PSYC 215 L3/Ch2

What is construct validity?

- the extent to which the measures used in a study actually measure what they were designed to measure - the degree to which manipulations used in an experiment actually manipulate the variables they were intended to manipulate.

how do we do social psychology research?

1. We start with a theory which our research topic is based upon 2. Look at what has already been done in the research literature 3. Formulate hypothesis 4. Select research method 5. collect the data 6. analyze the data 7. report the results

What is a hypothesis?

An explicit, testable prediction about the conditions under which and event will occur. It is based on observation, existing theory or previous research findings. is the link between common sense and the scientific method

What are prospective correlations?

Are correlations obtained at different times

What is the big disadvantage of correlational studies?

Correlation is NOT CAUSATION

What is "self perception theory" and who came up with it?

Daryl Bem's perception theory proposes that when people's internal states, such as feeling or attitude, are difficult to interpret, they infer this feeling or attitude by observing their own behaviour and the situation in which it takes place.

WHat is important in designing a study for research ?

Defining Variables

When does Ben's self-perception theory apply?

Does not apply to all situations but to situations specifically where people make inferences about their own actions when their own internal states are ambiguous.

What did Hawkings, Pepler & Craig want to research?

How common bullying is among school children in canada and how often peers step in to help those who are being bullied.

What is Archival research?

Involves examining existing records of past events and behaviours, such as newspaper articles, medical records, diaries, sports stats, personal ads, crime stats, or hits on a web page.

What is an interval contingent report?

Is where respondents report their experiences at regular intervals, usually once a day. This is used because self reports can be inaccurate as they require participants to report on thoughts or behaviours from the past and participant's memory for these thoughts may be suspect.

If a theory turns out to be wrong, can it still make an important contribution to a given field of study?

It can inspire further research which can prove to be much more valuable as it may inspire research in a direction not otherwise taken if the wrong theory never existed.

Why can surveys be very important?

Many social psychological questions can be addressed only with surveys because they involve variables that are impossible or unethical to observe directly or manipulate such as people's sexual behaviours or their optimism about the future.

Do men or women show more pain ?

Men tend to show less pain

Self reports are accurate and never misleading?

No they are not always accurate and can be misleading. ex. the "bogus pipeline" ... when people are told their responses will be verified by an infallible lie-detector report facts about themselves more accurately and endorse socially unacceptable opinions more frequently than those not told about the detector. Moreover, self reports are affected by the way that questions are asked, such as how they are worded or in what order or context they are asked. Can also be inaccurate because they ask participants to report on thoughts or behaviours from the past and participant's memory for these thoughts or behaviours may be suspect.

What is experimental realism?

REfers to the degree to which the experimental setting and procedures are real and involving to the participant, regardless of whether they resemble real life or not. i.e. if the experimental situation is compelling and real to the participants while they are participating in the study, their behaviours in the lab will be as natural and spontaneous as their behaviours in the real world

What is Mundane Realism?

Refers to the extent to which the research setting resembles the real-world setting of interest (Theodore Newcomb)

What are event contingent self-reports?

Respondents report on a designated SET OF EVENTS as soon as possible after such events have occurred.

What are signal-contigent reports?

Respondents report their EXPERIENCES as soon as possible after being signalled to do so, usually by means of a beeper.

For data collection, what type of information do social psychologists heavily rely on ?

Self-report ex. yes or no questions

WHat did Claire Ashton study?

She hypothesized that being in a positive mood makes people more likely to explore novel thoughts and behaviours, which can result in their acting in ways that are inconsistent with how people in their culture typically behave. Among westerners, those in the positive mood were less likely to choose the uncommon pen than the negatives. The opposite was true for East asian participants. Thus, positive moods did make individuals more likely to act in ways that deviated from the norms of their cultures. (because westerners are a more individualistic culture and asians are more of a collectivist culture it would be expected that the westerner would pic the pen that is unique and the asian would pick the pen that is not singled out)

What is an operational definition?

States specifically how the conceptual variable will be manipulated or measured. - transform the variable from the abstract (conceptual) to the specific (operational)

WHat is qualitative research?

The collection of data through opened ended responses, observation and interviews

What is quantitative research?

The collection of numerical data through objective testing and statistical analysis. Social psyc generally emphasizes quantitative research.

What is external validity?

The degree to which there can be reasonable confidence that the results of a study would be obtained for other people and in other situations.

WHat is experimenter expectancy effects?

The effects produced when an experimenter's expectations about the results of an experiment affect his or her behaviour toward a participant and thereby influence the participants response.

What is an independent variable?

The factor the experimenter manipulates to see if they affect the dependent variable

What is a dependant variable?

The factor the experimenter measures to see if they are AFFECTED by the independent variable

What are the two essential characteristics of an experiment?

The researcher has control over the experimental procedures, manipulating the variables of interest while ensuring uniformity AND participants are randomly assigned to the different manipulations included in the experiment.

What is the operational definition?

The specific way in which a conceptual variable is manipulated or measured ex. A researcher might define conformity (a conceptual variable) in a particular study as the number of times a participant indicated agreement with the obviously wrong judgements made by a group of confederates.

What is the goal of descriptive research in social psychology?

To describe people and their thoughts, feelings and behaviours Ex. What percentage of people who encounter a person lying on the sidewalk would offer to help that person? , What do men and women say are the things most likely to make them jealous of their partner?

What is the goal of basic research?

To increase our understanding of human behaviour often designed to test a specific hypothesis from a specific theory ex studying what areas of the brain are activated in a given situation

What is the purpose of applied research in social psyc?

To make use of social psychology's theories or methods to enlarge our understanding of naturally occurring events and to contribute to the solution of social/practical problems.

What is the purpose of basic research?

To seek to increase our understanding of human behaviour and is often designed to test a specific hypothesis from a specific theory.

What is the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale?

Used as a self report measure to measure self esteem. Self reports and observations are the two most commonly used categories of measuring vairables.

What is the subject variable?

Variables that characterize pre-existing differences among study participants

WHat is a conceptual variable?

When a researcher first develops a hypothesis, the variables typically are in an abstract, general form. (Ex. prejudice, conformity, attraction, love, violence, group pressure, social anxiety). These very general variables cannot be directly measured or manipulated so we must change them. The specific way in which the conceptual variable is measured or manipulated is called the OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

What is internal validity?

When an experiment is properly conducted, its results are said to be internally valid. There is reasonable certainty that the independent variable did in fact cause the effects obtained on the dependant variable.

What experiment did Milgram design?

Would people obey orders to harm an innocent person? Experiment where the experimenter orders the participant to shock someone the participant thought was another participant. Inspired by the obedience of Nazi officers in WW2.

Do you get greater significance in larger group samples or smaller group samples?

You are more likely to get significance in a larger group sample than in a smaller group sample.

What is a theory?

an organized set of principles used to explain observed phenomena

What are concurrent correlations?

are correlations obtained at a single point in time across a number of individuals

WHat is interrater reliability?

refers to the level of agreement amongst multiple observers of the same behaviour.

How are theories evaluated ?

simplicity comprehensiveness generativity (their ability to generate new hypotheses)

What makes a good theory?

theories that are elegant and precise, encompass all of the relevant information and lead to new hypotheses, further research and better understanding

what is the goal of applied research?

to enlarge our understanding of naturally occurring events find solutions to practical problems

What was the first social psychological question published?

"Why do bicyclists race faster in the presence of other bikers?" (Triplett)

What are the explanations of why there is typically a difference in pain perception for men and women ?

1. there could be a socialized aspect 2. past experiences

WHat is the advantage of observational methods over self report methods?

They avoid our sometimes faulty recollections and distorted interpretations of our own behaviours.

WHat is a major disadvantage of Archival measures?

Available records are not always complete or sufficiently detailed and they may have been collected in a nonsystematic manner.

WHat is a major advantage of Archival measures?

Because the researchers are observing behaviour secondhand, they can be sure that they did not influence the behaviour by their presence.

What is one of the most important issues that survey researchers face?

How to select the people who will take part in the survey... use RANDOM SAMPLING. Also it is important to consider that surveys can be affected strongly by subtle aspects of the wording and context of questions.