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Related Concept Videos

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes01:15

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

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Cognitive processes affect social behavior by guiding how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to social stimuli. These mental processes enable individuals to assess others' behaviors, attribute causes to their actions, and form expectations based on past experiences.Causes of Behavior and Social JudgmentsIndividuals determine the causes of others' behaviors by distinguishing between personal traits and external circumstances. For example, if a friend frequently arrives late, an...
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According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
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Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences01:28

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Social behavior is a complex phenomenon that arises from the interaction between biological predispositions and environmental influences. This intricate interplay shapes how individuals think, feel, and act in various social contexts. Understanding these mechanisms requires insights from psychology, neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary theory.Environmental Influences on Social BehaviorEnvironmental factors, including temperature, odors, and visual stimuli, play a crucial role in shaping...
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Impact of Social Context on Individuals01:21

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Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
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Common sense and sociological explanations.

Duncan J Watts

    AJS; American Journal of Sociology
    |March 27, 2015
    PubMed
    Summary

    Sociologists often rely on common sense, hindering scientific explanations of social action. Achieving scientific validity requires predictions, potentially making sociological accounts less intuitively satisfying.

    Area of Science:

    • Sociology
    • Philosophy of Social Science

    Background:

    • Sociological explanations of social action traditionally contrast with common sense.
    • This article posits that sociologists' explanations are more reliant on common sense than acknowledged.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To critically examine the role of common sense in sociological explanations.
    • To argue that unacknowledged reliance on common sense compromises the scientific validity of sociological accounts of social action.

    Main Methods:

    • Conceptual analysis of sociological explanation and scientific validity standards.
    • Argumentation regarding the conflation of understandability and causality in social explanations.
    • Exploration of the implications of scientific rigor, particularly prediction, for sociological theory.

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    Main Results:

    • Sociological explanations frequently conflate understandability with causality, failing scientific standards.
    • Scientific validity necessitates predictive power, which current sociological explanations often lack.
    • Increased scientific rigor in sociology may lead to explanations that are less intuitively satisfying.

    Conclusions:

    • Sociologists must critically evaluate their explanations for scientific validity, focusing on predictive capacity.
    • A trade-off exists between scientifically valid, predictive explanations and intuitively satisfying, common-sense-based narratives in sociology.
    • Future sociological research faces a choice between rigorous but less intuitive scientific accounts and more accessible but unscientific ones.