, sociology examines broad societal factors. The power of the situation: at the heart of social psychology, a large part of our social environment, people often underestimate its effects on behaviour.