Research in Social Psychology Flashcards
Define ‘Hindsight bias’
The tendency to exaggerate, after
learning an outcome, one’s ability to have foreseen how something turned out
What is hindsight bias as called?
‘I knew it all along’ phenomenon.
What are the 2 sciences that social psychology involve? Explain them
Description: careful and reliable observation
Explanation: development of theories that connect and organize observations
What are the 2 epistemologies of social psychology
Rationalism – source of knowledge is based on
logical thinking and reasoning ability
Empiricism – source of knowledge is based on
experiences and observations of the events of the
world
Define ‘ theory’
An integrated set of principles that explain
and predict observed events
Define ‘hypothesis’
A testable proposition that describes a
relationship that may exist between events
What are the 3 general types of research?
-Observational method
-Correlational method
-Experimental method
Make an example questions/describe of the 3 general research methods
Observational method
-Description: What is the nature of the phenomenon?
Correlational method
-Description: What is the relationship between
variable X and variable Y?
Experimental method
-Causality: Is variable X a cause of variable Y
What are the benefits of observational method? List 3 examples
-See behaviour in naturally occurring
environment (high external validity)
-Provides excellent behavioural descriptions
-Rich source of hypothesis
What are the problems of observational method? List 3 examples
-Can be biased if a person knows they are
being watched
-Bias from the observer – importance of
interjudge reliability
-Not a source for explanations (only
descriptive)
What is the operational definition mean?
the precise specifications of how variables are measured or manipulated
Define the operational method
It involves the systematic observation and measurement of behaviour
Define the correlational method
It involves systematically measuring the relationship
between two or more variables (e.g., how much one can be predicted from the other)
What are the correlation coefficient range that indicate the strength and direction of the relationship
r = -1 to +1
What is the main point of the correlation method?
It identifies only whether two variables are associated, and not why they are.
What are the 4 benefits of correlation methods?
-Provides data on large groups of people or trends
-Allow prediction (i.e. regression analysis)
-Provides information on influential variables
-Has good external validity (i.e., generalization)
What are the 3 problems with the correlational method?
-Does not provide causal explanations
-Some issues with bias (which variables to include)
-Can be difficult to interpret (when multiple
variables)
How can wording in questions in avoid bias? Give 3 examples
-Items that may cause the respondent to feel
pressured to respond in a socially desirable way
-Items that are worded in a such a way that it
reveals the experimenter’s bias and may pull for
a particular response
-Items that are just too complex: containing
double-negatives, difficult vocabulary or jargon
What is the purpose of experimental method?
A research method in which the investigator
manipulates one or more of the factors
(independent variables) to observe their effect
on some behaviour or mental process
(dependent variable) while holding other
factors constant
Define experimental condition(s)
Condition of an experiment that exposes participants
to the treatment
Define control condition
Condition of an experiment that contrasts with the
experimental treatment and serves as a comparison
for evaluating the effect of the treatment
What are the experimental procedures of the ‘experimental method’? Explain them
Single-blind procedure
-Procedure in which participant does not
know to which condition they are assigned
Double-blind procedure
-Procedure in which both the participant and
the experimenter are ignorant about who has
received which treatment
What is the selection of independent variables?
-Variable whose effect is being studied
-Manipulated by the experimenter
What is the selection of dependent variables?
-The factor being measured
-The variable the experimenter predicts will be
affected by the independent variable
