Social Psychology

Field examining how the presence and behavior of others shape thought, feeling, and action.

Specifications & Metrics

focus

Conformity, persuasion, helping, aggression, attitudes, and group processes

pioneer

Norman Triplett (first published social experiment, 1898)

method

Laboratory experiments with deception, field experiments, survey and implicit measures

Core Principles & Analysis

• Norman Triplett's 1898 cyclist-pacing study is usually counted the first published social psychology experiment.
• The field's classic era — Asch, Milgram, Festinger, Darley and Latané — mapped conformity, obedience, and helping.
• Situationism is its signature claim: modest changes in context produce large changes in behavior.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Social psychology