Specializations in Social Psychology
Attitude Change
Study of how attitudes are formed, maintained, and changed through social influences and persuasion techniques.
Group Dynamics
Exploration of how individuals behave in group settings, including topics like cohesion, leadership, and group decision-making.
Social Influence
Examination of how individuals can be affected by the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of others, including conformity and obedience.
Interpersonal Relationships
Focus on the nature and dynamics of relationships between individuals, including romantic, familial, and friendship contexts.
Conflict Resolution
Study of the ways in which social and interpersonal conflicts arise and can be resolved through negotiation and mediation strategies.
Social Identity Theory
Investigation of how individuals derive part of their identity from their group memberships and the implications of this for intergroup behavior.
Prejudice and Discrimination
Analysis of the causes, effects, and reduction strategies of biases toward individuals based on group memberships, including race, gender, and more.
Social Cognition
Examination of how people think about others and themselves in a social context, including perception, judgment, and memory.
Nonverbal Communication
Study of how people communicate without words, including body language, facial expressions, and other forms of nonverbal behavior.
Social Resilience
Exploration of how individuals and communities can effectively cope with and recover from social adversity.
Altruism and Prosocial Behavior
Investigation of the factors that lead to helping behaviors and the motivations behind altruistic actions.
Social Network Analysis
Study of social structures through the use of networks and graph theory to understand social relationships and influences.
Cultural Psychology
Examination of how culture influences psychological processes, including beliefs, values, and behavior in social contexts.
Stereotyping
Analysis of the cognitive processes behind stereotype formation and the impact of stereotypes on behavior and society.
Social Norms
Exploration of the rules and expectations that govern behavior in social contexts and their influence on individual actions.
Aggression and Violence
Study of the social and psychological factors that contribute to aggressive behavior and societal violence.
Psychological Reactance
Examination of individuals’ emotional responses when they feel their freedoms are threatened or restricted.
Environmental Psychology
Focus on the interaction between individuals and their physical surroundings, including how environments affect social behavior.
Evolutionary Social Psychology
Study of how evolutionary principles shape social behaviors and psychological mechanisms in humans.
Health Psychology
Investigation of how social factors influence health behaviors, coping strategies, and overall well-being.
Cyberpsychology
Exploration of how digital interactions and online environments influence behavior and social relationships.
Collective Behavior
Study of how people behave in crowds or mass events, focusing on phenomena like riots, protests, and collective action.
Social Justice and Activism
Analysis of social movements, activism, and the psychological factors that motivate social change and justice efforts.
Positive Psychology
Study of the factors that contribute to human flourishing and well-being within social contexts and relationships.
Crisis Psychology
Focus on how individuals and groups respond to crises and the psychological effects of trauma in social contexts.
Collective Memory
Examination of how groups remember and interpret shared past events and how this shapes social identities.
Moral Psychology
Study of how moral beliefs and ethical decision-making are influenced by social contexts and group dynamics.
Social Development
Exploration of how social interactions contribute to development across the lifespan, including childhood and adolescence.
Experimental Social Psychology
Use of experimental methods to explore and understand social psychological phenomena and behaviors.
Social Neuroscience
Study of the neural and biological mechanisms underlying social behaviors and interactions.
Intergroup Relations
Examination of the interactions and relationships between different social groups, including issues of conflict and cooperation.