History of Social Psychology

Question 1

Definition of Social Psychology

What is the definition of Social Psychology?

Answer 1

Social psychology is the scientific study of how social and cognitive processes affect the way individuals perceive, influence, and relate to others. It explores thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influenced by people around us, group dynamics, parental upbringing, and cultural factors.

Question 2

Definition of Social Psychology

How is Social Psychology different from sociology and other social sciences?

Answer 2

Whilst sociology and other social sciences focus on groups, social psychology emphasises the behaviour of individuals in various social contexts, including close relationships, persuasion, conflict, and aggression

Question 3

The Replication Crisis

What is the Replication Crisis?

Definition

Answer 3

The replication crisis refers to the significant challenge in scientific research, particularly in fields such as psychology, drug studies, clinical research, genetics, and economics, where a substantial number of studies fail to be replicated by independent researchers.

Question 4

The replication Crisis

How many published studies in psychology can be replicated?

Answer 4

• 39% of studies in psychology
• Only 54% of studies from the top journals

Question 5

The Replication Crisis

What are the underlying causes of the replication crisis?

Answer 5

1. Under-Powered Designs
2. Stopping collecting data whenever the hypothesis is met
3. Dropping (and not reporting) conditions
4. Dropping (and not reporting) Dependednt variables
5. Dropping participants
6. Use of exploratory moderators
7. Use of exploratory covariates

Question 6

The replication Crisis

Define Under-Powered Designs

Answer 6

Historically, studies often used a standard of 20 participants per cell, leading to underpowered designs.

Question 7

The Replication Crisis

Explain what is meant by Stopping Collection Whenever Hypotheses Were Met

Answer 7

Researchers would halt data collection as soon as their hypotheses were confirmed, introducing bias.

Question 8

The Replication Crisis

Explain Dropping (and Not Reporting) Conditions

Answer 8

Researchers sometimes exclude or fail to report conditions that did not yield expected results, skewing the overall findings.

Question 9

The Replication Crisis

Explain Dropping (and Not Reporting) Dependent Variables

Answer 9

Dependent variables inconsistent with predictions are often dropped and not reported, impacting the reliability of the research.

Question 10

The Replication Crisis

Explain the effect of dropping participants

Answer 10

Researchers may remove outliers or participants not aligning with hypotheses, compromising the integrity of the study.

Question 11

The replication Crisis

Explain the effect of using exploratory moderators

Answer 11

They advanced understanding but not always predicted; sometimes these moderators may not make logical sense.

Question 12

The replication Crisis

Explain the effect of the use of exploratory covariates

Answer 12

The introduction of exploratory covariates can artificially generate significant p-values in analyses, leading to misleading conclusions

Question 13

The Replication Crisis

How are psychologists trying to rectify this?

Answer 13

There is an increasing awareness within the scientific community to address and rectify the replication crisis through transparent reporting, preregistration, and collaboration.

Question 14

Publication Bias

Define publication bias

Answer 14

Studies with positive results are more likely to be published than studies with null results

Question 15

Publication Bias

What are some causes of the publication bias? Explain

Answer 15

1. Selective Publication - Positive findings more likely to be published
2. Editorial Bias - Journals favoring novel or impactful studies.
3. Author Bias - Researchers may be inclined to report positive results
4. File drawer problem - Non-significant studies may not be submitted or published

Question 16

Publication Bias

What are the consequences of publication bias? Explain.

Answer 16

1. Inflation of Effect Size: Overrepresentation of significant findings may distort true effect sizes.
2. Replication Crisis: Difficulty replicating results due to biased published literature.
3. Meta-analysis Impact: Affects the validity of meta-analyses relying on biased data.

Question 17

Publication Bias

What are the solutions to publication bias? Explain

Answer 17

1. Transparency: Encourage transparent reporting of study methods and results.
2. Pre-registration: Registering study plans in advance to avoid selective reporting.
3. Open Access: Making research data and findings openly accessible to address bias.