Chapter 2 Flashcards
Scientists’ shared assumptions about the phenomena they study; also, a set of research procedures.
paradigm
The focus of study when examining a multilevel process or phenomenon, such as the individual-level or the group-level of analysis
level of analysis
Explaining social phenomena in terms of the group as a whole instead of basing the explanation on the individual-level processes within the group; ascribing psychological qualities, such as will, intentionality, and mind, to a group rather than to the individuals within the group.
group fallacy
A hypothetical unifying mental force linking group members together; the fusion of individual consciousness or mind into a transcendent consciousness.
group mind (or collective consciousness)
The view that recognizes that a complete explanation of group processes and phenomena requires multiple levels of analysis, including individual (micro), group (meso), and organizational or societal(macro) level.
multilevel perspective
It states each person’s behavioral, cognitive, and emotional reactions (“behavior”), B, are a function of his or her personal qualities, P, the social environment, E, and the interaction of these personal qualities with factors present in the social environment (proposed in Lewin, 1951).
Law of interactionism
B = f(P,E)
A measurement method that involves watching and recording the activities of individuals and groups
observation
Openly watching and recording information with no attempt to conceal one’s research purposes.
overt observation
Watching and recording information on the activities of individuals and groups without
their knowledge.
covert observation
Watching and recording group activities as a member of the group or participant in the social process
participant observation
Two or more individuals who interact with each other solely or primarily through computer-based information technologies (e.g., email, instant messaging, and social networking sites) rather than through face-to-face interactions.
online group or e-group
A change in behavior that occurs when individuals know they are being observed or studied.
Hawthorne effect
A research procedure that collects and analyzes nonnumeric, unquantified types of data, such as verbal descriptions, text, images, or objects.
qualitative study
Research procedures that create a systematic record of group interaction and activities by classifying (coding) each overt expression or action into a defined category.
structured observational methods
A research procedure that collects and analyzes numeric data, such as frequencies, proportions, or amounts.
quantitative study
A structured coding system used to measure group activity by classifying each observed behavior into one of 12 categories, such as “shows solidarity” or “asks for orientation”
Interaction Process Analysis (IPA)
A theoretical and structured coding system
for recording the activities of a group and the overall behavioral orientation of members (developed by Robert F. Bales).
Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG)
The degree to which a measurement technique consistently yields the same conclusion at different times.
reliability
the extent to which the technique measures what it is supposed to measure.
validity
The degree to which two or more raters agree.
interrater reliability
Assessment methods, such as questionnaires, tests, or interviews, that ask respondents to describe their feelings, attitudes, or beliefs.
self-report measures
A method for measuring the relationships among members of a group and summarizing those relationships graphically
Sociometry
Sociometry is developed by _________________
Jacob Moreno
A graphic representation of the patterns of intermember relations created through sociometry. In most cases, each member of the group is depicted by a symbol, such as a lettered circle or square, and relations among members (e.g., communication links and friendship pairings) are indicated by lines from one member to another.
sociogram
