Explain the Theory of Social Psychology Flashcards

Midterm study guide q

35 cards   |   Total Attempts: 182
  

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What is social psychology?
The study of the relationship between the individual and the rules and patterns that constitute society,
What are the three main areas within social psychology?
(1)Symbolic intereactionism: focuses on how intereaction is created and maintained (2)Group Process: focuses on the relationship between actors. (3)Social Structure and Personality: the focus is on how social structures affect the individuals.
What is theory?
A set of explicit, abstract, rigorious, and logically related statements that explains or predicts a general class of phenomena.
How do we determine whether a phenomenon can be analyzed theoretically?
(1) Repeatability: a phenomena needs to be reproducible or recurrent to allow for systematic study. (2) Testability: statement about the phenimena must be falsifiable (we need to be able to prove the theory incorrect).
What are the parts of theories?
(1)Concepts: specialized, well- defines ideas that are brought together and communicated by theories (2) Scope: the domain of phenomena to which a theory applies. (3) Operationalization: the observable manifestations of concepts.
What are the different types of research and what are the features of each type of research?
(1) Surveys: ask group members about their experience. (2)Field studies: researcher directly observes the group. (3)Archaival research: uses secondary data; can involve content analysis for themes and patterns in existing sources. (4)Experiments: test theories of cause and effect relationships.
What is a social object?
Any object in a situation that an actor uses in that situation where the use has arisen socially.
What are symbols? How are they recognized or used?
One class of social objects. - used to represent something -used for communication both between and within actors -social -conventional -meaningful -significant
What are language and words?
-Language: a set of words used for communication and representation- a symbolic system used to refer to or represent a part of reality. -Words: symbols that are written or spoken (basis for other symbols) categories used to refer to a distinguishable class of objects.
Why are symbols critical for humans?
-they are our reality -make our complex life group possible -make human beings possible
What are the basic functions of symbols and language?
- naming, memorizing, categorizing -perception -thinking -deliberation and problem solving -trancendence of space and time -creativity
How is marriage a symbol?
Marriage has become a status symbol showing people that you have made it and have a successful life.
What are Mead’s stages of self-development?
(1)Preparatory Stage: child imitates significant others (2) Play Stage: child learns to take the role of of siginificant others one at a time (3) Game Stage: child is able to similtaneously assume rhe roles of all others in the game and learns to take the role of the generalized other. (4) Reference froup stage: individual can assume the perspective of one of several groups depending on the situation.
What are the “I” and “me” and how do they interact with one another?
"I"- the subject of action "Me"- the object of others actions The self is composed of both these and there is a continous interchange between them.
How is the self “social” according to Mead?
The self is social for two reasons : (1)it arises from social experience as indicated in the stages of development. (2) it arises from the social interchange between the "I" and "me"