What is a long time assumption about terrorism? What was actually found about terrorism?
That terrorism was driven by mental illness.
- However, no differences in rates of mental illness and psychopathology has little explanatory role.
What are the driving forces that have been identified behind terrorism?
various individual and social factors
What kind of perspective does social psychology take and what are the two types of variables?
An Interactionist perspective (i.e. Person x
Situation).
- Person variables (e.g. ideology, personality, temperament, identification, self-concept, etc.)
- Situation variables (e.g. social norms, physical cues, presence of others, culture, social comparison, etc.) )
What is the definition of social psychology?
The scientific study of how individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviour are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others.
Why is social psychology a science?
It relies on the scientific method.
- No theory is true simply because it is logical.
- Start out making an observation.
What is focused on in an individual in social psychology?
The individual’s construal (a person’s perception and interpretation of attributes and behavior of the self or of others).
- even among groups –> focus is on individuals within groups
What are the ABC’s of social psychology?
- Affect toward self, others, or various issues.
- Behaviours across a range of domains.
- Cognitions about the self, others, or various issues.
Give examples of how influence may be due to real or imagined presence of others.
- Behaviour influenced by considerations of others’ opinion.
* Emotions experienced thinking about various events or people.
How does social psychology differ from common sense? And what is the problem with intuition?
Unlike common sense, social psychology uses the scientific method to put its theories to the test.
• This Helps establish under what conditions something may occur.
–> intuition can sometimes be right and sometimes wrong
