M2: Experiments in Social Psychology Flashcards
_________ is one of the largest subdisciplines within scientific psychology.
Social psychology
Social psychologists employ experimental methods in attempting to understand many issues that are of interest to most individuals, such as _______, _______, and _______ and ________.
- aggression
- attraction
- altruism and helping
However, because most people are interested in social psychology and have probably given some thought to the topics it includes, they sometimes tend to regard its phenomena and theories as mere _________.
common sense
Worse yet, some people even believe this area is one that should not be approached in a scientific way with the logic of ___________.
experimental method
TRUE or FALSE
Social psychological research is in many ways more difficult to perform than other types of research because the situations examined are often quite complex, with many variables affecting behavior.
TRUE
Introducing __________ into the situation so that sound inferences can be made about the effects of different experimental treatments on the dependent variable often requires great effort.
experimental control
_________ combats the problem of experimental error, or any variation in the dependent variable that is not caused by the independent variable.
Experimental control
TRUE or FALSE
Such extraneous factors should be controlled as much as possible by equating them across conditions. If control is not possible, then these factors should be randomly distributed over conditions.
TRUE
The ________ of both the experimenter and the participants can create problems in social psychological (and other) research.
expectations
TRUE or FALSE
The experimenter may subtly bias results in several ways—for example, by treating people slightly differently in the different conditions.
TRUE
A solution to bias results is for the experimenter to be ______ with respect to the condition at the time of testing—but this is not often feasible, since the experimenter must provide the experimental manipulation in some way.
blind
____________ are likely to be discovered in the normal course of scientific research.
Experimenter-bias effects
TRUE or FALSE
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment
Would you risk seriously harming a man in an experiment if someone told you to? Milgram’s findings suggest that you would.
TRUE - From THE OBEDIENCE distributed by The Pennsylvania State University Media Sales.
The learner (or victim) in _________ original study on obedience to authority.
Milgram’s
TRUE or FALSE
Why was the Milgram experiment so controversial?
The Milgram experiment was controversial because it revealed people’s willingness to obey authority figures even when causing harm to others, raising ethical concerns about the psychological distress inflicted upon participants and the deception involved in the study.
TRUE
TRUE or FALSE
Would Milgram’s experiment be allowed today?
Milgram’s experiment would likely be allowed today in its original form.
FALSE - As it violates modern ethical guidelines for research involving human participants, particularly regarding informed consent, deception, and protection from psychological harm.
TRUE or FALSE
Did anyone refuse the Milgram experiment?
Yes, in the Milgram experiment, some participants refused to continue administering shocks, demonstrating individual variation in obedience to authority figures.
TRUE - In the original Milgram experiment, approximately…
- 35% of participants refused to administer the highest shock level of 450 volts, while
- 65% obeyed and delivered the 450-volt shock.
TRUE or FALSE
Were all participants in Milgram’s experiments male?
No, in the original Milgram experiment conducted in 1961.
FALSE - All participants were male, limiting the generalizability of the findings to women and diverse populations.
TRUE or FALSE
Why was the Milgram experiment unethical?
The Milgram experiment was considered unethical because participants were deceived about the true nature of the study and subjected to severe emotional distress. They believed they were causing harm to another person under the instruction of authority.
TRUE - Additionally, participants were not given the right to withdraw freely and were subjected to intense pressure to continue. The psychological harm and lack of informed consent violates modern ethical guidelines for research.
TRUE or FALSE
How can Milgram’s study be applied to real life?
Milgram’s study can be applied to real life by demonstrating the potential for ordinary individuals to obey authority figures even when it involves:
1. causing harm
2. emphasizing the importance of questioning authority
3. ethical decision-making
4. fostering critical thinking in societal contexts
TRUE
Social psychologists ________ and ________ popularized the concept of the bystander effect following the infamous murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City in 1964.
Bibb Latané and John Darley
The 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death outside her apartment; at the time, it was reported that dozens of neighbors failed to step in to assist or call the police.
The infamous murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City (1964)
Latané and Darley attributed the bystander effect to two factors:
- diffusion of responsibility
- social influence
The perceived __________ means that the more onlookers there are, the less personal responsibility individuals will feel to take action.
diffusion of responsibility
____________ means that individuals monitor the behavior of those around them to determine how to act.
Social influence
___________ (Festinger, 1957) proposes that individuals experience psychological discomfort when they are confronted with inconsistent cognitions.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
This psychological discomfort is more generally considered to be a state of aversive arousal that can be referred as a ____________.
cognitive dissonance state (CDS)
Just as hunger is an aversive state driving animals to find food in order to reduce their discomfort, the ________ is considered to be an aversive state that drives humans to resolve inconsistency in order to reduce the state.
cognitive dissonance state (CDS)
