SOCIAL

PSYCHOLOGY
By :Pooja soni
UNIT 1
⦿ Introduction- Nature
and Scope of Social
Psychology
⦿ Methods of social
Psychology-
Experimental, Survey,
Ethnography,
Cross-Cultural; and
Sociometrics.
⦿ Ethical Issues in Social
Psychological Research.
INTRODUCTION
⦿ Social psychology is the study of how
people think about, influence and
related to other.
⦿ It emerged at the interface of psychology
and sociology in early 20th century.
⦿ Psychology + sociology (analysis of human
behaviour and nature of society)
social

individual
NATURE OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

It is scientific in Domains of social

nature . psychology-

• Systematic • Social
observation perception
scientific • social
techniques and influence
methods • social
interaction
THE THREE DOMAINS ARE NOT SEPARATE, BUT ARE INEXTRICABLY
BOUND TOGETHER .

Social Perception How

we see other social
objects (ie, people and
groups).

Social Influence is
Social Interaction
actually the link
(includes areas like
between social
cooperation and
perception and
conflict, aggression,
social interaction.
helping. personal
Social Perception
relationships and
Social Influence
many others)
Social Interaction
PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY
The following are the problems of social
psychology
(1) Problems concerning socialisation.
(2) Problems concerning innate tendencies.
(3) Problems relating to social interactions.
(4) Problems relating to group behaviour.
(5) Problems relating to social heritage.
(6) Problems relating to the impact of culture
upon personality.
(7) Problems relating to the social change.
(8) Problems concerning the practical use of social
psychology.
(9) Problems relating to social and industrial
SCOPE OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
(1) Socialization of child.
(2) Social motivations.
(3) Attitudes and their measurement
(4) Social interaction.
(5) Social perception.
(6) Social learning.
(7) Culture and personality.
(8) Language and communication.
(9) Group structure, group morale, group
decision or leadership.
METHODS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
⦿ Experimental
⦿ Survey
⦿ Ethnography and
⦿ Sociometry,
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
⦿ Experimental Method-In experimental
observations, the experimentalists make
observations under controlled conditions.
⦿ In an experiment designed for social
research, the control group method is
applied.
⦿ Variables are of three types: Dependent,
independent and intervening variables.
⦿ Hypothesis is framed as a tentative solution
of the problem...
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD-
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
⦿ :1. It is objective in nature.
⦿ 2. Many variables can be kept constant and only one can be kept
varying.
⦿ 3. Statistical method can be applied.

⦿ limitations, such as:

⦿ 1. The experiments are conducted in artificial situations.
⦿ 2. Many situations cannot be brought about
⦿ 3. Some subjects may become jealous and may give wrong reply.
⦿ 4. Statistical method may not be found useful in sociological
processes.
⦿ 5. In controversial situation, conventional reply may be
obtained.
⦿ 6. Subject's reaction may be affected by extraneous factors.
⦿ 7. Extraneous social factors may also affect the replies of the
subject
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
OBSERVATION
⦿ -A good observation should have the
following four
⦿ 1. Objectivity.
⦿ 2. Precision.
⦿ 3. Systematisation.
⦿ 4. Verification
SURVEY METHOD
SURVEY METHOD
⦿ Large number of people answer questions
about their attitudes or behaviors.
⦿ Used to record the attitudes or behaviors of
people:
⦿ ♣Find out how voters feel about the various
political candidates
⦿ ♣How people feel about the member of
different social groups
⦿ ♣Evaluation of teacher at the end of
semester.
ADVANTAGES OF SURVEY METHOD
⦿ Reach wider number of audience (Huge
Number of Responses)
⦿ Can reach to wider audience via internet .
⦿ You can generalize the results if sample size
is near to population.
THEREFORE Surveys usually rely on self-report
inventories in which people fill out
questionnaires about their own behaviors or
opinions. The advantage of the survey method
is that it allows social psychology researchers
to gather a large amount of data relatively
quickly, easily, and cheaply.
ETHNOGRAPHY
⦿ Greek word : ethnos –folk or people and
graphia-writing
⦿ Ethnography is a written description of a
particular culture: the customs, beliefs, and
behaviour, based on information collected
through fieldwork" (Marvin Harris and Orna
Johnson, 2000).
⦿ "Ethnography is the art and science of
describing a group or culture. The
description may be of a small tribal group in
an exotic land or a classroom in middle-class
suburbia" (David M. Fetterman, 1998).
ETHNOGRAPHY

⦿ Ethnography is a qualitative method for

collecting data often used in the social and
behavioral sciences.

⦿ Data are collected through observations and

interviews, which are then used to draw
conclusions about how societies and individuals
function.

⦿ Ethnographers observe life as it hap ns instead of

trying to manipulate it in a lab. Because of the
unpredictability of life, ethnographers often find
is challenging to nail down their projects in a
protocol for the Board to review.
SOCIOMETRY INTRODUCTION
• The word sociometry came from the Latin “socius,”
meaning social and the Latin “metrum,” meaning
measure. Sociometry means ‘companion measure’.
Sociometry was first developed by Jacob Moreno in the
early 20th century. Moreno was interested in
understanding the dynamics of social relationships in
groups, and he believed that by studying patterns of
social interaction, he could gain insight into the
functioning of the group as a whole.
• Sociometry is a way of measuring the degree of
relatedness among people.
• Measurement of relatedness can be useful not only in
the assessment of behavior within groups, but also for
interventions to bring about positive change and for
determining the extent of change.
SOCIOMETRY USES
•For a work group, sociometry can be a powerful tool
for reducing conflict and improving communication
because it allows the group to see itself objectively
and to analyze its own dynamics.
• It is also a powerful tool for assessing dynamics and
development in groups devoted to therapy or training
Today, sociometry is still used in social psychology
research to study group dynamics, social networks,
and the relationships between people in a variety of
settings, including schools, workplaces, and
communities.
It can be a valuable tool for understanding how social
structures and relationships impact individual behavior
and group outcomes.
CROSS-CULTURAL METHOD
⦿ Cross-cultural method uses that data which
the anthropologists collect regarding the
customs, traditions and characteristics of
various people so as to test those hypotheses
that are framed in connection with human
behaviour.
⦿ Some of the hypotheses which are being
tested are framed on the basis of the
principles of cultural evaluations, some are
based on the principles of cultural
integration and others are based on the
principles of personal relations and physical
and social development.
ADVANTAGES
⦿ There are two main advantages in this method:
(i) It gives confidence that the obtained results
describe the general human behaviour. They are
not limited to any particular culture, and
⦿ (ii) The range of various variables increases.To
explain how cross-cultural method leads to a
general description of human behaviour
⦿ we are giving one example as follows:
Sears and Wise² in their study on a sample of 80
children of Kansas city found that there was a
positive relation in their age of weaning and the
extent of emotional disturbances. It showed that
the later the age of weaning the greater were the
emotional disturbances.
Now the problem was that "Is it a general human characteristic that
the age of weaning is related to the extent of emotional
disturbances or is it a specific instant in the cultural milieu of
Kansas city.
" Whiting and Child' conducted a cross-cultural study which was on
the training and personality of the children and they collected data
on same variables as was done by Sears and Wise. Their sample was
from 75 societies which were spread throughout the world. In the
case of 37 societies decisions could be arrived at on the
relationship between weaning and emotional disturbances.
These results were contradictory to the results obtained by Sears
and Wise. It was found that the weaning till advanced age resulted
in less emotional tensions and not more. In 17 societies where the
age of weaning was two years or less the average score on a seven
point scale was 3-5 while in 20 societies where the age of weaning
was more than two years the average score was 2-8 only. The
higher the scores the lower were the emotional tensions.
COMPARISION OF SOCIETY
⦿ If we accept that the variables were validly measured and they could be
compared then our conclusion may be that in the case of Kansas city
there were different psychological principles operative from those
prevalent in other societies. But if we carefully scrutinize the data then
a better explanation is available which points towards the second
advantage of this technique.In the sample of Kansas city the children
were in the age range of 0 to 7 months (only 5 children out of 80 were of
more than seven months of age) while in the cross-cultural study except
two children all the others were in the age range of 12 months to 6
years. Hence the results of both the studies were not contradictory.
⦿ There was difference in the age-range of both the samples in the two
studies. Thus we can say that up to 7 months the effect of weaning is to
increase the emotional tensions, however, if weaning is between two or
three months the tensions are less. In case the age of weaning is higher
than seven months the effect on emotional tensions is opposite to it.
The relationship between weaning and emotional disturbances seem to
be curvilinear and not linear. By increasing the range of study we can
reach to more valid conclusion. By increasing the range we mean that
the investigation may not be limited for seven monthsonly. It should be
extended to the children of two years or above this age. We may,
thereby, find out that the weaning within two months or after two years
reduces tensions
⦿ . We can apply the cross-cultural method of
investigation in the study of human nature
and the development of human institutions
and the traditions of the societies. Mead and
others use this method very profitably in
their investigations.
ETHICAL ISSUES
⦿ Untill the mid 20th century few people worried about the ethics
of research with human participants. After World War II,
however, the discovery of Nazi atrocities such as the dangerous
and often fatal medical experiments carried out by doctors in
concentration camps on unwilling prisoners come to light.

⦿ Concerns were also raised by the discovery of unethical medical

experimentation in the United States such as the notorious
Tuskegee case In 1932 the U.S. public Health service began a
40-year study in Tuskgee Alabama on 399 poor and semiliterate
African American men who had syphilis, a progressive disease
that can lead to brain damage and death. The goal was to trace
the effects of syphilis on untreated males over many years. The
men were told that they were being treated but in fact they
were never given medication even though penicillin was
available and was effective against the disease. Even as late as
sixties, treatment was still being withheld from the survivors
while the study continued.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH.
Deception

Informed consent

Debriefing

Minimal risk
DECEPTION
⦿ Most researchers agree that in many cases it
is necessary to disguise key elements of a
study in order to avoid having subject's
behaviour influenced by what they think to
be a true purpose of the study. Deception
may appear in following forms: (Geller 1981)

⦿ Implicit deception
⦿ Technical deception
⦿ Role deception
INFORMED CONSENT
⦿ A subject must voluntarily agree to participate in research without any
coercion and must understand what the participation involves. This is
known on informed consent. The researcher has an obligation to tell the
potential subject as much as possible about the study before asking
them to participate.
⦿ Subjects should be informed about the research procedures, any risks or
benefits of the research, their right to refute to participate and their
right to withdraw at any time during the research without penalty. Any
exception to this general guideline must be approved by the institutional
review board after careful examination of the planned research. But
these requirements may create problems for a social psychologist.

⦿ It may be important in some cases to not reveal the true purpose of the
research to avoid bias into their responses. Even in simplest research
subject are rarely told the specific hypotheses that are being tested.
What would happen if researcher first told subjects that the study is
focused on the willingness to help strangers in distress and then tested
to see if the subject would help in an emergency? However participants
need not be told everything that will happen but they should know that
they are in a study.
DEBRIEFING
⦿ At the end of their participation in a study
subject should always be debriefed. Debriefing
means explaining in some detail the purpose and
the procedure of the research. Participants
should be given an opportunity to ask questions
and express their feelings. A friendly discussion
between the researcher and the participant can
help a subject to recover from any upset the
research may have caused and to learn from
their research experience. When research deals
with very sensitive topics it may be important
for the researcher to suggest ways in which
participants can learn more about the topic.
Sometimes researchers offer to send participants
written information about the result of the study
once the research findings have been analysed.
MINIMAL RISK
⦿ A third guideline for research is to minimise potential risks
to the subjects. Minimal risk means that the possible risks
of participating in the research are no greater than
ordinarily encountered in daily life.
⦿ What kinds of risks can social psychological research pose?
One of the most important risks is the invasion of privacy.
An individual's right to privacy must be respected and
valued.
⦿ The other main category of risk in social Psychology comes
from stress of various kinds. Subjects must be allowed to
make decisions based on adequate information. Finally the
subjects should leave the study in essentially the same
state of mind and body in which they entered. Social
psychological research offers the joy of new discoveries
about human experience. The thoughtful use of scientific
methods can do much to advance our understanding of
social life and social problems.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
APPLICATIONS
⦿ Social psychology as it is today with broadening it
field by the research work on touching various
aspects of life, viz. population psychology, health
psychology, environmental psychology, legal system
and psychology.
⦿ It can be used to understand personal health
problems as well problems our earth is facing. Social
psychology has adopted multicultural perspective to
understand behaviour with respect to the cultural
and social context.
⦿ Dissonance and attribution theory have created the
most voluminous body of experimental work. During
the late 1960, it was pointed out that the
mainstream social psychology had emphasised
predominantly individual cognitive processes and had
neglected the social context and that it had relied
too exclusively on experiments in laboratory settings.
⦿ Modern Social psychology has notable features
such as that it has broadened its repertoire of
methods. It has become much more relevant to
the understanding of everyday life with research
works focused on its application in various areas.
The social phenomena are explained with
respect to different social and cultural settings.
⦿ The cognitive approach to the explanations
which was more or less sidelined by
experimental and behavioural approach is again
gaining significance. New trends such as socio
biology and evolutionary social psychology have
broadened the realm of theoretical tools of
social psychology.
CURRENT TREND SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY
⦿ Practical demands have always far surpassed the
theoretical knowledge is social psychology. The 1970
and 1980 were marked by growing concerns with the
application of social knowledge. “Applied social
psychology is the utilisation of social psychological
principles and research methods in real word settings
in an effort to solve a variety of individual and
societal problems" (Weyant 1986).

⦿ Population Psychology
⦿ Health Psychology
⦿ Environmental Psychology
⦿ Industrial Organisational Psychology
⦿ Legal System and Social Psychology
ASK YOURSELF
⦿ What is scope of social psychology?
⦿ Define social psychology according to Allport.
⦿ Define experimental method.
⦿ What are the characteristic features of
ethonographic method?
⦿ Explain debriefing.
⦿ What are the ethical issues in social psychology
research ?
⦿ What are different types of deception one comes
across in social psychology research?
⦿ What is informed consent ? Why it is necessary?