How does this compare with social reinforcement model. Stimuli, in the environment, 'draw' on this slate as associations are made between stimuli and responses. Gestalt psychology is very different and sees the 'whole as greater than the sum of the parts', examining building blocks alone is insufficient, and knowledge of building blocks alone would not help us to build the 'cathedral' that is the person. Key Gestalt psychologists include Kohler, Koffka and Wertheiner. Gestalt psychology has been criticised by the behaviourists as 'insight' is unobservable, that making assumptions about mental states is highly speculative and unscientific.
Social psychology is the study of human behaviour in a social context.
Using this definition it is different from biological psychology which assesses the influence of our animal history, our genetic make up and our psychological state, on behaviour. Social psychology is not however about individuals, it assumes instead that we are all members of cultures, and social groups and that who we are is determined by these social allegiances and identities. A typical social psychology text would have chapters on Socialisation, Social Perception, Attitudes and Beliefs, Group behaviour, Social Skills, Prejudice, and perhaps some 'applied chapters on Crowd behaviour etc. In the 'autokinetic' effect study it has been demonstrated that people in social groups soon reach concensus about how a stationary light in a darkened room appears to move. In the Sherif study confederates of the experimenter give the 'wrong' answer when matching lines for length, it has been shown that most people, at least some of the time, agree with the 'wrong' answer provided by the majority of confederates.