general psychology

Module 7 Social Psychology and Neuropsychology

PSYC 122 General Psychology II

Objectives

At the end of the module, the student will be able to:

Define the concepts of social psychology, social cognition, prejudice, and

discrimination.

Discuss the importance of first impressions, the sources for prejudice,

and the mechanisms for reducing it.

Explain the concepts of conformity, compliance, aggression, obedience,

and altruism.

Evaluate the factors that contribute to conformity, the factors to increase

obedience, and the factors that influence to decrease or increase of

aggressive behavior.

Determine the strategies for inducing compliance.

Establish how group membership,

performance, and decision-making

influence us.

Examine the evolutionary theory of

helping, the models for helping altruism, and Sternberg’s triangular

theory of love.

Explain the concept of neuropsychology.

Compare the differences between localization

brain theory and equipotentiality brain

theory and their contributions.

Differentiate the professionals who study

the brain.

Argue about the importance of Luria’s functional model as a step to understanding

brain functions.

Identifies concepts and figures related to neuropsychology.

Social Psychology

▪ Social Psychology is a field within

psychology that examines the impact

of others on our cognitive processes,

emotions, and behaviors.

▪ Social cognition delves into how we

perceive and understand ourselves

and those around us.

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Prejudice encompasses acquired, unfounded

negative sentiments directed towards

individuals belonging to a specific group,

incorporating cognitions (stereotypes),

emotions, and behavioral inclinations

(discrimination).

o Various strategies can be employed to reduce

prejudice, including cooperation with common goals,

intergroup contact, cognitive retraining, cognitive

dissonance, and empathy induction.

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Discrimination entails an unwarranted, negative behavior directed

at individuals from a particular group, serving as the behavioral

manifestation of prejudice.

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY (Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ According to Sanderson and Huffman (2020) obedience is the practice of following explicit orders, commonly from a person in a position of authority.

▪ For instance, the Milgram study famously demonstrated how individuals could be inclined to obey authority figures, even when the orders conflicted with their moral principles.

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Milgram's research revealed several significant factors that influenced obedience:

1. Authority Figure's Legitimacy and Closeness: When orders were issued by an ordinary person or conveyed via phone after the experimenter left the room, around 20% of the teachers administered the complete 450-volt shocks.

2. Remoteness of the victim: When the learner was only 1 ½ feet away from the teacher, approximately 40% of the teachers delivered the highest level of shocks. Surprisingly, even when the teacher had to hold the learner's hand on the shock plate physically, obedience remained at 30%.

Factors that Influence Obedience

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

3. Assignment of Responsibility: When the teacher read the list of

words while another person administered the shock, obedience

increased to nearly 94%. However, when the teacher was

responsible for selecting the level of shock, only 3% complied.

4. Modeling or Imitating Others: Observing two other teachers

refusing to shock the learner resulted in only 10% of teachers

administering the complete 450-volt shocks. However, when they

witnessed two other teachers obeying, the level of obedience

escalated to over 70%.

Factors that influence obedience

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Conformity refers to the

alteration of one's thoughts,

emotions, or behaviors in

response to actual or perceived

pressure from a group

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020).

▪ For example, the Solomon Asch

experiment vividly demonstrated

how individuals might change

their answers to match the group

consensus, even when it

contradicted their perceptions.

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

1. Normative social influence refers to conformity driven by the desire

to be well-liked, accepted, and approved by others.

2. Informational social influence involves conforming due to the

requirement for information and guidance.

3. Reference groups: are groups that individuals use as a comparison

point or standard to assess their own attitudes and behaviors.

Factors Influencing Conformity

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Expressing aggressive feelings through violent actions or exposure

to violent stimuli, such as hitting a pillow, is deemed ineffective in

reducing aggression. Some studies even suggest that it may

exacerbate emotions.

▪ On the contrary, employing incompatible responses like humor and

teaching social and communication skills have proven to be more

effective in diminishing aggressive behavior.

Factors that Impact the Decrease or Escalation of

Aggressive Behavior

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Group membership and the roles we play within them can significantly affect our behavior. Social psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted a study known as the Zimbardo prison study, which illustrated how the demands of roles and situations could lead to dramatic changes in behavior within a short time.

▪ The Zimbardo prison study, conducted in 1971, simulated a prison environment with college students randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners. The experiment's objective was to examine the psychological effects of perceived power and authority, revealing that participants adapted quickly to their roles, leading to alarming levels of aggression and submissive behavior, ultimately prompting the study to be terminated prematurely.

Group Membership

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

(Sanderson and Huffman, 2020)

▪ Altruism involves engaging in

acts aimed at aiding others

without any evident personal

gain for the helper (Sanderson

and Huffman, 2020).

Social Psychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

▪ According to psychologist Robert Sternberg (1998), love can be conceptualized as a triangle comprising three essential elements: passion, intimacy, and commitment (Myers, 2017).

▪ These three factors play a vital role in defining various expressions of love. When all three elements are present, it is referred to as consummate love (Hogg & Vaughan, 2011).

Social Psychology This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Neuropsychology

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

▪ Neuropsychology, as a subspecialty of psychology, delves into examining how the intricate attributes of the brain facilitate behavior.

▪ Localization Brain Theory, developed by Franz Gall, establishes the foundation for ascribing distinct functions to specific areas within the cerebral cortex.

▪ The Equipotential Brain Theory posits that while fundamental sensorimotor functions may be localized in the brain, higher cortical processes are too intricate to be confined to any singular area.

Neuropsychology

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

▪ Diverse professionals study the brain:

Neuropsychology

Psychologists

Neuropsychologists

Neurologist

Neuropsychiatrist

Neurosurgeons

Neuroscientist

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

▪ Luria's functional model postulates that functional systems illustrate

the interplay and coordination among different brain areas required

to execute a behavior.

▪ Each brain region can only function effectively in collaboration with

other interconnected areas.

Luria’s Functional Model

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

▪ Nineteenth-Century Europe: The Era of Cortical Localization

o Paul Broca (French, 1824–1880): Identified motor speech located in a small

region of the left frontal lobe.

o Carl Wernicke (German, 1848–1904): Discovered understanding of speech

located in the temporal lobe.

▪ Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Critics of Cortical Localization

o Sigmund Freud (Austrian, 1856–1938): Coined the term agnosia.

o Hermann Munk (German, 1839–1912): Coined the term mind-blindness.

o Karl Lashley (American, 1890–1958): Formulated the principle of mass action in

equipotentiality.

Exploring Neuropsychology Key Concepts and

Prominent Figures

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

▪ Late Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Theories of Brain Function

o Hughlings Jackson (English, 1835-1911): Argued behavior exists on different levels in the nervous system.

o Alexander Luria (Russian, 1902–1977): Formulated the concept of functional systems of behavior.

▪ Modern Neuropsychology

o Karl Kleist (German, 1879–1960): Advanced the localization approach to neuropsychology.

o Wilder Penfield (Canadian, 1891–1976): Discovered direct electrical stimulation of the brain as a neurosurgeon.

o Ward Halstead and Ralph Reitan (American, ca. 1940s): Pioneered neuropsychological testing.

Exploring Neuropsychology Key Concepts and

Prominent Figures

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

▪ Modern Neuropsychology

o Donald Hebb (Canadian, 1904–1985): Published the classic "The Organization of Behavior."

o Henry Hécaen (French, ca. 1950s): Pioneered the understanding of the role of the right hemisphere in neuropsychology.

o Arthur Benton (American, b. 1909): Further advanced the role of the right hemisphere.

o Oliver Zangwill (British, ca. 1960s): Examined neuropsychology with a focus on traumatic brain injury.

o Norman Geschwind (American, 1926–1984): Founded behavioral neurology.

o Edith Kaplan (American, 1970s): Pioneered the process approach in neuropsychology.

o Muriel Lezak (American, 1970s): Refined clinical assessment in neuropsychology.

Exploring Neuropsychology Key Concepts and Prominent

Figures

(Zillmer & Spiers, 2006)

References

Hogg, M. A., & Vaughan, G. M. (2011). Social psychology. Pearson Education.

Myers, D. G. (2017). Social psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Sanderson, C. A., & Huffman, K. (2020). Real world psychology (3rd ed.). Wiley. ISBN-

13: 978-1119577751 https://bulk-store.vitalsource.com/products/real-world-

psychology-catherine-a-sanderson-karen-v9781119577737

Zillmer, E. A., & Spiers, M. V. (2006). Principles of neuropsychology (2nd ed.).

Wadsworth Publishing.

Review as many times as required the information contained in the module folder

(includes this presentation).

Read the reference material to clarify any questions.

Carry out all the activities according to the instructions.

Submit assignments on the indicated date through the educational

platform.

Congratulations you have reviewed the

theoretical summary of this week's topic!

Actively participate in collaborative sessions.

Remember that to successfully build your learning it is important that: