Category Archives: Social Psychology

Articles on the study of individuals in the social context.

“Tie the Heifer, Loose the Bull”: Gender Inequality in the Caribbean

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black woman jamaican womanFor years, the Caribbean has been plagued with the pervasive and enduring problem of gender inequality. Gender, as a social construct, became popular during the 1960’s and 70’s and refers to “a set of qualities and behaviours expected from males and females by society” (United States Agency for International Development [USAID], 2005, p.12). While ‘sex’ refers to differences between males and females which are biologically determined and constant, ‘gender’ refers to those differences which are socially constructed and subject to change. Continue reading →

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3 Things Your Smile Can Predict about Your Future

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smiling teen girlsA smile is a universal symbol of warmth, happiness and positivity which comfortably crosses international boundaries and the most diverse of cultures. Smiles can also influence enormous positive changes in society via the process of mimicry; when we smile, it makes the persons around us want to smile too (Hess & Blairy, 2001, cited in Zhivotovkaya, 2008). Continue reading →

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Improve Your Life. Get a Pet.

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woman with puppyWe all know the obvious benefits of having pets; a kitty at play keeps the rodents away and a man-eating Rottweiler is a major deterrent against burglars and other larger vermin. We also know that pets can provide psychological benefits for their owners. Persons who suffer from loneliness, serious illnesses or other significant life challenges are often encouraged to get a pet. Continue reading →

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Giving is its Own Reward

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sexy woman and manOr so the researchers at UCLA would have us believe. Assistant professor of psychology Naomi Eisenberger and psychology graduate Tristen Inagaki performed an experiment on 20 heterosexual couples in romantic relationships at UCLA’s Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center.

In the experiment, each boyfriend received painful electric shocks while his girlfriend’s brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Inagaki and Eisenberger “explored the potentially beneficial effects of support giving by examining the neural substrates of giving support to a loved one.” They “focused on a priori regions of interest in the ventral striatum and septal area (SA) because of their role in maternal caregiving behavior in animals” (Inagaki and Eisenberger, 2012). Continue reading →

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Development of Social Cognition Part 2: Impact of Constructivism

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boy playing with building blocks Part 1 – Part 2

Constructivism is the tradition which assumes that the reality of an event is not inherent in the stimuli which make up that event but is a result of the mind’s construction. While Gestalt psychologists spoke about perceiving reality, constructivists spoke about constructing reality, assigning the individual a more active role in making sense of events in the external world. These constructivist notions fostered the development of social cognition and continue to reverberate within the walls of that discipline even today. Continue reading →

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Development of Social Cognition Part 1: The Impact of Gestalt Psychology

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faces or vase. figure and ground.Part 1 – Part 2

Many core tenets of modern day social cognition have their roots in the Gestalt tradition. As an example, let us consider the matter of context. Theory and research within social cognition begins with the knowledge that humans do not exist in vacuums: at any given moment, there are multiple social forces impinging on the individual and these must be given adequate consideration. As such, the importance of context is a theme which runs throughout the entire field of social cognition. Yet this emphasis on context is by no means new. Gestalt psychologists had long recognized its importance decades before and it was their initial interest in this factor which was later built upon in social cognition. Continue reading →

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