Connection is Key

Question 1

Common features of Social Psych

Answer 1

• in individuals
• psych aspects: perception and self
• behavioural aspects: interaction, influence and relating to others

Question 2

Early Development of Social Psych Theories

Answer 2

Hedonism: seek pleasure, avoid pain

Altruism: people are empathetic, want to bond with and support one another

Question 3

Is it Social Psych or Common Sense?

Answer 3

many ideas in social psych seem to be common sense, however

• findings can appear obvious once they are known
• common sense explanations are vague and can be applied to fit any finding
• easy to see in hindsight

Question 4

Social Psych involves:

Answer 4

• structured empirical approach
• determining causality
• objective measurement: forming hypotheses based in testable predictions developed from theories, effective summary of observations, refined theories and updating of knowledge over time

Question 5

Correlation VS Causation

Answer 5

correlation - association, no change to variable

causation - manipulate variables and examine another, random allocation

Question 6

human sociability

Answer 6

more time with others than alone

• evolutionary success built on this principle

Question 7

Isolation, and some investigations

Answer 7

symptoms similar to effect of psychosis-like situations

• difficult to study due to ethical considerations

Schachter (1959) investigated how long people coped with being isolated for short periods

• one participant barely lasted 20 minutes
• potential issue: how could they know effect was isolation from people and not isolation from world, the latter would be less detrimental

Question 8

Why are we social? Reinforcement Theory

Answer 8

humans are positively reinforced by social interaction

e.g, talking to a restauranteur, get food, wanna talk to more if it means you have that chance again

• sometimes are social in ways that have not been previously reinforced (limitation)

Question 9

Why are we social? Social Comparison Theory

Answer 9

comparisons allow us to make sense of reality

• helps develop worldview, what works and what is right or wrong

Question 10

Why are we social? Social Exchange Theory

Answer 10

interactions with others is beneficial for both people, with little costs associated, ‘marketplace’ model

Question 11

Why are we social? Evolution Theory

Answer 11

adapted and promoted survival

• genetic trait

Question 12

Social Brain Hypothesis - Robin Dunbar

Answer 12

As our social world has become more complex, the size of our brain has increased (in particular the neocortex)

= larger brain is required to navigate more complex social environments

‘Dunbar Number’
- identified positive relationship between different primate group sizes and the size of their neocortex

• argued the human brain was equipped to manage a group size of ~150 based on size of neocortex
• found different group sizes could be managed by different primates

Example Model
150 meaningful relationships
50 friends
15 close friends
5 close friends

Question 13

Male and Female mating preferences

Answer 13

men on average prefer more sexual partners and think about sex more than women

• potential explanation: outcome of sex requires greater physical investment from women (look for interest and resources for offspring, pregnancy)

caveats

• people of all genders desire kindness, love and mutual attraction
• evolutionary psych is limited in explanations

Question 14

Cultural Influences on Gender Differences

Answer 14

HILDA Survey

• women spend more time doing unpaid housework than men, believe they are doing more than their fair share
• men think they are doing enough

“when jobs are scarce, should men have more of a right to a job?”

• 1/8 agreed western society
• 4/5 agreed asian and african society