Social Area - Psychology Component 2 Revision Notes for OCR

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Social Area Social psychology focuses on the study of human behaviour within a social context, such as with family, friends or cultures. Social behaviour may involve activity within a group or between groups. Psychologists study the way people interact which includes the influence people have on each other. It is important to remember that social influence can be invisible, but that its effects are powerful.

1. Principles and Concepts: 1. The main influence on our behaviour, thought processes and emotions are the surrounding environment and other people (family, friends, institutions and wider society) 2. It believes that our social context rather than individual characteristics changes and influences people’s behaviour 3. Attempts to understand how the thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others

2. Research to Illustrate the Area: Milgram (obedience) - Proves that people in the surrounding environment can influence someone’s behaviour which is shown by the fact that although what they were being asked to do was wrong, they obeyed because of the authority figure.

Bocchiaro (disobedience and whistleblowing) - This supports the principle that says it is your social context rather than individual characteristics changes and influences people’s behaviour, which is shown by the level of those who obeyed when they said they wouldn’t.

Piliavin (subway Samaritan) - Proves that people in the surrounding environment can influence someone’s behaviour which is shown by the fact that people would help after they saw one person helping and the reasons for helping could depend on who else was in the environment.

Levine (cross cultural altruism) - This follows more of the social context because results showed that more wealthier countries were less helpful that simpatia companies

3. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Area: Strengths       

Useful applications Detailed evidence Ethical Looks at influences rather than just behaviour High valid results Some research carried out in the lab Some ecological validity (natural setting)

Weaknesses       

Ethical issues Generalisability Observer bias Low everyday realism Low ecological validity Unrepresentative of target population Socially sensitive

One strength of the social approach is that it strongly supports the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate. Milgram’s research into obedience demonstrated that the situation a person is in can influence a persons’ behaviour, and that if there is an authority figure who looks professional then they are more likely to obey because they are afraid of the consequences if they disobey. This is a strength because it enables us to understand which behaviours are affected by the surrounding environment, and looking at the changes in the environment and how this affects behaviours further.

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Another strength of the social approach is that the ‘responses-to-people-in-need’ theme has high ecological validity.

Piliavin’s research into helping behaviour demonstrated that the help a person offered depended upon the type of victim. Also, the cost of helping played a role in the help that the victim received. This is a strength because it means that because it has this high validity as it took place in their natural environment so this means the results are generalizable to the target population which means that the results are more representative.

One weakness of the social approach is that it has low everyday realism. Bocchiaro’s research into disobedience and whistleblowing used a laboratory experiment which gives it high control but low ecological validity. This is a weakness because it is much harder to generalise the findings from the study as they are not representative of the real world.

Because it took place in a lab and a standardised environment, it means this may have influenced how people would have reacted and although this says that it is dependent upon the environment you are in, it could be because of your biology as well but we don’t know that.

Another weakness of the social approach is that it is very deterministic as it suggests that it is the people around you that alters your behaviour. Milgram’s study into obedience found that the biggest influence on the obedience/disobedience was the role of the examiner and the effect of the surrounding environment. This is a weakness because it may limit the ability to hold people responsible for actions as their behaviour is seen as being determined by their environment rather than being their choice. This may also provide people with an excuse for any negative behaviours.

4. Applications of the Area Social influence - conformity, obedience (Asch, Milgram, Bocchiaro) Social cognition - social identity, attitudes, stereotypes Social behaviour - discrimination, relationships, pro-social (Piliavin, Levine)

5. Exam Questions on this Area Outline how Milgram’s study on obedience to authority links to the social area. Support your answer with evidence from this study [8 marks]  

5 marks for summary of the study 3 marks for linking it back to the social area

Milgram’s study looked to investigate whether participants would show obedience to an authority figure who told them to administer electric shocks to another person. He did this by using a controlled observation where he measured how obedient people were whilst administering shocks. The sample included 40 males all from New Haven, who either received letters or saw an advertisement in the newspaper. They were paid $4.50 for taking part. Results showed that 100% of participants got to 300v but once the participant stopped answering, only 26/40 participants got to 450v.

Participants also showed signs of sweating and trembling, with 3 participants having a stroke. Milgram concluded that an important factor influencing behaviour is the situation that a person is in and an authority figure will make people obey because they are aware of the consequences if they don’t. This links to the social approach because one principle states that the main influence on our behaviour is the surrounding environment and other people. Milgram supports this as found that the experimenter had a large influence over the behaviour, and it was less on the individual characteristics.

Outline one concept of the social area to psychology [2 marks] One principle of the social approach is that thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influences by the imagined, perceived or actual presence of other people in the environment. This means that other people will alter the way that a person will act.

Outline how (a study) links to the social area of psychology [4 marks]   

1 mark for explaining the social area 2 marks for explaining the study 1 mark for how it links

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6. Debates that link to the Area Debate

Which Side?

Nature or Nurture Freewill or Deterministic Reductionist or Holistic Individual or Situational Useful Ethical Socially Sensitive Research Scientific

Nurture Deterministic Reductionist Situational Yes No Yes Yes

Why?

Study Link