Topic 2 - Doing Social Psychology (Chap' 1)

Question 1

Scientific method

Answer 1

‘Hunches’ from *observation > Theory development, identifying *aim and topic > *review past research > Generate *hypothesis > Empirical Research to test, choose *research method and conduct the study > *Outcome, Theoretical support, redevelopment or abandonment

observation > aim and topic > review > hypothesis > research method > outcome

Question 2

Hypothesis

Answer 2

an empirically testable prediction about what variables are related, how the variable may have a cause and effect in another variable. BASED on prior theory, concepts, or research. Should be alluded to the research method.

Question 3

What are the two types of research methods used in social psychology, and what are their characteristics?

Answer 3

Non-experimental: a systematic observation / descriptive research, correlational.

Experimental: the laboratory experiment / the field experiment

Question 4

Independant variables

Answer 4

Features of a situation that can be manipulated to have effects on a dependant variable

Question 5

Dependant variable

Answer 5

variables that change as a consequence of independent variable

Question 6

Confounding variable

Answer 6

When two of more independant variables covary in a way it falsely appears to be the cause of an effect
(red room / blue room)

Question 7

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance)

Answer 7

A method used in social neuroscience to measure where electro-chemical activity in the brain is occuring

Question 8

External experimental validity / Mundane realism

Answer 8

Refers to the generalisability of the research results of a causal study to other settings

Question 9

internal validity

Answer 9

refers to the degree of confidence in the causal effects that x causes y

Question 10

experimental realism

Answer 10

refers to the extent to which participants experience the experimental situation as intended

Question 11

Subject effects

Answer 11

effects that are not spontaneous, owing to demand characteristics or/and participants wishing to please the experimenter

Question 12

demand characteristics

Answer 12

features of an experiment that seem to ‘demand’ a certain response

Question 13

experimenter effects

Answer 13

experimenters may inadvertently communicate cues that cause participants to behave in a way that conforms the hypothesis.

Question 14

double blind

Answer 14

procedure in which the experimenter is unaware of which experimental condition’s given

Question 15

Archival research

Answer 15

(non-experimental) assembly of data collected by others. Often done to make comparisons between different cultures regarding things like suicide. mental health.

• unreliable
• not subject to demand characteristics

Question 16

Case studies

Answer 16

(non experimental) in depth study of a single case. interviews / data collection / questionnaires / observation of behaviour

• useful source of hypotheses
• compromised as researcher is not blind to the hypotheses
• evaluation apprehension

Question 17

Evaluation apprehension

Answer 17

A concern about being evaluated by others who are present can lead to social facilitation

Question 18

Discourse analysis

Answer 18

A set of methods used to analyse text in order to understand its meaning and significance, prone to subjectivity

Question 19

5 Research ethics

Answer 19

• protection from harm
• right to privacy
• deception
• informed consent
• debriefing

Question 20

Group mind

Answer 20

McDougall’s idea that people adopt a qualitatively different mode of thinking when in a group