psyc 270

allports: the scientificc study of the way in which peoples thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people

aronsons: the influence that people have on the beliefs feelings and behavior of others

• on the person's individual differences as the most
• important influence

• focus on SOCIAL INFLUENCE:

• the powerful influence of others (the social situation)

• as construed by the person

hindsight bias - which is a documented psychological phenomenon in which people exaggerate the predictability of an event after it has already happened. ex "i told you so "

• biological-
• social cognition-how social psyc affects us mentally
• evolutionary - how we have evolved socially
• sociocultural- how are culture effects us socially

• behavior = situation + person
• behavior= factors (person and enviorment,)
• kurt lewis

• we are beings and we live in the presence of others
• we are affeced differently by others based on how we percieve them
• we act differently around people than we do by ourselves

• culture
• individual differences
• perception and social inerpetation

nature vs. nuture - which is the our genetics vs our development

cognitive ability- our ability to think

temparament- things about our personality that are innate, like our tendency to be outgoing

disposition - self esteem and personality big five

• •: The way in which people perceive, comprehend, and
• interpret the social world.
• ▫Can also refer to how
• they see themselves.

• •Motives
• ▫Our need to belong
• ▫To maintain a
• positive view of ourselves: Self-Esteem
• ▫To view the world
• accurately: Social Cognition
• ▫Our need for control

• ▫people’s evaluation
• of their own self-worth
• ▫The extent to which
• they view themselves as good,, competent and decent

situations where we know how to act basaed on the influence of the siuation. ex. funerals

where your behavior based on who you are. ex lounges

• The
• tendency to overestimate the extent to which people’s behavior is due to
• internal, dispositional factors, and to underestimate the role of situational
• factors

• •So they can convince themselves they would not engage in
• a behavior they find deplorable (e.g., everyone is influenced by commercials but not
• me!)

• •

• •By failing to appreciate the power of the situation
• people may miss the true causes of behaviors and become more vulnerable

• •Do not rely on folk wisdom, common sense, or opinions
• •Test ideas about
• human social behavior empirically and systematically
• •Use experimental methods: the variables being studied
• are carefully controlled.