Social

Psychology
NIMRAH AHMED
Historical Roots of Social Psychology
 First experiment in 1898 (p.4)

Perhaps the first social psychology laboratory experiment was

undertaken in this area by Norman Triplett in 1898. In his research on
the speed records of cyclists, he noticed that racing against each
other rather than against the clock alone increased the cyclists'
speeds. He attempted to duplicate this under laboratory conditions
using children and fishing reels.
There were two conditions: the child alone and children in pairs but
working alone. Their task was to wind in a given amount of fishing
line and Triplett reports that many children worked faster in the
presence of a partner doing the same task.
Triplett's experiments demonstrate theco-action effect, a
phenomenon whereby increased task performance comes about by
the mere presence of others doing the same task.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/Social-Facilitation.html (optional)
 First Social psychology texts (1900)
Growth and Expansion (1930)
Emerged as a vibrant field (1940s) after WWII
Growth in India, Hong Kong and Japan (1970s)
Growth in China and Taiwan (2000s)

http://
highered.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/0073370592/640244/The_
History_of_Social_Psychology.doc
(optional)
Prominent Figures
Floyd and Gordon Allport
Floyd Allport- is considered a founder of experimental social
psychology, in part for his theoretical rigor and emphasis on
measurement

Gordon Allport- younger brother of Floyd Allport, conducted

pioneering research on attitudes, prejudice, religion among other
topics. In addition to training prominent psychologists such as
Stanley Milgram, Thomas Pettigrew, Jerome Bruner, and Anthony
Greenwald, he helped establish the field of personality psychology.
 Solomon Asch- Conformity Study (p.197-198)

Leon Festinger- (p.141) Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Need to maintain internal consistency. Beliefs = Behavior. Change
our beliefs / thinking to maintain consistency.
Example?
Social Cognitive Theory (p. 363)
How is a theory developed?
A good theory:
Effectively
summarizes many observations
(parsimonious)
Makes clear predictions later used to:
Confirm or modify the theory
Generate new exploration
Suggest practical applications
 Mob Mentality

Diffusion of responsibility
THE FIELD OF SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY -
Research
Forming Concepts

What is Research influenced by?

(p.12)- personal values and hidden values present in different
concepts formed by different psychologists

How were their values shaped ? What influenced them?

Culture
Society
Experience

Example- thesis is based on work that one is interested in

Labelling

Any hidden messages that can be seen in everyday life?

Labelling- categorization on the basis of ones culture/ upbringing/

society/ experiences etc.

(p.12 and 13)- examples

How would you label a beggar on the street?

Operationally defining constructs

A bit more about research, one of the first few

steps of it.

Operationalization allows taking a concept

any concept- and turning it into something
that we can observe and measure.
 Research Methods: How we do
Social Psychology
Resul
Observation Hypothesis ts

Modified
Theor Social theory
y Research
Forming and Testing Hypothesis
Theory- an integrated set of principles that explain and
predict observed events. Also provides with hypothesis

Facts Theory

Statements about what is observed Summarizing and explaining facts

 Hypothesis- a testable proposition that describes a relationship that
may exist between events

Hypothesis allows for testing a theory and it also provides a

direction to our research

Example?
Understanding Social Research

Social
research

Association Manipulate one to see

between factors Method: effect on another
Method:
Experimenta
Correlational
l

Location: Location:
Controlled Laboratory Field Everyday
environment situations
 What is correlational research?
How is it different from an experiment?