Fundamentals of social psychology

Question 1

define social psychology

Answer 1

Scientific study of the causes and consequences of people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, regarding themselves and others

Question 2

what is the “knew it all along” phenomenon

Answer 2

People question how social psychology is different from common sense or traditional folk wisdom

Question 3

what did Darwin believe about behaviour

Answer 3

Proposed instinct drive social behaviour
Humans driven by innate tendencies

Question 4

what do psychoanalytic views believe about social behaviour

Answer 4

Human behaviour was directed by aggression and sexual drives drives are kept unconscious by repression, until transformed into socially acceptable behaviours

Question 5

Behaviourist views about social psychology

Answer 5

determined by experiences to environmental demands
Associative learning
Operant conditioning

Question 6

Cognitive views about social behaviour

Answer 6

Understanding of processes in the mind
Development of social cognition
How people perceive, remember, and interpret events and individuals, including themselves, in their social world

Question 7

what is the dominant perspective in social psychology today

Answer 7

Cognitive

Question 8

what are cognitive misers

Answer 8

Humans avoid expending effort and cognitive resources when thinking and making decisions
Rely on quick and easy answers to questions and solutions to difficult situations

Question 9

what do cognitive misers result in

Answer 9

Heuristics
Stereotypes

Question 10

what is introspection in reference to social psychology

Answer 10

• Asking ourselves or others about the causes of behaviour
  However explanations for our own behaviour can be misleading

Question 11

what is an issue with using observation

Answer 11

Our observations come from our unique and limited perspective
We may be biased in our interpretation of a situation

Question 12

what is confirmation bias

Answer 12

Our reasoning may confirm what we set out to assess

Question 13

define theory

Answer 13

an explanation for how and why variables are related to each other

Question 14

define research

Answer 14

A process whereby scientists observe events, look for patterns, and evaluate theories proposed to explain those patterns

Question 15

define hypothesis

Answer 15

An “if-then” statement that follows logically from a theory and specifies how certain variables should be related to each other if the theory is correct

Question 16

what is stereotype threat theory

Answer 16

Conditions that bring a stereotype to mind contribute to poor performance among members of various stigmatized groups

Question 17

what is the correlational method

Answer 17

Two or more variables are measured and compared to determine to what extent they are associated

Question 18

what is a correlation coefficient

Answer 18

A positive or negative numerical value that shows direction and strength of a relation between 2 variables

Question 19

why is combining theories important

Answer 19

• Observed behaviour is more complex than a single theory can account for
  e.g. university women more likely to drink in excess than university women

Question 20

how do we control the impact of individuality

Answer 20

random assignment

Question 21

what is ecological validity

Answer 21

Modelling social behaviour in a controlled lab environment means not always accurate representation of normal contexts

Question 22

what is a confederate

Answer 22

actor playing a role in a study

Question 23

issue of using confederates

Answer 23

not always convincing - results in demand characteristics

Question 24

when are confederates seemed to be more reliable

Answer 24

when online rather in person

Question 25

is it better to use experiments or correlations

Answer 25

The correlational method and the experimental method provide complementary information - best used together

Question 26

what is a quasi experimental design

Answer 26

groups of participants are compared on some dependent variable, but—for practical or ethical reasons—the groups are not formed on the basis of random assignment e.g. race or gender

Question 27

what poses issues for generalising findings

Answer 27

External validity
WEIRD participants
Random sampling

Question 28

issues with replicating findings

Answer 28

Direct replication
Power analysis
Moderator variables

Question 29

examples of when sensitive information may be measured

Answer 29

Stereotypes and prejudices
Experiences of discrimination
Sexual identity

Question 30

controls for measuring sensitive information

Answer 30

ensure responses, reiterate to participants about resources available
Avoid additional sensitive info if possible
ensure anonymity