Vocab CH 1 Flashcards
Social psychology
understanding human social behavior and the motivations, cognition and emotions related to it
Applied social psychology
systematic application of social psychological constructs, principles, theories, intervention techniques, research methods
Construct
clearly defined individual psychological characteristic that is generally latent and thus not directly observable, although it can be assessed through interviews or questionnaires
Principle
statement of how psychological processes work. Principles describe basic processes by which humans think, feel and act
Theory
integrated set of principles that describes, explains and predicts observed events
Basic social psychologists
develop and test theories, conduct studies out of mere curiosity
Applied social psychologists
understanding and resolving practical problems, contribute towards solving social problems
deductive approach
starting with a theory and examining how this is helpful in understanding social behavior
Basic social psychologists
deductive approach (starting with a theory and examining how this is helpful in understanding social behavior), how good is a theory in explaining a wide range of social behaviors;
inductive approach
starting from a specific social problem and examine to what extent various theories may help to understand this specific problem
Scientific method
depend on empirical testing, use of systematic
observations to evaluate propositions and ideas
Accuracy
carefully examined, precise and error-free as possible
Objectivity
minimize bias
Skepticism
results should be replicable
Open—mindedness
accept evidence as valid even if it is not consistent with one’s initial beliefs
