Social Psychology

Social psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with how people are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others. It investigates the ways in which social contexts shape individual thought, feeling, and behaviour, examining phenomena including conformity and obedience, attitudes and attitude change, prejudice and intergroup relations, group dynamics, social identity, prosocial and antisocial behaviour, and the cognitive processes that underlie social judgement. Social psychology occupies a distinctive position in the behavioural sciences, drawing on both the experimental rigour of psychological research and the broader contextual concerns of sociology, and it has produced some of the most famous and consequential studies in the history of science.

At the University of East Anglia, you will study social psychology over three years of full-time study, developing both a thorough knowledge of the field's findings and theories and the research skills needed to investigate social psychological questions empirically. The curriculum covers the major content areas of social psychology, including social cognition, attitudes and persuasion, the self and identity, group processes and intergroup relations, aggression and prosocial behaviour, and applied social psychology in areas such as health, organisational, and forensic contexts. Research methods are central to the programme, with particular emphasis on experimental design, quantitative analysis, and the ethical principles that govern research with human participants.

UEA has a strong tradition in social and psychological research, and the academic environment reflects genuine engagement with the field's ongoing debates.

Graduates from social psychology programmes enter careers in which understanding human social behaviour is directly relevant. Market research, user experience research, advertising, and communications roles draw on the knowledge of how people form attitudes, make decisions, and respond to influence. Human resources, organisational development, and management roles value social psychological understanding of group dynamics and motivation.

Health promotion, public health campaigns, and behaviour change programmes draw on social psychological theories of attitude and behaviour change. Postgraduate training in clinical, educational, occupational, or forensic psychology is available for those who want to pursue an applied professional career, and doctoral research in social psychology is the path for those who want to work at the scientific frontier of the field.