Attitude and Social Cognition

Social psychology is that branch of psychology that investigates how the behaviour of individuals is affected by others and the social environment. All of us form attitudes or ways of thinking about specific topics and people. We also form impressions about persons we meet and assign causes to their behaviour. Besides, our own behaviour gets influenced by other individuals and groups. In some situations, people show pro-social behaviour, that is, helping the needy and the distressed, without expecting anything in return. Many of these social behaviours seem to be simple. Yet, explaining the processes that lie behind these behaviours is a complex matter. This chapter will describe the basic ideas related to attitudes, social cognition and pro-social behaviour as explained by social psychologists.