The perpetual motion of societal change and continual technological advancement provides the study and application of social psychology with ever changing and expanding information in regard to human behavior, thoughts, feelings and interactions with others. Understanding social behavior and thought is determined by variables such as social interactions, cognitive processes, environmental, cultural context and biological factors. These variables are measurable in scientific terms that include a set of values and various methods that are useful in studying a broad span of topics. “One key goal of science is the development of basic principles that are accurate, regardless of when and where they are applied or tested.” (Baron, 2012, p. 11).
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Visual images, colors and lighting, sounds, scents, textures, temperature and taste elicit moods depending on the stimuli. If one walks into a sunny, clean brightly colored room at a comfortable temperature the person’s mood is more than likely to be pleasant as opposed to walking into a dirty, dimly lit, cold room which would elicit feelings of discomfort and apprehension. A crowded street may cause anxiety and stress to some people, while the smell of a stranger’s perfume stirs memories of a loved one and feelings of fondness and comfort are aroused although that person is not there. Evolutionary psychology takes into account biological genetic factors that impact social behavior. According to (Baron, 2012, p. 9):
This new branch of psychology suggests that our species, like all others on the planet, has been subject to the process of biological evolution throughout its history, and that as a result of the process, we now possess a large number of evolved psychological mechanisms that help (or once helped) us to deal with important problems relating to …show more content…
The goal of social psychological research is to identify basic accurate facts about the social side of life that apply in a wide range of contexts and situations. “The fact that an individual’s cultural, ethnic and racial heritage often play a key role in their self-identity and that this in turn, can exert important effects on their behavior” (Baron, 2012, p. 18). Currently, a multicultural perspective has been adopted to recognize the importance of cultural aspects in social behavior and thought. What may be a factor in one culture may differ greatly from another and cannot be applied to all
Visual images, colors and lighting, sounds, scents, textures, temperature and taste elicit moods depending on the stimuli. If one walks into a sunny, clean brightly colored room at a comfortable temperature the person’s mood is more than likely to be pleasant as opposed to walking into a dirty, dimly lit, cold room which would elicit feelings of discomfort and apprehension. A crowded street may cause anxiety and stress to some people, while the smell of a stranger’s perfume stirs memories of a loved one and feelings of fondness and comfort are aroused although that person is not there. Evolutionary psychology takes into account biological genetic factors that impact social behavior. According to (Baron, 2012, p. 9):
This new branch of psychology suggests that our species, like all others on the planet, has been subject to the process of biological evolution throughout its history, and that as a result of the process, we now possess a large number of evolved psychological mechanisms that help (or once helped) us to deal with important problems relating to …show more content…
The goal of social psychological research is to identify basic accurate facts about the social side of life that apply in a wide range of contexts and situations. “The fact that an individual’s cultural, ethnic and racial heritage often play a key role in their self-identity and that this in turn, can exert important effects on their behavior” (Baron, 2012, p. 18). Currently, a multicultural perspective has been adopted to recognize the importance of cultural aspects in social behavior and thought. What may be a factor in one culture may differ greatly from another and cannot be applied to all