Social psychology examines the behavior of others. Unlike many of the other perspectives we’ve studied, social psychology looks at how other people impact why we do what we do. Key theorists in this field included Gordon Allport, Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Solomon Asch, and Stanley Milgram.
Some areas of interest to social psychologists include: conformity, obedience, groupthink, why some people work less in groups, why do people stand in lines, and why do people follow rules.
While social psychology has grown in recent years, so have the experimental studies that fueled the research to support it.
Experiments and Studies
This brief article outlines the highlights and flaws of the Stanford Prison Experiment and discusses why it is still controversial.
One of Psychology’s most famous experiments was flawed
Solomon Asch’s study examines conformity. Consider what you would have done in a similar situation. This article offers a deeper understanding of the implications of Asch’s study and other considerations researchers of the time ignored.
