1. .

Major theoretical perspectives of social psychology: the sociocultural

perspective, the evolutionary perspective, the social learning perspective,
the phenomenological perspective, the social cognitive perspective (Text
- Seminar 1)
Sociocultural perspective The theoretical viewpoint that searches for the causes of social
behavior in influences from larger social groups.
Evolutionary perspective A theoretical viewpoint that searches for the causes of social
behavior in the physical and psychological dispositions that helped our ancestors survive and
reproduce.
Social learning perspective viewes social behavior as driven by each individuals personal
experiences with reward and punishment
Phenomenological Perspective The view that social behaviour is driven by a persons
subjective interpretations of events in the environment
Social cognitive Perspective A theoretical viewpoint that focuses on the mental processes
involved in paying attention to, interpreting, judging, and remembering social experiences.
2. Social cognition: definition and basic processes: attention, interpretation,

judgment and memory (Text - Seminar 2)

Social cognition The process of thinking about oneself and others.
ATTENTION: SELECTING INFORMATION : People can only pay attention to a tiny
fraction of the information available to them. Because different people expose themselves to
different information, and because people select the information they pay attention to
INTERPRETATION: GIVING INFORMATION MEANING : Once we pay attention to
something, we still need to determine what that information means
JUDGMENT: USING INFORMATION TO FORM IMPRESSIONS AND MAKE
DECISIONS : We gather and interpret information because we need to form impressions
of people or make important decisions.
MEMORY: STORING EVENTS AND JUDGMENTS FOR FUTURE USE. Finally, if
we pay enough attention to an event, the event and our impression of it become represented
in memory.
3. Cognitive strategies for enhancing and protecting the self: social comparison,

self-serving attributions, the illusion of control (Text - Seminar 3)

SOCIAL COMPARISON
downward social comparison that is, you might compare yourself to someone who is less
fortunate than yourself, has lesser abilities, and so on
upward social comparisonby comparing themselves to those better-off
SELF-SERVING ATTRIBUTIONS
People also enhance their self-images through self-serving attributions.
self-serving bias: We tend to take personal credit for our successes and to blame external
forces for our failures
BELIEVING WE HAVE CONTROL Often, enhancing or protecting our self-images
involves believing we have control over certain situations and events in our lives.

Sometimes illness and other major life events can provoke uncertainty and the perception of
having
lost control.
4. Self-presentation: definition and goals (Text - Seminar 4)
Self-presentation The process through which we try to control the impressions people form
of us; synonymous with impression management.
Impression management The process through which we try to control the impressions
people form of us; synonymous with self-presentation.
Individuals are especially likely to self-present when they see themselves as the target of
others attention, when they depend on these others to reach their goals, when these goals are
important, and when they feel that these others have an undesired impression of them.
5. Self-presentational strategies: express liking for others, create similarity, make

ourselves physically attractive, project modesty (Text - Seminar 4)

EXPRESSING LIKING FOR OTHERS
Flattery is usually quite successful: Although we are quick to interpret as insincere the
flattering statements people make toward others, we tend to accept quite readily compliments
directed toward us.
Creating similarity
We often create similarity to ingratiate ourselves with others by altering our dress, activities,
or public opinions.
Make ourselves physically attractive
Most people try to make themselves more attractive.
Examples
-Each year, Americans have approximately 1.5 million plastic surgeries, most of
them for merely cosmetic purposes.
-Cosmetics and toiletries are a $20 billion per year industry, and the perfume
and cologne makers sell $10 billion worth of fragrances.
-Over 4 million Americans currently wear braces or other orthodontic devices,
mostly to improve the look of their smiles.
-People in the United States spend $33 billion on diet foods, weight-loss programs,
and health club memberships each year.
PROJECTING MODESTY
we often give public credit to others for aiding in our successes and gently point to
weaknesses we have in otherless importantareas
There are risks associated with being modest, however. If people dont know of your
successes, they may believe you when you profess a lack of talent. If you are too modest,
people may think you have horribly low self-esteem or little self-insight

6. Self-presentational strategies: display the artifacts of status and power,

conspicuous consumption, associate with people of status and power,

communicate dominance with nonverbal expressions (Text - Seminar 5)
DISPLAYING THE ARTIFACTS OF STATUS AND POWER People often display
artifacts associated with high status or power so they will be accorded the respect and
reputation they believe they deserve people who have no legitimate credentials sometimes
misappropriate these artifacts to gain respect
CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION The impression of status may also be conveyed by the
amounts of money and resources people are able to expend. In fact, much of material
consumption serves the purpose of communicating status
Giving things away and wasting money are also forms of consumption. Some wealthy
people, for instance, throw grand parties.
Managing personal associations is yet another self-presentational tool.
STATUS AND POWER IN NONVERBAL EXPRESSIONS Much as people might smile
to convey the impression that they are likable, they adopt other nonverbal signals to
communicate images of status and power.
certain nonverbal behaviors seem to signal high status and dominance, whereas others reveal
low status and submissiveness
7. Self-handicapping: definition, motives and strategies (Text - Seminar 5)
self-handicappingcreating circumstances for ourselves that obstruct our ability to
demonstrate true competence
people after early successes begin to act in ways that make future successes less likely
8. Attitudes, emotions and moods: definition and theoretical perspectives

regarding their origin (Text - Seminar 6)

Attitudes Favorable or unfavourable feelings toward particular people, objects, events, or
ideas.
Emotions Relatively intense feelings characterized by physiological arousal and complex
cognitions.
Moods Relatively long-lasting feelings that are diffuse and not directed toward a particular,
single target.
THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSIOLOGY many parts of the biological systembrain
structures, neurochemicals, and the autonomic nervous system -- contributegreatly to our
feelings
THE INFLUENCE OF GENETICS people from many different societies express and
experience emotions in similar ways . For example, people from various cultures including
nonliterate cultures unexposed to Western influencesagree strongly on which facial
expressions reflect happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger. Besides genetic similarities,
genetic differences can also affect our feelings
THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE AND LEARNING In addition to cross-cultural
similarities in how we experience and express our feelings, there are important crosscultural
differences as well
Classical conditioning, influences the attitudes we form .For instance, when we associate
people with uncomfortable circumstances like a hot, humid roomwe like them less.

Instrumental conditioninglearning as a result of rewards and punishments also helps

create our attitudes.
We form attitudes via observational learning. We do not need to experience rewards and
punishments firsthand to learn lessons from them. Instead, we often learn by observing others
.When we see others punished, we avoid their behaviors and the attitudes they
represent.When we see others rewarded, we engage in those behaviors and adopt the attitudes
they represent.
THE INFLUENCE OF ONGOING COGNITION Genetics and physiology give us the
capability to experience certain emotions, moods, and attitudes, and these capabilities are
modified, differentiated, and developed through learning and cultural processes.
9. Motives and goals: definition and theoretical perspectives regarding their

roots (Text - Seminar 7)

Motivation The force that moves people toward desired outcomes.
Goal A desired outcome; something one wishes to achieve or accomplish.
Some researchers propose that many of our goals and motives have biological roots.
For example human infants seem preprogrammed for bonding with their mothers and other
caregivers.
Other researchers propose that human motives and goals are rooted in learning and culture.
Sometimes we learn through our particular life experiences that certain goals are more
important than others.
10. Basic principles of social behavior, goals and motives (Text - Seminar 8)
Two broad principles shared by the different perspectives.
1. Social behavior is goal oriented. People interact with one another to achieve
some goal or satisfy some inner motivation.
2. Social behavior represents a continual interaction between the person and the
situation.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IS GOAL ORIENTED
- establishing social ties
- understanding ourselves and others.
- gaining and maintain status
- defending ourselves and those we value
- retaining mates
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PERSON
AND THE SITUATION
Seven forms of interaction
1. Different situations activate different parts of the self.
2. Each situation has different facets, and the social motive active in that situation
depends on which facet one is paying attention to.
3. Not everyone responds in the same way to the same situation
4. People change their situations.
5. People choose their situations
6. Situations change people.
7. Situations choose people.