PSYC 308 Chapter 3: Social Psychology
Document Summary
Discuss the role of prominent historical figures in the development of social psychology. Explain different general approaches social psychologists take to study human behaviour. Compare and contrast social psychology with other fields of study. The scientific study of the way in which people"s thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people. (pg. 5) It is how other imagined or real presence of other people influences people. This means that you don"t have to actually do something to be affected by it. Measurement: how do you measure the things you are interested in; in social psychology you try to measure behaviour empirically. A science of abcs (affect refers to emotions people experience, cognition: the contents of your thoughts at a specific moment, very hard to measure, because how can you measure someone"s thoughts? , behaviour refers to actions. Social psychology does not respond to a situation in the way it is happening objectively.
