Grade levels: Adult

Most of us have cell phones. But little is yet known about the psychological effects of the cell phone. Is it changing the way we relate to each other and if so, is it for better or worse? How can psychologists research these questions? This program examines researching young people’s use of cell phones with three different non-experimental methods. We see the research taking place which is inter-cut with the researchers explaining their methods and findings, young people’s views on cell phones and expert analysis. The program is divided into three linked but self-standing sections: Questionnaire Surveys, Interviews, and Naturalistic Observation.

We begin by looking at what psychology is, how it differs from common sense and the questions it asks about human behavior. We then explore some of the areas where psychologists have looked for answers to these questions – in the human brain, the unconscious and the environment. The program is divided into three self-standing sections: The Biological Perspective, The Psychodynamic Approach, and the Behaviorist Approach.

The BBC Prison Study explores the social and psychological consequences of putting people in groups of unequal power. It examines when people accept inequality and when they challenge it. These findings have changed our basic understanding of how groups and power work. In this program, Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher tell the story of the largest field study in social psychology for over 30 years, using original illustrative film from the BBC series. As well as documenting their study, Haslam and Reicher look at social identity and its implications, the ethics of the study, their sources of data, and comparisons with the Stanford Prison Study.