Social Psychology research group

Summary: Social psychology is the study of how the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others shapes thought, feeling, and behavior.

Social psychology is the study of how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are shaped by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other people. It takes the person in a social situation as its basic unit. That situation can be a conversation, a group, a category the person belongs to, a relationship that lasts for years, or even an audience that exists only in the person’s head. The field asks how people perceive and evaluate others, how they understand themselves in relation to others, how attitudes form and change, how norms and influence operate, and how people act when they are with, against, or responsible to someone else. The common thread is a psychological account of social life: what a person takes in from others, what they do with it, and what they send back.