Integrating Experimental and Social Constructivist Social Psychology: Some of Us Are Already Doing It

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicia Pratto
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Experimental Social Psychology ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Experimental Methods ◽  
Social Constructivist ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Contemporary Research ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Do So

I concur with Jost and Kruglanski (this issue) that the rift between social constructivist and experimental social psychology is bigger than it need be. I do so by showing that many social-psychological theories predict why we have the rift that we do. I use this method to point out that self-reflexivity is possible and desirable. This is especially the case when we try to consider how our own political and historical context influences our work. I give examples from my teaching of social psychology, and of contemporary research that has been informed by both social constructivist criticisms and by knowledge of experimental methods.

Self-interest as self-fulfilling prophecy

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Experimental Social Psychology ◽  
Experimental Methods ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Normative Expectation ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Social Psychological Research ◽  
Science Subject

The adoption of experimental methods from economics, in particular script-enactment, performance-related payment, and the absence of deception, will turn experimental social psychology into a trivial science subject. Such procedures force participants to conform to a normative expectation that they must behave rationally and in accordance with their self-interest. The self-fulfilling prophecy inherent in these procedures makes it more difficult to conduct innovative social-psychological research.

Theory in Social Psychology: Seeing the Forest and the Trees

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaacov Trope
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Social Judgment ◽  
Judgment And Decision Making ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Psychological Theories

The phenomena social psychology seeks to explain–how people think, feel, and act in response to social situations–are rich and diverse. Therefore, explanatory power, the simplicity of a model relative to its empirical scope, is an important desideratum for social psychological theories. A model achieves high explanatory power to the extent that it integrates narrower models within a unified conceptualization, reconciles conflicting findings, and makes novel predictions regarding specific phenomena. This article first relates explanatory power to the various facets of scientific inquiry (modeling, derivation, observation, evaluation, and decision) and then discusses this criterion as a guide for 2 theory-based lines of research my colleagues and I have conducted in the area of social judgment and decision making.

Good in Theory: A Metatheoretical Review of Social Psychological Theories of Human Sexuality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Quistberg ◽  
John Kitchener Sakaluk
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Study ◽  
Current State ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Sexual Science ◽  
Psychology Theory ◽  
Theory Generation ◽  
Future Theory

The fields of social psychology and sexual science have an intuitive and growing connection, with social psychology’s tradition of theory generation poised to enrich the psychological study of the sexual. For those interested in applying social psychological theories to topics of sexuality, however, there are questions regarding the features, qualities, and strengths and weaknesses of social psychology’s theoretical offerings. We therefore conducted a comprehensive metatheoretical review of social psychology theories applicable to sexuality (n = 44). In doing so, we (i)promote a deeper understanding of the current state of social psychology theory (ii)provide original theory maps to streamline future theory testing (iii)evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current social psychology theories. Our review finds existing social psychology theory to present a range of clarity with regards to theory definition, theory applicability, and testability. We interpret our results as encouragement for the pursuit of contemporary methods of theorizing in social psychology.

It may be harder than we thought, but political diversity will (still) improve social psychological science

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarret T. Crawford ◽  
José L. Duarte ◽  
Jonathan Haidt ◽  
Lee Jussim ◽  
Charlotta Stern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Do So

AbstractIn our target article, we made four claims: (1) Social psychology is now politically homogeneous; (2) this homogeneity sometimes harms the science; (3) increasing political diversity would reduce this damage; and (4) some portion of the homogeneity is due to a hostile climate and outright discrimination against non-liberals. In this response, we review these claims in light of the arguments made by a diverse group of commentators. We were surprised to find near-universal agreement with our first two claims, and we note that few challenged our fourth claim. Most of the disagreements came in response to our claim that increasing political diversity would be beneficial. We agree with our critics that increasing political diversity may be harder than we had thought, but we explain why we still believe that it is possible and desirable to do so. We conclude with a revised list of 12 recommendations for improving political diversity in social psychology, as well as in other areas of the academy.

scholarly journals Who Is This “We” You Speak of? Grounding Activist Identity in Social Psychology

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 237802311771781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Horowitz
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Role Based ◽  
Role Responsibilities ◽  
Distinct Role

What is an activist identity? Prior answers have focused almost exclusively on collective identity, without (a) considering the possibility of role-based identities or (b) grounding collective identities in broader social-psychological theories. The present study investigates activist identity through the lens of role-based and category-based identities and reports two major findings. First, there is a distinct role-based activist identity, one that involves internalizing role responsibilities and the expectations of friends and family. Second, collective identity represents a relationship between a social identity and an injustice frame; it either involves incorporating an injustice frame into a preexisting social identity or using the injustice frame to create a new in-group. The present findings help to illuminate the processes underlying collective identity, indicate that a great deal of role-based activist identity is mistaken for collective identity, and suggest new directions for the study of micro-mobilization and organizational forms and tactics in social movements.

scholarly journals Who is a terrorist? Exploring the utility of interdisciplinary fields

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-161
Author(s):  
Heba Mohamed Zahra
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sociological Factors ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Psychological Theories

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the dilemma of terrorism as a political phenomenon that many political scientists care about; however, they find themselves incapable of explaining some of its aspects and they resort to other disciplines. The second part of the dilemma is related to the incapability of well-established disciplines to provide political scientists with much help. This raises the following question: Will political scientists be able to enhance their knowledge of terrorism with the help of scholars from consolidated and well-established disciplines or with the help of scholars from interdisciplinary fields? Design/methodology/approach This research depends on the main theories of psychology and of social psychology and adopts a comparative approach to assess the effectiveness of both disciplines in providing political scientists with the knowledge they lack. Findings In spite of being a well-established and consolidated discipline, psychology is not the perfect discipline that can help political scientists know who a terrorist is. Social psychological theories of aggression provide political scientists with greater ability to understand what psychological and sociological factors motivate a person to turn to aggression and terrorism. Moreover, social psychology developed the “terror management theory” which clarifies various aspects of the phenomenon. Originality/value This research paper calls the attention of scholars of terrorism to the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary approach to understand the various aspects of a complex phenomenon such as terrorism. The interdisciplinary field adopted will differ according to the research question that a researcher needs to answer.

Looking at the gap between social psychological and psychodynamic perspectives on group dynamics historically

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra G.L. Schruijer ◽  
Petru L. Curseu
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Organization Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wilfred Bion ◽  
The Social

Purpose – The paper aims to describe and understand the gap between the psychodynamic literature on groups and the social psychological perspective on group dynamics. Design/methodology/approach – As Wilfred Bion is the most influential group dynamics representative of the psychodynamic tradition the authors performed a citation analysis of Bion's work to find out whether it influenced the social psychological research on group dynamics. They compared three domains of literature: therapy/clinical, management/organization studies and social psychology. Moreover, they depict (by drawing on interviews with European pioneers in social psychology) the historical context in which European social psychology developed to explain the gap between the psychodynamic and social psychological approaches in the study of group dynamics. Findings – The results clearly indicate the existence of a gap between the social psychological and psychodynamic perspectives on group dynamics. Moreover, the authors show that Bion did influence scholars studying or working with real-life groups and is cited more by American than European scholars. The attempt to build a legitimate scientific identity for social psychology provides a context for understanding of the neglect of the psychodynamic tradition. Research limitations/implications – The authors conclude by exploring ways in which the psychodynamic tradition may fertilize the social psychological tradition in studying groups. Originality/value – The paper is one of the first to address the discrepancy between the social psychological and psychodynamic perspectives in the study of group dynamics.

The Social Psychology of Dialogue Simulation as Applied in Elbot

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Illusion Of Control ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Online System ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
The Mind

Because of the high expectations users have on virtual assistants to interact with said systems on a human level, the rules of social interaction potentially apply and less the influence of emotion cues associated with the system responses. To this end the social psychological theories of control, reactance, schemata, and social comparison suggest strategies to transform the dialogue with a virtual assistant into an encounter with a consistent and cohesive personality, in effect using the mind-set of the user to the advantage of the conversation, provoking the user into reacting predictably while at the same time preserving the user's illusion of control. These methods are presented in an online system: Elbot.com.

Theory of Reasoned Action - Theory of Planned Behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanze Rossmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽  
Planned Behavior ◽  
Theory Of Reasoned Action ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Reasoned Action Theory

How can behavior be explained and predicted? How can it be changed? The theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior provide answers to these questions. This textbook, which is now available in a second, updated edition, provides a concise and understandable introduction to the fundamentals, methodology and empirical findings of the aforementioned social psychological theories. Subsequently, it systematically examines their applicability to questions from communication science and shows how they can be integrated into relevant theories from that discipline. This book is not only suitable for students and teachers of communication science, social psychology and health sciences, but also for all practitioners interested in this subject.

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