Hps204 Social Psychology Introduction

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archival research

*can be unreliable because no control over primary data collection which might be biased or unreliable

*useful for investigating large scale widely occurring phenomena, eg, Janis' theory based on biographical, autobiographical and media accounts of Bay of Pigs 1961
*useful for comparisons between cultures or nations

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non experimental method involving the assembly of data or reports of data collected by others

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behaviourism

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theories that emphasise the role of situational factors and reinforcement/learning in social behaviour, eg, Pavlov, Skinner

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case study

*well suited to rare/unusual phenomena
*findings may not be generalisable
*subject to researcher or subject bias, ie, researcher is not blind to hypothesis; there are demand characteristics; participants suffer evaluation apprehension

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in depth analysis of a single case or individual

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cognitive theories

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these types of theories attempt to explain behaviour in terms of the way people actively interpret and represent their experiences and then plan action

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confounding

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two or more IVs co-vary in such a way that it is impossible to know which has caused the effect

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correlation

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where changes in one variable reliably map on to changes in another variable, but causation cannot be determined

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demand characteristics

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features of an experiment that seem to 'demand' a certain response
*evaluation apprehension
*social desirability

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dependent variable

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variable which is measured

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double blind

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procedure to reduce experimenter effects, in which the experimenter is unaware of the experimental conditions

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experimental method

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involves intervention in the form of manipulation of one or more IVs then measurement of one or more DVs.
Hypothesis test in which something is done to see its effect on something else.

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experimental realism

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another term for internal validity

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experimenter effect

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effect that is produced or influenced by clues to the hypothesis under examination, inadvertently given by the experimenter

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external validity
or
mundane realism
*lab experiments are intentionally low on external validity, and high on internal validity

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similarity between circumstances surrounding an experiment and circumstances enncountered in everyday life
*how results can be extrapolated to the wider population

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hypotheses

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empirically testable predictions

*usually logically derived from theory

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independent variable

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variable which is manipulated

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internal validity
or
experimental realism
*lab experiments are intentionally low on external validity, and high on internal validity

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psychological impact of the manipulations in an experiment

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levels of explanation/analysis

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types of concepts, mechanisms and language used to explain a phenomenon
1 intrapersonal
2 interpersonal and situational
3 positional
4 ideological

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metatheory

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set of interrelated concepts and principles concerning which theories or types of theory are appropriate

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mundane realism

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another term for external validity

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neo-behaviourism

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the explanation of observable behaviour in terms of contextual factors and unobservable intervening constructs such as beliefs, feelings and motives

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operational definition

eg: aggression or happiness
the number of times that X occurs; where X refers to smiling or hitting

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defines a theoretical term in a way that allows it to be manipulated or measured,
eg, aggression, altruism, leadership

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positivism

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non critical acceptance of science as the only way to arrive at true knowledge: science as religion

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radical behaviourism

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theory which explains observable behaviour in terms of
reinforcement schedules (conditioning)
without recourse to any intervening unobservable (cognitive) constructs

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reductionism

eg - arm out car window to signal a turn can be explained as muscle contractions and nerve impulses, or
understanding and adherence to social conventions

*level of analysis needs to match the question

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a phenomenon in terms of the language and concepts of a lower level of analysis, usually with a loss of explanatory power

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science

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method for studying nature that involves the collecting of data to test hypotheses

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statistical significance

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effect is unlikely to have occurred by chance

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subject effects

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

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theory

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set of interrelated concepts and principles that explain a phenomenon

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social psychology

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scientific investigation of how the thoughts, feelings and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others

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data

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publicly verifiable observations

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non experimental methods

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archival research
case studies
survey research
field studies
are all _____________

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5 ethical principles

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1. physical welfare of all participants
2. respect for privacy
3. use of deception
4. informed consent
5. debriefing

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A: 4 experimental and non experimental

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at a broad level, research in social psych can be said to use 2 types of methods
1 quantitative and statistical
2 discursive and narrative
3 correlational and multivariate
4 experimental and non experimental