Difficulty: Introductory | Prerequisites: None
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by other people. It sits between general psychology (which studies individual responses to any stimulus) and sociology (which studies groups and societies as wholes). Since the 1970s, cognitive psychology has been its strongest influence, giving rise to the subfield of social cognition.
Social psychology
The scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other people. In simple terms, it is the science of how other people shape what we think, feel, and do.
Social cognition
The study of how people process, store, and apply information about others and social situations. Think of it as the meeting point between cognitive psychology and social psychology.
Behaviour (in social psychology)
Observable and measurable actions. Social psychologists study behaviour because it can be objectively recorded, unlike thoughts and feelings which must be inferred.
Sociology vs. social psychology
Sociology focuses on the group as a whole, social structures, and institutions. Social psychology focuses on the individual within social contexts, particularly face-to-face interactions. The distinction is about level of analysis: the group versus the person in the group.
General psychology vs. social psychology
General psychology studies people's responses to stimuli that do not have to be social (e.g. light, sound, memory tasks). Social psychology is largely concerned with face-to-face interaction between individuals or groups, where the stimuli are other people.
Social psychology is "social" because it deals with how people are affected by other people
As a discipline, it is a science, not merely a concept, theory, or norm
Social psychologists study both behaviour (because it can be observed and measured) and people's feelings and thoughts
The field is distinct from other social science disciplines because of what it studies, how it studies it, and what level of explanation is sought
Defining social psychology solely by its topics (e.g. conformity, persuasion) is problematic because this does not properly differentiate it from other disciplines
From general psychology: Social psychology focuses on face-to-face interaction between individuals or groups. General psychology focuses on people's reactions to stimuli that do not have to be social
From sociology: Sociology emphasises the group as a whole. Social psychology emphasises the individual within the group. Both study social phenomena, but at different levels of analysis
From other sciences (physics, chemistry, biology): The key difference is subject matter. Social psychology studies human social behaviour; the others study non-organic phenomena and chemical or biological processes. All use the scientific method
After the 1970s, social psychology was significantly influenced by cognitive psychology
This influence is most evident in the area of social cognition, which examines how people process and apply information about social situations
The cognitive turn shaped how researchers think about attitudes, attributions, stereotyping, and decision-making in social contexts
"Social psychology is just sociology." It is not. Sociology studies the group as a whole; social psychology studies the individual within the group. The level of analysis is different
"Social psychologists only study behaviour." They study behaviour because it can be observed and measured, but they also focus on people's feelings and thoughts. Behaviour is the observable window, not the whole picture
"Cognitive dissonance is the main example of cognitive psychology's influence." The primary evidence of cognitive psychology's influence on social psychology is the field of social cognition, not cognitive dissonance specifically
"You can define social psychology just by listing its topics." This does not work because topics like conformity, persuasion, and attraction overlap with other disciplines. What makes social psychology distinct is the combination of what it studies, how it studies it, and what level of explanation it seeks
True or false: Social psychology is a branch of sociology. False – it is its own scientific discipline
Fill in the blank: Social psychologists study behaviour because it can be _______ and _______. Observed; measured
True or false: After the 1970s, developmental psychology became the dominant influence on social psychology. False – it was cognitive psychology
Fill in the blank: The key distinction between sociology and social psychology is that sociology focuses on the _______ as a whole, while social psychology focuses on the _______. Group; individual
Q: What makes social psychology "social"?
A: It deals with how people are affected by other people. The "social" refers to the influence of others on an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.
Q: Why do social psychologists study behaviour rather than relying solely on self-reports of thoughts and feelings?
A: Because behaviour can be observed and measured objectively, whereas thoughts and feelings must be inferred.
Q: How does social psychology differ from sociology?
A: Sociology emphasises the group as a whole and studies social structures. Social psychology emphasises the individual within the group and studies face-to-face interactions.
Q: What subfield of social psychology arose from cognitive psychology's influence after the 1970s?
A: Social cognition, which examines how people process, store, and apply information about others and social situations.
Q: Why is it problematic to define social psychology solely by listing its topics?
A: Because many of those topics (conformity, persuasion, attraction) overlap with other disciplines. The field is better defined by what it studies, how it studies it, and what level of explanation it seeks.
This material connects directly to the Research Methods section of Chapter 1, which covers how social psychologists test their ideas scientifically. It also links to the Theories and Theorising section, where you will see how behaviourism, cognitive theories, and collectivist theories each offer a different lens on the same social phenomena described here.
Understanding the distinction between social psychology and sociology will recur throughout the course whenever you encounter topics at the group level (e.g. intergroup relations, prejudice, group dynamics).
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