Which of the following topics is of primary interest to psychologists in the discipline of social psychology?

• A. The biological mechanisms underlying neural transmission in the brain
• B. The treatment of psychological disorders using medication
• C. The processes involved in language acquisition during early childhood
• D. How individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the scope of social psychology by recognizing that it focuses on how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the presence of others, whether real, imagined, or implied.
2. Step 2: Differentiate social psychology from other psychology subfields by noting that biological mechanisms of neural transmission relate to biological psychology or neuroscience.
3. Step 3: Recognize that the treatment of psychological disorders using medication falls under clinical psychology or psychopharmacology, not social psychology.
4. Step 4: Identify that language acquisition during early childhood is primarily studied in developmental psychology or cognitive psychology, rather than social psychology.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the primary interest of social psychology is understanding how social contexts and interactions shape individual mental processes and behaviors.