Social Psychology

UC Berkeley Extension
Jennifer Hettema, Ph.D.
 Overview
• Introductions
• Review of syllabus
• Introduction to course content
 Introductions
• Name
• Reasons for taking this class
• Background in psychology or related fields
• Something you would never guess about
me is…
Why Study Social Psychology?
• The word "psychology" is the combination
of two terms - study (ology) and soul
(psyche), or mind.
• Mind physiological events, thoughts,
behaviors, emotions
• All exist within a social context
 Mind and the Social World
• Behaviors: shower, eat, drive, work, talk,
study, read, clean
• Thoughts: “I wish I could sleep in,” “This
will go straight to my hips,” “Hurry up”
• Emotions: fear, joy, sadness, surprise,
anger
 Social Psychology
• A working definition
• Seeks to understand how and why
individuals behave, think, and feel the way
they do because of past or present, real or
imagined social contexts
 Social Psychology
• How do we seek to understand such
information?
Many ways to learn about social
phenomenon
 Lessons Learned - Proverbs
• Birds of a feather
flock together.
• You're never too old
to learn.
• Too many cooks spoil
the broth.
• The pen is mightier
than the sword.
• Silence is golden.
 Lessons Learned
• Birds of a feather • Opposites attract.
flock together.
• You're never too old • You can't teach an old
to learn. dog new tricks.
• Too many cooks spoil • Two heads are better
the broth. than one.
• The pen is mightier • Actions speak louder
than the sword. than words.
• Silence is golden. • The squeaky wheel
gets the grease.
 Folk Psychology
• Unreliable, inconsistent
• Biased – based on our beliefs and
expectations; change based on situation
 Alternative - SCIENCE
• We can test folk psychology through
behavioral research
• Folk psychology still influences the types
of questions we ask and the interpretation
of results
• Limits
Social Psychology