Lecture 1 - Introduction to Social and Personality Psychology Flashcards
What are the core tenets of Social Psychology?
- People construct their own reality (within limits) - our identity, beliefs, attitudes, and values influence our perception of the world.
- Social influence is pervasive (and powerful) - other people (real and imagined; present or not) influence what we think, feel and do.
What is the difference between systems 1 and 2 processing?
System 1 processing is the automatic, effortless thinking we engage in most of the time.
System 2 processing is the more effortful logical or critical thinking we need to actively engage in.
What is meant by conservatism when it comes to core processing principles?
Conservatism refers to the axiom that already held beliefs, attitudes and feelings are slow to change.
What are the three core processing principles?
Conservatism - exisiting beliefs and opinions are slow to change
Accessibility - accessible information has the most impact on out thoughts, feelings and actions
Processing Depth - system 1 and system 2 thinking - where system 1 thinking is the automatic, less effortful thinking we generally engage in and system 2 thinking is the critical, logical, more effortful thinking we can engage in.
Why does Social Psychology turn to science as a way of understanding human thoughts, feelings and actions?
Other sources of understanding the human condition are often biased. The scientific process allows for a less biased approach to understanding.
What is the aim of social psychology?
To provide causal, mechanistic explanations of phenomenon of being a human.
Define construct validity, internal validity, and external validity.
Construct validity refers to whether the measure used is actually a good measure of the construct, i.e. are the dependent and independent variables good measures of the construct. An example would be, is a DASS21 a good measure of mental health.
Internal validity comes into play when there are multiple measures of the same construct and refers to ensuring the there is consistency between the measures to ensure that the construct of interest is actually what is being measured. An example of this would be testing whether the answers given to a set of questions pertaining to say neuroticism are similar in the degree of reflecting narcissism. If there is a big difference then the questions being asked and likely to a good measure of narcissism, or at least some of the questions aren’t.
External validity refers to whether experimental results can be generalised to other people, places, times and settings. This is done by appropriate sampling and research design.
What is the “They Saw A Game” case report?
It is an infamous Social Psychology anecdotal report of how Princenton and Dartmouth fans perceived a particularly physical and heated football match between the two colleges. It is a famous social psychology case, because it is a good example of the core tenets, core motivations and core processing principles considered to be the framework of social psychology.
What are the core tenets of Social Psychology?
- People construct their own reality - there is no objective “out there”.
- Social influence is pervasive (and powerful) - other people (real or not, present or not) influence what we feel, think and do.
According to Social Psychology what are the Core Motivations that drive what we feel, think and do?
- Striving for Mastery
- Seeking Connection
- Valuing “Me and Mine”.
According to Social Psychology, what are the Core Processing Principles?
- Conservatism
- Accessibility
- Depth of Processing - system 1 or system
What are some core features of a good scientific experiment?
- Construct Validity
- Internal Validity
- External Validity
What is Construct Validity a measure of?
Construct Validity is a measure of whether the independent and dependent variables of an experiment correspond to the theoretical concept of interest.
What are considered the three core motivations that drive and guide our lives?
- Striving for mastery.
- Seeking connectedness.
- Valuing “me and mine”.
Why is the “They Saw a Game” case report such a famous social psychology case?
In the infamous report of two sets of fans watching a Princeton vs Dartmouth we see the fans of each team perceive the game in a favourable view of their team. Although an anecdotal case report, it has become quite a famous social psychology case because it embodies the core tenets of social psychology, is driven by the three core motivations and appears to embody the three core processing principles as well.
