Week 1 - unit overview

Question 1

What is social psychology

Answer 1

The scientific investigation of how the thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual imagined or implied presence of others.

The scientific study of the effects of social and cognitive processes on the way individuals perceive, influence, and relate to others

Question 2

Where will you find social psychologists?

Answer 2

• teaching and research (PhD)
• Government and non-profit organisations
• Designing and evaluating policy and programs
• Private enterprise – consultants, researchers, marketing, political strategists, technology designers
• Master of Applied Psychology (Community Psychology)

Question 3

What is Organisational Psychology

Answer 3

• Scientific study of human behaviour in the workplace
• Assessing individual, group and organisational
  dynamics and uses research to find solutions to problems
• Improve wellbeing and performance of the
  organisation and employees

Question 4

What type of work do organisational psychologists do?

Answer 4

• Recruitment and selection
• Learning and development
• Leadership and talent management
• Coaching, mentoring and career development
• Change management
• Workplace research
• Occupational health and safety
• Performance management
• Wellbeing, stress and work-life balance
• Internal and external to the organisation (consultants/advisers, boards)

Question 5

Social Psychology vs. Organisational Psychology

Answer 5

organisational
theoretical focus:
- applied

Goals:
-Productivity/performance
-Overcome organisational problems

Inter-disciplinarity:
-Relatively high

Social
theoretical focus:
- basic, applied

Goals:
-Reduce prejudice/ discrimination
-Overcome other social problems
-Basic understanding of humans in social contexts

Inter-disciplinarity:
- Relatively low