Vocab CH 1

Question 1

Social psychology

Answer 1

understanding human social behavior and the motivations, cognition and emotions related to it

Question 2

Applied social psychology

Answer 2

systematic application of social psychological constructs, principles, theories, intervention techniques, research methods

Question 3

Construct

Answer 3

clearly defined individual psychological characteristic that is generally latent and thus not directly observable, although it can be assessed through interviews or questionnaires

Question 4

Principle

Answer 4

statement of how psychological processes work. Principles describe basic processes by which humans think, feel and act

Question 5

Theory

Answer 5

integrated set of principles that describes, explains and predicts observed events

Question 6

Basic social psychologists

Answer 6

develop and test theories, conduct studies out of mere curiosity

Question 7

Applied social psychologists

Answer 7

understanding and resolving practical problems, contribute towards solving social problems

Question 8

deductive approach

Answer 8

starting with a theory and examining how this is helpful in understanding social behavior

Question 9

Basic social psychologists

Answer 9

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;

Question 10

inductive approach

Answer 10

starting from a specific social problem and examine to what extent various theories may help to understand this specific problem

Question 11

Scientific method

Answer 11

depend on empirical testing, use of systematic

observations to evaluate propositions and ideas

Question 12

Accuracy

Answer 12

carefully examined, precise and error-free as possible

Question 13

Objectivity

Answer 13

minimize bias

Question 14

Skepticism

Answer 14

results should be replicable

Question 15

Open—mindedness

Answer 15

accept evidence as valid even if it is not consistent with one’s initial beliefs

Question 16

Deception

Answer 16

should be avoided and only used when it serves a higher desirable goal

Question 17

Informed consent

Answer 17

inform about the aim of the study and the impact it may have on them

Question 18

Description

Answer 18

identifying and specifying the details and nature of a phenomenon

Question 19

Prediction

Answer 19

requires knowledge of what factors are systematically related to the phenomenon (correlation)

Question 20

Causality

Answer 20

identifying causes

Question 21

Explanation

Answer 21

why a phenomenon or relationship occur

Question 22

Individual factors

Answer 22

interpersonal characteristics and processes

Question 23

Social factors

Answer 23

effect of opinion and action of other people on our behavior/thoughts

Question 24

Situational factors

Answer 24

contextual factors and the physical world

Question 25

Cultural factors

Answer 25

cultural values that affect cognitions and behavior

Question 26

Biological factors

Answer 26

effect of biological processes and genetic factors

Question 27

Interdisciplinary research

Answer 27

Societal problems are rooted in a wide range of factors, which are not solely social-psychological by nature

Question 28

Field setting

Answer 28

Applied social psychologists are more likely to conduct research in field settings and less inclined to conduct true experiments

Question 29

Social utility

Answer 29

Social utility increases if scientists focus their efforts on those aspects of a social problem where they are likely to have the most impact in resolving the problem