Social psychology (sociology)

About: Social psychology (sociology) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 18151 publications have been published within this topic receiving 907731 citations. The topic is also known as: Social psychology & sociological social psychology.

The Social Animal

Abstract: An introduction to modern social psychology. Elliot Aronson probes the patterns and motives of human behaviour, covering such diverse topics as conformity, obedience, politics, race relations, advertising, war, interpersonal attraction and the power of religious cults.

Immersive Virtual Environment Technology as a Methodological Tool for Social Psychology

Abstract: Historically, at least 3 methodological problems have dogged experimental social psychology: the experimental control-mundane realism trade-off, lack of replication, and unrepresentative sampling. We argue that immersive virtual environment technology (IVET) can help ameliorate, if not solve, these methodological problems and, thus, holds promise as a new social psychological research tool. In this article, we first present an overview of IVET and review IVET-based research within psychology and other fields. Next, we propose a general model of social influence within immersive virtual environments and present some preliminary findings regarding its utility for social psychology. Finally, we present a new paradigm for experimental social psychology that may enable researchers to unravel the very fabric of social interaction.

A review of the relationships between personality and performance in small groups.

Abstract: A wide range of practical and theoretical interests have found expression in the study of small groups. As the major bibliographic sources (Hare, Borgatta, & Bales, 1955; McGrath, 1957; Strodtbeck & Hare, 1957) amply attest, small group research has proceeded along numerous independent lines. One interest, however, has been dominant for more than 50 years. While phrased in various ways, the relationship between the personality characteristics of the individual and his performance in the group has remained a central concern. There have been at least three conceptual approaches to this problem. One approach considers the individual as having various needs and as being motivated to satisfy some of these needs through interaction with others; the point of interest is the relation between the individual's personality and his goal-directed behavior in groups. In another view, the individual is conceived of as a stimulus, or set of stimuli, for the other members of the group, and the

Social Psychology of Creativity

Abstract: Motivation plays a crucial role in the creative process. It is not enough to have unusually high levels of skill or a deep conceptual understanding. In order for students to reach their creative potential, they must approach a task with intrinsic motivation; they must engage in that task for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment of the activity itself rather than for some external goal. Researchers and theorists now understand that there is a direct relation between the motivational orientation brought to a task and the likelihood of creativity at that task. And it is particular features of the school environment and students' daily routine that in large part determine that motivation. The present paper outlines investigations revealing that the typical classroom is fraught with teaching practices and programme features that kill intrinsic motivation and creativity. Research designed to immunise students against the negative effects of these damaging classroom elements is reviewed. The argument is made that the undermining of intrinsic motivation and creativity of performance may be largely driven by an affective, rather than a cognitive, mechanism, and recent cross-cultural data gathered in a non-western educational setting are reviewed.