Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychoanalytic Theory
Sexual and aggressive behaviours are repressed in unconscious until they are transformed and expressed in socially acceptable ways.
Behaviourism
Only observable behaviour can be directly observed and measured.
Correlational method
Research in which two or more variables are measured and analyzed to determine to what extent, if any, they are associated.
Correlation coefficient
A positive or negative numerical value that shows the direction and the strength of a relationship between two variables.
Reverse Causality problem
Possibility that a correlation between variables x and y occur because one causes the other, but it’s impossible to determine if x causes y or y causes x.
Third Variable Problem
Possibility that two variables may be correlated but do not exert a causal influence on one another, rather they are caused by some additional variable.
Longitudinal Study
Studies in which variables are measured in the same individuals over two or more periods of time, typically months or years.
Experimental Method
a study in which a researcher manipulates a variable, referred to as the independent variable, measures possible effects on another variable, referred to as the dependent variable, and tries to hold all other variables constant.
Internal Validity
judgement that for a particular experiment, it is possible to conclude that the manipulated independent variable caused the change in the measured dependent variable.
Interaction
a pattern of results in which the effect of one independent variable on the dependent variable depends on the level of a second independent variable.
Random Assignment
participants are assigned to conditions in such a way that each person has an equal change of being in any condition of an experiment.
Field research
research that occurs outside the lab, such as in schools, office buildings, medical clinics etc.
Quasi-experimental designs
type of research in which groups of participants are compared on some dependent variable, but for practical/ethical reasons they are not formed on random assignment (ie: alcoholics-unethical to assign a group to drink daily)
Operational definition
specific concrete method of measuring or manipulating a conceptual variable
Construct validity
degree in which the dependent measure assesses what it intends to assess or the manipulation manipulates what it intends to manipulate.
Confound
a variable other than the conceptual variable intended to be manipulated that may be responsible for the effect on the dependent variable, making alternative explanations possible.
Conceptual replication
repetition of a study with different operationalizations of the crucial variables but yielding similar results.
moderator variables
variables that explain when, where, or for whom an effect is most likely to occur.
meta-analysis
a process of analyzing data across many related studies to determine the strength and reliability of a finding.
Cover story
an explanation of the purpose of a study that is different than the true purpose
Demand Characteristics
aspects of a study that give away its purpose or communicate how the participants is expected to behave.
experimental bias
possibility that the experimenter’s knowledge of the condition a particular participant is in could affect her behaviour toward the participant and thereby introduce a confounding variable to the independent variable manipulation.
debriefing
at the end of the study, procedure in which participants are assessed for suspicion and then receive a gentle explanation of the true nature of the study in a manner that counteracts any negative effects of the study experience.
Main perspectives in Social Psychology
Neuroscience Evolutionary Existential Cultural Cognitive
Stereotype Threat theory
Members of socially devalued groups often perform poor than members of majority/advantaged groups.
Stigma consciousness
Tendency to be highly conscious of one’s stereotyped status and believe these stereotypes have a strong effect on how one is viewed by others.
Parsimonious
Explains a wide range of observations w relatively small number of basic principles.
Gordon Allport (1954) Contact hypothesis
Specific forms of contact between groups can break down stereotypes and negative feelings.
Power analysis
Statistical technique to determine size of sample needed to make study’s results replicable.
