Methodology In Social Psychology Flashcards
What is hindsight bias?
The tendency for people to exaggerate, after the case, how much they could have predicted what happened
What type of study is the observational method?
Description, answering ‘What is the nature of the phenomenon’
What type of study is the correlation study?
Predictive; from knowing X can we predict Y?
What kind of study is an experimental study?
Causality; does X cause Y?
What are the limits of the observational method?
Doesn’t answer ‘why’
Can be different interpretations of behaviour
Some behaviours only occur in private
What is the correlation coefficient?
Statistical technique, assesses how well you can predict one variable from another
What are limits of correlation method?
Correlation does not equal causation
What is internal validity in experiments?
Ensuring the only thing that changes is the independent variable
What is external validity?
Extend to which experiment can be generalised to other people and situations
What things does an ethical experiment include
- informed consent
- Debriefing
- transparency if deception is used
- Confidentiality of participants is assured
