Social psychology 26990 225697255 2008-07-14T23:23:17Z Schwnj 108312 Reverted 2 edits by [[Special:Contributions/119.95.147.251|119.95.147.251]] identified as [[WP:VAND|vandalism]] to last revision by [[User:Jtneill|Jtneill]]. ([[WP:TW|TW]]) [[Image:Soc-psych-scope.gif|275px|thumb|right|The scope of social psychological research. Adapted from Cote and Levine (2002).<ref>Cote, J. E. & Levine, C. G. (2002). ''[[Identity formation, agency, and culture]]''. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.</ref>]] '''Social psychology''' is the study of how people and groups interact. Scholars in this [[interdisciplinary]] area are typically either [[psychology|psychologists]] or [[sociology|sociologists]], though all social psychologists employ both the [[individual]] and the [[group (sociology)|group]] as their [[Unit of analysis|units of analysis]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=hrydA45eCk0C&q=social+psychology&dq=social+psychology&pgis=1 ''Social Psychology,''] David G. Myers, McGraw Hill, 1993. ISBN:0070442924.</ref> Despite their similarity, psychological and sociological researchers tend to differ in their goals, approaches, methods, and terminology. They also favor separate [[academic journals]] and [[learned society|professional societies]]. The greatest period of collaboration between sociologists and psychologists was during the years immediately following World War II.<ref>Sewell, W. H. (1989). Some reflections on the golden age of interdisciplinary social psychology. ''Annual Review of Sociology'', Vol. 15.</ref> Although there has been increasing isolation and specialization in recent years, some degree of overlap and influence remains between the two disciplines.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Nvz5Y8e1N84C ''The Psychology of the Social,''] Uwe Flick, Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN:0521588510.</ref> ==Psychology== :''Main article: [[Social psychology (psychology)]]'' Most social psychologists are trained within psychology. Their approach to the field focuses on the individual and attempts to explain how the [[thought]]s, [[feeling]]s, and [[behavior]]s of individuals are influenced by other people. Psychologically oriented researchers emphasize the immediate social situation, and the [[social interaction|interaction]] between person and situation variables. Their research tends to be highly [[empirical]] and quantitative, and it is often centered around laboratory [[experiment]]s. Psychologists who study social psychology are interested in such topics as [[Attitude (psychology)|attitudes]], [[social cognition]], [[cognitive dissonance]], [[social influence]], and interpersonal behaviors such as [[altruism]] and [[aggression]]. Three influential journals for the publication of research in this area are the ''[[Journal of Personality and Social Psychology]]'', the ''[[Journal of Experimental Social Psychology]]'', and the ''[[Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin]]''. There are also many other general and specialized social psychology journals. ==Sociology== :''Main article: [[Social psychology (sociology)]]'' A significant number of social psychologists are sociologists. Their work has a greater focus on the behavior of the [[group (sociology)|group]], and thus examines such phenomena as [[Symbolic interactionism|interactions]] and [[Social exchange theory|exchanges]] at the micro-level, [[group dynamics]] and [[group development]], and [[Crowd psychology|crowds]] at the [[macroscopic|macro]]-level. Sociologists are interested in the individual, but primarily within the context of larger social structures and processes, such as social roles, race and class, and socialization. They use a combination of qualitative research designs and quantitative methods, such as procedures for sampling and surveys. Sociologists in this area are interested in a variety of demographic, social, and cultural phenomena. Some of their major research areas are social inequality, group dynamics, social change, socialization, social identity, and symbolic interactionism. The key sociological journal is ''Social Psychology Quarterly''. ==See also== *[[List of social psychologists]] ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Social psychology]] [[af:Sosiale sielkunde]] [[ar:علم النفس الاجتماعي]] [[bs:Socijalna psihologija]] [[bg:Социална психология]] [[cs:Sociální psychologie]] [[da:Socialpsykologi]] [[de:Sozialpsychologie]] [[es:Psicología social]] [[eu:Gizarte psikologia]] [[fr:Psychologie sociale]] [[gl:Psicoloxía social]] [[hr:Socijalna psihologija]] [[is:Félagssálfræði]] [[it:Psicologia sociale]] [[he:פסיכולוגיה חברתית]] [[lt:Socialinė psichologija]] [[hu:Szociálpszichológia]] [[mk:Социјална психологија]] [[nl:Sociale psychologie]] [[ja:社会心理学]] [[no:Sosialpsykologi]] [[pl:Psychologia społeczna]] [[pt:Psicologia social]] [[ro:Psihologie socială]] [[ru:Социальная психология]] [[sk:Sociálna psychológia]] [[sl:Socialna psihologija]] [[sr:Социјална психологија]] [[sh:Socijalna psihologija]] [[fi:Sosiaalipsykologia]] [[sv:Socialpsykologi]] [[tr:Sosyal psikoloji]] [[zh:社会心理学]]