Chapter 2 - Methodology in Social Psychology Flashcards
Hindsight Bias
the tendency for people to exaggerate, after knowing that something occurred, how much they could have predicted it before it occurred
Theory Refinement
a theory is developed -> a hypothesis is derived from the theory -> the hypothesis is tested -> based on the results, the hypothesis is revised, and new hypotheses are formed then tested
Diffusion of responsibility
people are less likely to help or take responsibility when there are many other people present
Research designs
- observational method
- correlational method
- experimental method
Observational method
researcher observes people and systematicaly records measurements or impressions of their behavior
Limitations of observational method
- only describes the behavior and doesn’t say much about why a certain kind of behavior occurs
- does not allow for prediction of behavior
Ethnography
an observational method in which a researcher tries to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside and avoiding imposing one’s own preconceived notions (Festinger et al, Cult Study)
Archival analysis
a type of observational method in which the researcher examines the accumulated documents or archives of a group or culture
Correlational method
2 or more variables are systematically measured and the relationship between them is assessed
Limitations of the correlational method
does not tell us what causes the relationship between the variables (correlation does not mean causation)
Surveys
often uses the correlational method, and allow researchers to judge the relationship between variables that are difficult to observe
Experimental method
the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent variable (only way to determine causal relationships)
Internal validity
refers to making sure that nothing but the independent variable can affect the dependent variable
External validity
the extent to which results from the experiment can be generalized to other conditions
Generalizability across situations
the extent to which we can generalize from situation constructed by an experiment to real-life situations
Generalizability across people
the extent to which we can generalize from the participants in the experiment to other people in general
How is probability level measured
p-value
Psychological realism
the extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to the psychological proceses that occur in everyday life
What is the basic dilemma of the social psychologist
it is very difficult to do one experiment that is high in internal validity and generalizable to other situations and people
Meta-analysis
a method that averages the results of two or more studies to see if the effect of the indpendent variable is reliable
Basic research
studies that are designed to find the best answer to the question of why people behave as they do
Applied research
studies that aim to solve particular problems
Cross-cultural research
conducted in order to see whether psychological processes are present in both cultures and whether they are specific to the culture in which people were raised
Social neuropsychology
studies the brain in relation to social behavior
Electroencephalography (EEG)
measures electrical activity in the brain
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
measures changes in blood flow in the brain
Ethical issues
- consent
- deception
- debriefing
Institutional review board
reviews research for ethics before the study is conducted
