The Power of Situation

Introducing Social Psychology

Social Psychology is a science that studies the influence of

our situations, with special attention to how we view and
affect one another.

More precisely,

Social psychology is the scientific study of how people

think, influence and relate to one another.
 Social Thinking Social Influence Social relations

• Beliefs • Culture • Prejudice

• Judgments • Persuasion • Aggression
• Attitudes • Group influence • Altruism
.

 How much of our social world is just in our heads?

 Would you be cruel if ordered?

 To help others or to help oneself?

Social Psychology’s big ideas

 We construct our social realities

 Our social intuitions are often powerful but sometimes perilous
 Personal attitudes and dispositions shape behavior
 Social influence also shape our behavior
 Social behavior is biologically rooted
 Our relations to people are sometimes negative and sometimes positive
 Social psychology principles are applicable in everyday life
 Applying social psychology
Social psychology’s principles are applicable to everyday life

Social thinking Social influences Social relations

1. We construct our social 4. Social influences shape 6. Social behavior is also

reality behavior biological behavior

2. Our social intuitions are 5. Dispositions shape our 7. Feelings and actions
powerful, sometimes behavior towards people are
dangerous sometimes negative and
sometimes positive
3. Attitudes shape and are
shaped by behavior
Is Social Psychology simply common sense?
 Hindsight bias: I-knew-it-all-along
phenomenon

The tendency to exaggerate after learning an outcome, one’s ability to have

foreseen how something turned out. In simple words, in hindsight, events
seem obvious and predictable.

One problem with common sense is that we invoke it after we know the facts.
In other words, we often do not expect something to happen until it does.
Then suddenly we see clearly the forces that brought the event about and feel
unsurprised.
Focus On
I knew it all along

 Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

 Too many cooks spoil the broth.
 You can’t teach an old person new tricks.
 He who hesitates is lost.
Focus Again

 Out of sight, out of mind.

 Two heads are better than one.
 Its never too late to learn.
 Look before you leap.