Psychology/Sociology

Question 1

experimental design

Answer 1

technical term for a specific type of research

ex) to show that consuing a healthy diet helps cause or lead to heart health and longevity, an exp design is needed

Question 2

steps to a good experimental design

Answer 2

1) select a population
2) operationalize variables
3) divide into groups
4) random sampling
5) random assignment
6) measuremnt
7) test the hypothesis

Question 3

group polarization

Answer 3

people’s attitudes toward some attitude object become more extreme after interacting with like-minded individuals

• a group of risk averse individuals would become more risk averse after interacting with each other

Question 4

behaviorist theory

Answer 4

focuses on the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior

Question 5

valid measure

Answer 5

actually measures what it is intended to assess

Question 6

assimilation

Answer 6

related to the process of social integration and generally refers to when new members adopt the main elements of a culture

aspect of definition: cultural adaptation, adopting new norms, and relinquishing old norms - all possible consequences

Question 7

linguistic relativity

Answer 7

Sapir–Whorf hypothesis

the benefits of bilingualism are related to the idea that the structure of language affects the perceptions of its speakers

Question 8

social support

Answer 8

refers to social network ties (friends, family, and other relationships) that provide an individual with various types of assistance, which are associated with improving health or reducing harm

Question 9

capacity of working memory

Answer 9

between 5 and 9 items (early memory research with adults led to this)

so-called “magic number 7 ± 2” was the name George Miller (1956) gave to this estimate

Question 10

chunking

Answer 10

encoding process that requires effortful processing and therefore involves selective attention and conscious effort

group together (connected items or words) so that they can be stored or processed as single concepts

Question 11

content analysis

Answer 11

sociological method that is used to make inferences about communication

As applied to studying a website, content analysis could help determine which beliefs the organization publically emphasizes

Question 12

Reference group

Answer 12

Individuals often emulate the attitudes and behaviors of groups that they admire and would like to join

important for self-evaluation and identity formation

example of reference group: An immigrant teen stops participating in the ethnic customs of his family and instead identifies with the dominant culture of the new country by dressing, speaking, and acting like teens from that culture (teens of the new country’s dominant culture = reference group)

Question 13

procedural memory

Answer 13

memory for the performance of particular types of action

Question 14

role strain

Answer 14

occurs when there is tension in the expectations of a single social position; tension that results from competing demands within the context of a single role (example: tension from different responsibilities within the same occupational role)

vs role conflict: conflict among the expectations for multiple social positions (example: If the tension existed between different roles that a single individual held)

Question 15

in-group

Answer 15

Members of in-groups share common backgrounds and similar identities, which generally result in high levels of trust among in-group members. Racial/ethnic identity can be an important characteristic of an in-group, resting in a shared culture, language, or community.

Question 16

triadic vs dyadic group

Answer 16

from perspective of group dynamics in sociology: larger groups are generally considered more stable but less intimate, whereas smaller groups are usually considered less stable but more intimate.

Dyads = two-person groups = are unstable because either party can break the single social tie.

The triad = three person groups = is considered relatively more stable because of the additional social ties.

Question 17

How are neighborhood-level socioeconomic inequalities most likely to affect physician–patient interactions?

Answer 17

Physical boundaries create social boundaries and closed networks which develop their own cultures.

• Neighborhoods that are segregated by socioeconomic status create increased social distance to the extent that people from different backgrounds have trouble relating to each other’s experiences.

Question 18

qualitative vs quantitative study

Answer 18

qualitative: in-depth analysis of a subset of cases
quantitative: statistical analysis of the total claims

Question 19

mixed-methods study

Answer 19

Bringing together quantitative methods and qualitative methods

Question 20

conflict theory (EDIT FOR MORE INFO)

Answer 20

emphasizes the competition between groups over the allocation of societal resources; assumes that power and authority are unequally distributed across a society, and that groups attempt to maintain their advantages.

Question 21

bystander effect

Answer 21

individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present; the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help.

example: A student is investigating the bystander effect and receives permission to conduct the study in the school cafeteria. What is a potential dependent variable that can be measured by the student?
- The amount of time a student takes to assist another student in distress

Question 22

ethnographic methods

Answer 22

involves the extended, systematic observation of a complete social environment

Question 23

social stratification: caste system vs class system vs meritocracy

Answer 23

caste system:

closed status positions that hinder social mobility

less dependent on effort

social status defined by birth

class system:

some degree of social mobility

social status determined by birth and individual merit

meritocracy:

higher social mobility

more dependent on effort

social status based on individual merit