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Although the basic groundwork for social psychological science was laid out by these earlier thinkers, social psychology matured throughout the remainder of the 20th century. During those years—and continuing into the 21st century—social psychologists have expanded our theory and research to incorporate additional influences on social behavior. When you think about why people do what they do, what kinds of explanations come to mind? Consider the reasons we are romantically attracted to particular others of the same or opposite sex. Is romantic attraction based in our genes? Personality? Family background? Cultural and media influences? If you were asked to choose one of these explanations, which would it be?

I suspect that you found it hard to select just one. Social psychologists are with you, and one of social psychology’s most appealing and important features is that it considers multiple explanations for any given behavior. Social phenomena are not so simple that they can be fully explained by any single factor, and consequently, social psychology has incorporated a number of approaches to understanding them.

In fact, several of the most important developments in social psychology since the middle of last century reflect these different approaches to explaining social behavior. These different perspectives or levels of analysis complement each other, allowing us to develop a more holistic understanding of social phenomena (Bruner, 1990; De Houwer & Moors, 2015). These three levels of explanation vary in scope and method and are the (see Figure 1.3)

 evolutionary level, which emphasizes the genetic history of the human race;

 contextual level, which looks at group pressures, societal influences, and cultural background;

 individual level, which asks about a person’s own learning history, experiences, and cognitive processes.