ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the underpinning disciplines of sociology and psychology, and how understanding these might help in developing a research project. Sociology is the science of understanding society, concerned with the relationships between people, social structures and institutions and wider culture. Psychology is the underpinning of many key concepts in medical education and medical education research – for example, problem-based learning. To illustrate sociology and psychology, case studies from two different perspectives are discussed. Interest in how social factors shape learning in medical education is reflected in the work. When setting out to examine a specific learning experience in medical education, sociologists might ask what social factors, construed in ways outlined in the chapter, might be influential or impactful. Learning styles are defined as the way in which people like to learn, and what is most effective for them. Reading in different fields helps to develop sociological and psychological imagination, and maybe see medical education in a different way.
