Chair of Social Psychology

Social psychology deals with the cognition, affect, and behavior of individuals in a social context. It focuses on examining the psychological processes underlying important everyday phenomena. How do people form their attitudes? What information and motivations do they rely on when making judgments and decisions? Classic topics in social psychology include social perception (e.g., social stereotypes), social behavior (e.g., helping behavior, aggression), interpersonal attraction, social influence (e.g., conformity, attitude change), and group processes (e.g., cooperation and competition).

Social psychology is a fundamental research field that provides important implications for practical applications, such as advertising and consumer behavior, education, work and organizations, environment, illness, and health. Therefore, social psychological research aims to contribute directly to understanding and, thus, solving societal problems.