Reviewer for Social Psychology Finals Flashcards
Social Psychology
The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context
Cross Cultural Research
Research Designed to compare and contrast people of different cultures
Interactionist Perspective
An emphasis on how both an individual’s personality and environmental characteristics influence behavior
Behavioral Genetics
A subflield of psychology that examines the role of genetic factors on behavior
Evolutionary Psychology
A subfield of psychology that uses the principles of evolution to understand human social behavior
Social Cognition
The study of how people perceive, remember, and interpret information about themselves and others
Multicultural Research
Research designed to examine racial and ethnic groups within cultures
Social Neuroscience
The study of the relationship between neural and social processes
Difference between social psychologists and sociologists
Social psychologists focus on the individual level while sociologists focus on the group level
Social psychology started to become established as a distinct field of study
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century
What ideas are consistent with the ideas of Kurt Lewin?
Behavior is a function of the person and the environment
Social psychologists should integrate research from personality psychology into their own theories and research
The behavior of different people may vary even if they are placed in the exact same social situation
Personality psychologists are more interested in
differences between individuals that are across situations
Kurt Lewin
German immigrant who made a major contribution to the development to establish principles like “behavior is a function of the interaction between the person and the environment.”
Both internal and external factors affect behavior
What marked the 1960’s and 1970’s in social behavior?
Expansion and debate
Leon Festinger
Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Social Comparison Theory
Fritz Heider
Balance Theory
How do Social Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists differ?
Social psychologists are interested in situational determinants of behavior while Clinical psychologists develop therapeutic techniques to control people’s aggression
What was the dominant research method in social psychology up to the period of Confidence and Crisis?
Laboratory Experiment
Norman Triplett
Published first research article in social psychology at the end of the 19th century; Observed that bicyclists tended to race faster when racing in the presence of others than when simply racing against a clock. He did this in a scientific way
Gergen
Theories being tested in the social psychology laboratory were historically and culturally limited
What are characteristics of social psychology?
Broad perspective
Focus on the individual
Frequent use of experiment methodology
The difference between common sense ideas and social psychology
Social Psychology tests are put to the test because it is a scientific study
Who wrote the first three textbooks of Social Psychology?
William McDougall (1908) Edward Ross (1908) Floyd Allport (1924)
Gergen
Theories being tested in the social psychology laboratory were historically and culturally limited
What are characteristics of social psychology?
Broad perspective
Focus on the individual
Frequent use of experiment methodology
The difference between common sense ideas and social psychology
Social Psychology tests are put to the test because it is a scientific study
Who wrote the first three textbooks of Social Psychology?
William McDougall (1908) Edward Ross (1908) Floyd Allport (1924)
Gordon Allport
Published The Nature of Prejudice (1954); formed the Society for Psychological Study of Social Issues
Solomon Asch
1951, demonstrated willingness of people to conform to an obviously wrong majority
Internal Validity
The degree to which there can be reasonable certainty that the independent variables in an experiment caused the effects obtained on the dependent variables
Theory
An organized set of principles used to explain observed phenomena
Debriefing
A disclosure made to participants after research procedures are completed, in which the researcher explains the purpose of the research, attempts to resolve any negative feelings, and emphasizes the scientific contribution made by participants’ participation
Experimental Realism
The degree to which experimental procedures are involving to participants and lead them to behave naturally and spontaneously
Correlational Research
Research designed to measure the association between variables that are not manipulated by the researcher
Dependent Variables
In an experiment, the factors experimenters measure to see if they are affected by the independent variables
Mundane Realism
The degree to which the experimental situation resembles places and events that exist in the real world
Interrater Reliability
The degree to which different observers agree on their observations
Meta-analysis
A set of statistical procedures used to review a body of evidence by combining the results of individual studies to measure the overall reliability and strength of particular effects
Hypothesis
A testable prediction about the conditions under which an event will occur
Experiment
A form of research that can demonstrate causal relationships because (1) the experimenter has control over the events that occur and (2) the participants are randomly assigned to conditions
Random Sampling
A method of selecting participants for a study so that everyone in a population has an equal chance of being in the study
Basic Research
Research whose goal is to increase understanding of human behavior, often by testing hypotheses based on a theory
Experimenter Expectancy Effects
The effects produced when an experimenter’s expectations about the results of an experiment affect his or her behavior toward a participant and thereby influence the participant’s responses
Random Assignment
A method of assigning participants to the various conditions of an experiment so that each participant in the experiment has an equal chance of being in any of the conditions
Subject Variables
Variables that characterize pre-existing differences among the participants in a study
Deception
Research that provides false information to participants
External Validity
The degree to which one can be reasonably confident that the same results would be obtained for other people and in other situations
Correlation Coefficient
A statistical measure of the strength and direction of the association between two variables. The correlation coefficient can range from -1.0 to +1.0
Informed Consent
An individual’s deliberate, voluntary decision to participate in research, based on the researcher’s description of what will be required during such participation
Independent Variables
In an experiment, the factors experimenters manipulate to see if they affect the dependent variables
Construct Validity
The extent to which the measures used in a study measure the variables they were designed to measure and the manipulations in an experiment manipulate the variables they were designed to manipulate
Applied Research
Research whose goal is to enlarge the understanding of naturally occurring events and to find solutions to practical problems
Confederates
Accomplices of an experimenter who, in dealing with the real participants in an experiment, act as if they also are participants
Operational Definition
The specific procedures for manipulating or measuring a conceptual variable
Main Effect
A statistical term indicating the overall effect that an independent variable has on the dependent variable, ignoring all other independent variables
Interaction
A statistical term indicating that the effect that an independent variable has on the dependent variable is different as a function of another independent variable
Example of Poor Construct Validity
Does not correctly measure the conceptual variable it was designed to measure
Statistical Significance
The likelihood that the results of a study could have occured by chance, the odds that the results were obtained by chance alone are quite low
When is there an interaction between two independent variables?
If the effect that one of the independent variables has on the dependent variable depends on the other independent variable
Correlation
A measure of the association between two variables
Archival Research
Involves examining existing records of past events and behaviors
Positive Correlation
As one variable increases, so does the other, or that as one variable decreases, so does the other.
Negative Correlation
As one variable increases, the other decreases
Prospective Correlation
Obtained at different times from the same individuals
Self-Report Measure
People are asked to tell about their own thoughts, feelings, and actions
Event-Contingent Method
Specific method of using self-report measures
Common imaging techniques used in Social Psychology today
PET (Positron Emission Tomography)
fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
What is the difference between Applied Research and Basic Research?
Basic research seeks to increase our understanding of human behavior and if often designed to test a specific hypothesis from a specific theory. Applied Research makes use of social psychology’s theories or methods to enlarge our understanding of naturally occurring events and to contribute to the solution of social problems
Overjustification Effect
The tendency for intrinsic motivation to diminish for activities that have become associated with reward or other extrinsic factors; getting paid big money for something that one enjoys doing
Self-Monitoring
The tendency to change behavior in response to self-presentation concerns of the situation
Downward Social Comparison
Defensive tendency to compare ourselves to others who are worse off than we are
Self-Presentation
Strategies people use to shape what other think of them;
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Hypothesis that changes in facial expression can lead to corresponding changes in emotion
Bask In Reflected Glory (BIRG)
Increasing self-esteem by associating with others who are successful
Private Self-Consciousness
A personality characteristic of individuals who are introspective, often attending to their own inner states; high private self-consciousness, they know themselves well and spend a lot of time introspecting about them
Self-Esteem
An affective component of the self, consisting of a person’s positive and negative self-evaluations
Self-Concept
The sum total of an individual’s beliefs about his or her own personal attributes
Self-Perception Theory
The theory that when internal cues are difficult to interpret, people gain self-insight by observing their own behavior
Social Comparison Theory
The theory that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others
Public Self-Consciousness
A personality characteristics of individuals who focus on themselves as social objects, as seen by others
Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
The theory that the experience of emotion is based on two factors: Physiological arousal and a cognitive interpretation of that arousal
Self-Awareness Theory
The theory that self-focused attention leads people to notice self-discrepancies, thereby motivating either an escape from self-awareness or a change in behavior
Self-Handicapping
Behaviors designed to sabotage one’s performance in order to provide a subsequent excuse for failure
Affective Forecasting
People’s difficulty projecting forward and predicting how they would feel in response to future emotional events
Implicit Egotism
A nonconscious and subtle form of self-enhancement
Terror Management Theory
Explains our relentless need for self-esteem; humans are biologically programmed for life and self-preservation. Yet, we are conscious of the inevitability of our own death. To cope with this fear, we construct and accept cultural world views about how, why, and by whom the world was created, etc. These worldviews provide meaning and purpose and a buffer against anxiety
Self-Schemas
A belief people hold about themselves that guides the processing of self-relevant information
How do people describe themselves?
They tend to point out how they differ from others in their social environment
What happens when there is a discrepancy in one’s Ideal Self and one’s Actual Self?
Ideal/Actual Self Discrepancies leads to disappointment
Self-Verification
The desire to have others perceive us as we truly perceive ourselves
Self-Consciousness
What happens when people focus on themselves.
What are the types of Self-Consciousness
Public Self-Consciousness
Private Self-Consciousness
Positive Illusions
Adaptive in that they promote happiness, caring for others, and productive work
Drunken Self-Inflation
Tendency to discount real and ideal self-discrepancies when drinking
Ingratiation
Tactic of strategic self-presentation, includes such behaviors as flattery, agreement, and putting one’s best foot forward.
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory
Suggests that people can have different reactions based on how important the domain is to their self-concept and how close they feel to people they are comparing themselves with
Max Ringelmann
Studied effects of the presence of others on the performance of individuals; Individuals often performed worse on simple tasks such as pulling rope when they performed the tasks with other people
Adolf Hitler
Had the most dramatic impact on the field; Rise to power and the ensuing turmoil caused people around the world to become desperate for answers to social psychological questions about what causes violence, prejudice, genocide, conformity, and obedience
Muzafer Sherif
(1936) Published groundbreaking experimental research on social influence. Witnesses groups of greek soldiers brutally killing his friends; researched powerful influences groups can exert on their individual members; demonstrated that it is possible to study complex social processes (conformity & social influence) in a rigorous, scientific manner
What are the ABC’s of the Self?
A ffect
B ehavior
C Cognition
What is the Looking Glass Self?
Other people serve as a mirror in which we see ourselves
Who coined the Looking Glass Self?
Charles Horton Cooley
What did Gordon Gallup study?
Whether or not animals recognized themselves in the mirror.
Where do Self-Concepts come from?
Introspection Autobiographical Memories Perceptions of our own behavior Influences of Other People Cultures in Which we Live
Introspection
Looking inward at one’s own thoughts and feelings
