Intro and methods Flashcards
Define social psychology Outline experimental and non-experimental methods used to investigate social psychology phenomena and evaluate interventions
Define social psychology
The scientific investigation of how the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others
Strengths of a Lab assessment x3
- ) establish cause and effect
- )control over extraneous variables
- ) objectively assess behaviour
Weaknesses of a lab assessment x3
- ) low external validity
- ) demand characteristics
- ) difficult to assess long term behaviour
Strengths of a field experiment x1
1.) high external validity
weaknesses of a field experiment x2
- ) less control over extraneous variables
2. ) difficulty obtaining accurate measures
Whats the goal of experimental methods
Manipulate an independent variable and observe the effect on a dependant variable
Whats the goal of non experimental methods
Find a correlation between variables without manipulating IV
Whats the goal of explicit assessment
To find out how people feel / think / behave by asking them
Whats confirmational bias
The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values
Whats a confounding variable
When two or more variables have been changed and we don’t know which variable caused the effect
What are explicit methods
When the participant is aware and therefore have conscious control of their answers
What are implicit methods
When the participant is unaware and therefore provide automatic responses outside conscious control
What is the implicit association test
Participants categorise two types of stimuli using buttons. Categories will be congruent or incongruent. The speed to categorise will increase id category is congruent with attitude or preference
What is the priming method
The presentation of a stimulus that unconsciously increases accessibility of related schemas and influences cognitive processes and behaviour
What is the lexical decision task
Participants judge whether letters form a word or not. Target words are presented that reflect the cognitions of interest. Reaction times are used to infer accessibility of that cognition
