Careers in Social Psychology

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Careers in Social Psychology

• Joyce Ehrlinger
• Department of Psychology
• Florida State University

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What is Social Psychology?

• The scientific study of the way in which peoples
  thoughts, feelings and actions are influenced by
  the real or imagined presence of other people.

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Does watching violent t.v. make people more
aggressive?
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What about violent videogames?
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Why do people sometimes do cruel and inhumane
things to others?
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while others spend their lives helping others?
Bill Gates
Warren Buffet
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Do people ever help others for purely
altruistic/selfless reasons?
Bill Gates
Warren Buffet
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How do advertisers know how to make us buy their
products?
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Social Psychology at FSU

• Roy Baumeister
• Dianne Tice
• Jon Maner
• Ashby Plant
• Joyce Ehrlinger

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Social Psychology at FSU

• Roy Baumeister
• Self control, rejection
• Dianne Tice
• Self esteem, self control
• Ashby Plant
• Prejudice and stereotyping
• Jon Maner
• Mate selection, risk taking
• Joyce Ehrlinger
• Confidence, perceptions of bias

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Social Psychology at FSU

• Roy Baumeister
• Self control, rejection
• Dianne Tice
• Self esteem, self control
• Ashby Plant
• Prejudice and stereotyping
• Jon Maner
• Mate selection, risk taking
• Joyce Ehrlinger
• Confidence, perceptions of bias

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of Minutes
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Social Psychology at FSU

• Roy Baumeister
• Self control, rejection
• Dianne Tice
• Self esteem, self control
• Ashby Plant
• Prejudice and stereotyping
• Jon Maner
• Mate selection, risk taking
• Joyce Ehrlinger
• Confidence, perceptions of bias

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• Amadou Diallo (9/2/1975-2/4/1999)
• Police officers opened fire. 41 shots, hitting
  Diallo 19 times.
• No weapons on his body. He was reaching for his
  wallet.

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Error Rates by Police Officers in Plants
Shoot/Dont Shoot Game
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Error Rates by Police Officers in Plants
Shoot/Dont Shoot Game----Later Trials----
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Social Psychology at FSU

• Roy Baumeister
• Self control, rejection
• Dianne Tice
• Self esteem, self control
• Ashby Plant
• Prejudice and stereotyping
• Jon Maner
• Mate selection, risk taking
• Joyce Ehrlinger
• Confidence, perceptions of bias

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Confidence vs Reality in the Classroom
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What do Social Psychologists Do?

• Teach/research but not just in Psychology
  departments
• Psychology
• Business
• Education
• Marketing
• Communications
• Sociology
• Law
• Medicine

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What do Social Psychologists Do?

• Many social psychologists are employed in
  industry
• Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• Big Business
• Gallup Polling Organization
• Consumer Reports
• Software Companies
• Marketing research/marketing
• Advertising

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Examples

• Gary Klein
• Social psychologist teaching expert thinking to
  novices

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Examples

• David Bonniger
• Social Psychologist in Rehabilitation Technology

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Examples

• Market Research Consultant
• Answers questions for businesses using basic
  research techniques
• How satisfied are customers?
• How can new products and services be designed to
  be maximally appealing?
• Who are the most valuable customers?

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Examples

• John Lauber
• Human factors research in airline industry
• How to design systems that maximize safety

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Examples

• Susan Ferguson, Insurance Institute for Highway
  Safety
• Design ways to minimize losses due to death,
  injury property damage

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Examples

• Trial Consultant
• jury selection
• helps the trial team to develop a presentation
• tests out the approach with mock juries

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Examples

• Social Science Analyst
• Carolyn Copper, National Security Division for
  U.S. Government
• Provides policymakers with recommendations on how
  to promote the security of the American people.

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Examples

• Christine Sannerud, U.S. Drug Enforcement
  Administration
• Reviews research and makes recommendations
  regarding
• Controlling the manufacture of illicit drugs
• Laws regarding drug control

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What do Social Psychologists Do?

• Government
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Department of Justice
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Census Bureau
• CIA /FBI

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Becoming a Social Psychologist

• Graduate school
• complete coursework and research
• gain teaching experience
• financial assistance

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Getting into grad school in social psychology

• High GPA
• research experience
• good GRE scores
• strong letters of recommendation

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Helpful Websites

• www.socialpsychology.org
• www.spsp.org
• www.psy.fsu.edu

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