Chapter 1: Science of the Social side of life

Question 1

What is social psychology

Answer 1

The scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior, feelings, and thoughts in social situations. The investigation of the ways in which our thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by the social environments in which we find ourselves, by other people or our thoughts about them.

Question 2

What does “science” refer to?

Answer 2

• A set of values

- methods that can be used to study a wide range of topics

Question 3

4 Core values of scientific fields

Answer 3

Accuracy
Objectivity
Skepticism
Open-mindedness

Question 4

Epigenetic processes

Answer 4

Where the operation certain genes is turned on or off

Question 5

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 5

Branch of psychology that suggests that our species, like all others, has been subject to the process of biological evolution throughout its history and that as a restful, we now possess a large number of evolved psychological mechanisms that help us to deal with important problems relating to survival

Question 6

Cognitive processes

Answer 6

The involvement of social cognition - thinking about other people and interactions with them - and how it plays a large role in social behavior.

Question 7

Environmental variables

Answer 7

the impact of the physical world on our social behavior. Aspects of the physical environment - weather, hunger, visual stimuli, etc. - that influence our feelings, thoughts, and behavior.

Question 8

Biological factors

Answer 8

The idea that our preferences, emotions, and behaviors may be linked to our biological inheritance. Biology and social experiences are bidirectional.

Question 9

Social neuroscience

Answer 9

efforts to relate activity in the brain to key aspects of social thought and behavior

Question 10

Multicultural perspective

Answer 10

Recognizing the importance of cultural factors in shaping who we are and social behavior

Question 11

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 11

Behavior is carefully observed and recorded in settings where the behavior naturally occurs

Question 12

Survey methods

Answer 12

Often involve large numbers of persons who are asked to respond to questions about their attitudes or behavior

Question 13

Correlational method

Answer 13

Two or more variables are measured to determine how they might be related to one another. However correlation does not equal causation.

Question 14

Experimentation

Answer 14

Involves systematically altering one or more variables (independent variables) in order to determine whether changes in this variable affect some aspect of behavior (dependent variable)

Question 15

Independent variable

Answer 15

The variable in experimentation that researchers are seeking to alter, to determine any affect on the dependent variable

Question 16

Dependent variable

Answer 16

Variable that is affected (or not affected) the alterations to the independent variable

Question 17

Experimental method

Answer 17

Requires random assignment of participants to conditions and holding all other factors that might also influence behavior constant so as to avoid confounding variables.

Question 18

Confounding variables

Answer 18

variables outside of the independent and dependent variables that may affect the outcomes of an experiment. Researcher bias, participant expectations, and more are examples of this.

Question 19

Mediating variables

Answer 19

variables that intervene between an independent variable and changes in social behavior

Question 20

Meta-Analysis

Answer 20

Statistical technique that permits an assessment of how well findings replicate - whether the same pattern of results is obtained despite variation in how particular studies were conducted

Question 21

Moderators

Answer 21

factors that can alter the effect of an independent variable on the dependent variable. Also affect the strength of a relationship between two variables.

Question 22

Deception

Answer 22

An effort used by researchers to withhold or conceal information about the processes of a study from the participants, in order to prevent their knowledge of the true purposes of the study from affecting their behavior in the study. Valid only if researchers agree that it is necessary in order to obtain valid research results. Can use passive deception, or misleading deception

Question 23

Informed consent

Answer 23

Giving participants as much information as possible about the procedures to be followed before they make their decision to participate

Question 24

Debriefing

Answer 24

providing participants with a full description of the purposes of the study after they have participated in it, including an explanation of any deception used and why it was necessary to employ.