methods Flashcards
what is experimental control?
the degree to which a researcher can determine the environment in which a research question is explored (eg. high in lab studies)
what is psychological realism?
the degree to which a study simulates phenomena as experienced in everyday life
what is internal validity?
the degree to which a study can rule out alternative hypotheses
what is external validity?
the degree to which the results of a study generalize to other contexts, samples, and time periods
what are the potential weaknesses associated with measures of explicit attitudes (i.e., self-report)?
- social desirability concerns/response bias
- person is lying to themselves due to unconscious associations
what are the strengths associated with measures of explicit attitudes (i.e., self-report)?
what people say is generally predictive of their behaviour
what are the two dominant ways of measuring implicit attitudes?
- evaluative priming (EP) procedure
- physiological measures
what is the evaluative priming procedure?
uses reaction times of identifying positive vs negative words to infer implicit racial attitudes
what are the weaknesses associated with evaluative priming procedure as a measure of implicit attitudes?
- sensitive to priming effects and context
- consequential validity issue: how does speed of pressing buttons translate to real-world behaviour?
describe the physiological method of measuring implicit attitudes
- uses heart rate to infer implicit attitudes when interacting with others
- determines “threat response” activation when in the presence of people of a different race
what are the weaknesses associated with the physiological method of measuring implicit attitudes?
unclear as to what an elevated heart rate could mean: excited? fearful? interested? etc.
what are the four categories of behavioural measures of intergroup attitudes?
- hypothetical behavioural measures
- intensive behavioural measures
- real behavioural measures
- subtle behavioural measures
what type of behavioural measure is used in the following experiment?
in a lab study, participants are told to imagine that the student govt had to make severe budget cuts, and that they wanted others’ opinions on what cuts to make. participants are then shown a list of several organizations, including the Black student union. their racial attitudes are judged based on how much they cut funds to the Black student union.
hypothetical behavioural measure
what are the potential weaknesses associated with hypothetical behavioural measures of intergroup attitudes?
- doesn’t account for personal preference
- entirely hypothetical and therefore difficult to translate to the real world
what type of behavioural measure is used in the following experiment?
in a multi-hour long study, participants are assigned to a group, complete missions together, and develop an entire culture by selecting a flag and identifying group snacks. These groups are then used to determine how higher/lower status impact group identity and behaviour
intensive behavioural measure
what are the potential weaknesses associated with intensive behavioural measures of intergroup attitudes?
people may not be as invested in their assigned groups in real life as they are in other aspects of identities (eg. gender, religion, etc.)
what type of behavioural measure is used in the following experiment:
disconnect between predicted and actual behaviour is studied by splitting white participants into one of two conditions:
1. participants were asked to imagine a white person use a racial slur toward a Black person; then were asked which of the two they would choose to work with in a follow up task
2. participants witnessed a white person use a racial slur toward a Black person; then were asked which of the two they would choose to work with in a follow up task
real behavioural measure
what are the weaknesses associated with real behavioural measures of intergroup attitudes?
- fairly hypothetical: still in the world of pressing buttons on a keyboard, or alternatively in a lab context
what type of behavioural measure is used in the following experiment?
participants enter the psych building and find a note asking them to take a seat in the waiting area. the other “participants” of different races were placed strategically around the room to see where the participant will sit in relation to these people
subtle behavioural measure
what are the weaknesses associated with subtle behavioural measures?
difficult to balance subtlety and deception
what are the potential weaknesses associated with measuring intergroup attitudes using archival analyses?
individual-level vs organizational-level causality is difficult to determine, since the “participants” are not randomly assigned
what are the benefits associated with audit studies as a way of measuring intergroup attitudes?
combines experimental control and internal validity of lab studies with measures of real-world behaviour
what are the potential weaknesses associated with audit studies as a way of measuring intergroup attitudes?
- non-lab study makes it difficult to control/isolate the variable
- expensive to run, resource intensive
what is social faciliation?
when performance on a simple or well-rehearsed task is enhanced when in the presence of others
