Social psychology Study Guide-1

ABC's of self

A= affective= self-esteem, self- evaluation B= Behavioral= self-regulation, self-control C= Cognitive= self-concept, self-knowledge, self-presentation

How is the self developed?

information comes from: -ourselves -others 1. Reflected self-apprasials 2. Social comparison 3. Culture -Begins around 18-24 months

Actual self

the person you believe you are now

How do we know ourselves?

we use knowledge from: -ourselves -our behavior -our emotions -others

dependent variable

what researcher measures to determine the influence of the IV -measures -Thought to depend on IV -"EFFECT" caused by the IV

Trick or treat study

(Beaman 1979) - set out unattained halloween candy -Note: Please take only one IV: Mirror or no mirror next to candy bowl DV: How much candy the child would take (people were more self aware with mirror, and took less candy than the group without the mirror)

psychological realism

(But, participants may still think or act like they do in the "real world") -extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment, are similar to psychological processes that occur in everyday life

(External validity) mundane realism

(Lab studies might not look like the "real world") extent to which an experiment is similar to real life situations

Replicate

(Results support hypothesis) Replicate study: -Do it again -Exact replication or -Conceptual replication -different population or environment - Different operationalization

Self-perception theory

(bem 1972) - when our attitudes/feelings are ambiguous, we infer them from our behavior. * if we don't know how we feel *we judge whether the behavior reflects how we feel *only if the behavior was chosen freely EX: After eating quickly: " i must have been hungry!"

Kids marker study

(lepper, greene, nisbbett, 1973) -Measured how long children played with markers IV: 3 group 1. no reward (control) 2. certificate group- expected reward 3. surprise group- didn't expect reward but got it DV: How long did the kids play with the markers days after receiving reward.

Actual-ideal discrepancies

-Sadness, dejection, depression

Cognition

-perceiving, interpreting, remembering and using information -"thoughts"

Ethical Considerations

1. Deception 2. Debriefing

Rosenberg self-esteem scale

1= strongly disagree 4= strongly agree asks different things and you number them.

ABC's of Social Psychology

A=Affect (emotions) things we feel B= Behavior (actions) things we do C= Cognition (thoughts), what we think *Drive= Motivation, goals

correlational designs

Correlation: how two variables are related to each other. - allows researchers to know how much one variable can be predicted from the other. -survey/questionnaire methods -historical data

H O M Evaluation R

Examination of data to determine whether or not predictions were supported. 1. What happened in the study? 2. Was the study designed properly ? was our study VALID?

random selection

Gathering a representative sample for a particular study to draw conclusions about the population

5 steps to scientific method (HOMER) simpson

Hypothesize Operationalize Manipulate and Measure Evaluate Revise or Replicate

Preventing Ethical Abuse

Informed consent- all participants are informed of a basic description of the experiment and their rights before the study starts.

Over justification effect

Intrinsic motivation decreased only for the certificate group -the group who expected and got the reward.

Third variable problem (Correlational method)

Its never clear whether two variables are related to each other because one caused the other, or whether they are only related because they are both associated with a third variable. 3 interpretations: -Variable A causes variable B -Variable B causes variable A -Variable C causes both variables A and B

H Operational (Variables) M E R

Specific definition of a concept •Allows us to manipulate and measure the concept •Ex: blood-alcohol concentration (intoxication) •Ex. hot sauce or noise blasts (aggression)

experimental method

Used to see the effect of one variable on another variable To determine whether or not x caused the differences in _____ Addresses cause and effect situations to learn more about a manipulation

Self-control

choosing to act in accordance wit a goal rather than a temptation. -often, the temptation is thought to be in the present whereas the goal is thought to be in the future.

self-handicapping

engaging in self-defeating behavior in order to have a ready excuse in case of failure. -Failure: easy excuse -Success: even more impressive -Protects self-esteem: but at a cost.

Entity theory

fixed mindset= you have a certain amount of availability and no matter how hard you work, that won't change

Self awareness experiment

grate apes- researchers put a red dot on ears/brows IV: - socialized or not socialized - mirror or no mirror DV: -Number of times animal touched the spot on their ears/brows

Incremental theory

growth mindset= ability isn't constant and if you work hard you can change it.

H O M E Revise

if you didn't get the results you hypothesized, figure out why - Confounding variables -samples were not equivalent across conditions -DV measurement not optimal -Your hypothesis was incorrect.

(Self-esteem theories) Contigencies of self-worth

self-esteem can be based on different factors.

Hypothesis O M E R

testable prediction about the conditions under which an outcome will occur Key features- 1. Must contain at least two concepts and some statement of the relationship between them. 2. Must be able to be operationalized, tasted, and falsifiable.

self-awareness

the act of thinking about ourselves. - when we are self-aware, we are more likely to act according to our standards and values. - most of the time, hum as are NOT self-aware. - when made self-aware later on, self-discrepancies become apparent.

Self-monitoring

the extent to which people notice and care about what others think about themselves

Self-assessment

- Want accurate feedback about the self -want to know "how we really are"

Institutional review boards (IRB)

- a review panel that considers all potential research and decides whether it meets ethical guidelines: -All research MUST be approved prior to conducting study.

Individualist culture and Independent self

- creates independent self- construal -Separate from social context -Goal: be independent and unique

Dependent Variables:

-What the experimenter measures. -The "effect" caused by the IV

Collectivist culture and interdependent self

- creates interdependent self-construal - closely connected to social context -Goal: Fit-in and maintain harmony

Participant rights

- the right to withdraw at any time (without loss of compensation) - the right to refuse to answer any questions - the right to anonymity or confidentiality.

Self-enhancement

- want positive feedback -want to "know" that we are good/doing well

Conceptual Variable:

-Broad concepts being studied EX: intoxication or aggression.

Upward comparison

-Comparing with better people. -gives information about improvement. -May make us work harder

Downward comparison

-Comparing with worse people. -Makes us feel better about ourselves. -Good for self-enhancement

H O Measure E R

-Design a study -Measure variables of interest -Manipulate variables if it is an experimental design only.

internal validity

-Did the changes in X cause the changes in Y? -Requiers use of random assignment -Did a different variable cause the effect or was it the IV?

external validity

-Do results generalize to other situations? -Requiers use of random selection

construct validity

-Do the results depend on the methods used? -Do the methods accurately reflect the concepts? EX: Does hot sauce indicate aggression?

How do we maintain self-esteem?

-Downward social comparisons -reduce self-discrepancies -reduce self-awareness -self-handicapping

Actual- social psychology

-Examines the influence of OTHER people as well as the self. *Humans are social animals, live in groups. *People can intentionally influence us

Relational interdépendance

-Focus on close relationships -More common among women

Collective interdépendance

-Focus on group membership -More common among men

statistical validity

-Is the effect due to chance? -Conveys the strength of the effect

What is self?

-No consistent definition in literature. - anything beginning with "self-" -inherently subjective -stable vs. unstable

Measure- Study Designs: (3)

-Observational -Correlational -Experimental

Imagines/Implied- social psychology

-Other people do NOT have to be nearby in order to influence us. *Norms, morals, ect *The mere presence of people can be influential. *Simply thinking of people can be influential.

Self-handicapping (Berglas and Jones, 1978)

-Participants take extremely difficult test IV: Positive or negative feedback -Told they'll be taking another test DV: Choice of two pills 1. One supposed to improve performance 2. One supposed to hurt performance -Participants who were told they did well tend to choose the performance-hurting drug! - afraid they won't be able to repeat success.

Sociometer theory

-People have a fundamental need to belong. -Self-essteem is an indicator of well we are doing socially: 1. low self-esteem= not meeting the need to belong 2. high self-esteem= everything is okay.

Research Ethics

-Some things we can't do ethically in experiments: 1. Milgrams experiment on obedience to authority. 2. Zimbardos prison experiment

Domains in which people can derive self-worth

-Support of family -Academic competence -Physical attractiveness -religious beliefs -others approval -outperforming others If self-worth is based totally on one domain, it is vulnerable to threat. -multiple contingencies protect self-esteem!

What is self-esteem?

-The affective component of the self. -Whether you evaluate yourself positively or negatively, whether you like or dislike yourself

Theories Vs. Hypotheses

-Theories are organized set of principles offered to explain a set of phenomena. -Hypotheses are more specific. Theories cannon be directly tested

-Implicit egotism

-Unconscious form of self-enhancement - people rate letters in their name more favorably than those not found in their name (Hoorens and Nuttin, 1993) -peoples preference for numbers in their birthday (february 2nd) can effect where they live (two harbors, minnesota (Pelham, Mirenberg, and jones, 2002) -People are more likely to live in places (Michelle in Michigan) and attend schools (ken from the university of kansas) when their names resembled their own. (Pelham, 2001)

Scientific study

-Uses the scientific method. -Asks testable (empirical) questions. *Makes hypothesis *Creates study *Gather Data *Analyze Data

Self-verification

-Want feedback that validates self-views -Want to know that how we view the world is accurate.

What do social psychologists study?

-What people PERCEIVE to be true. -How people INTERPRET their social world.

Self-affirmation

-When feeling threatened, affirm your self-worth on a separate domain -change focus to an unrelated topic EX: "i might have failed that test, but I'm still popular."

Basking in reflected glory (BIRGing)

-aligning yourself with successful others. -drawing self-esteem from group membership EX: after victory of a team- WE WON!! after loss of a team- THE LOST!!

Actual-ought discrepancies

-fear, worry, anxiety

Research on self-control

-hand grip task -stroop task dieting choices -skin cancer and tanning much more

low self-monitors

-insensitive to social context -behave the same across situations -don't care what others think

How to reduce discrepancies

-revise to a more realistic ideal/ought self -change behavior to achieve the desired self -completely change the ideal/ought self

high self-monitors

-sensitive to social norms and social situations -behave differently in different situations -concerned with what otters think

Self-improvemnt

-the desire to make oneself better

Who do the social psychologist focus on?

-they focus on Individuals as the level of analysis. -Mostly non-disordered populations. -On peoples similarities.

Construal level theory approach

-thinking abstractly (thinking about WHY to do something) generally -> self-control success -thinking concretely (thinking about HOW to do something) generally -> self-control failure

independent variable

-what researcher changes -manipulates -treatment or experimental conditions vs. control condition -"CAUSES" of effect

Independent variables:

-what the experimenter manipulates. -The "cause" of an effect.

Compairing ourselves to others: When to Whom:

-when were uncertain about how we are doing. -usually people who are similar to us. -comparison target depends on goals.

Ways of knowing? (6 ways)

1. Intuition 2. Appeals to authority 3. Personal experience 4. Logic/ reasoning 5. Faith 6. Scientific method

characteristics of true experiment

1. Manipulated IV 2. Random assignment of subjects to the conditions or levels of the IV 3. Reasonable attempts to hold the situation constant except for the manipulated IV

What is social psychology NOT?

1. Abnormal/Clinical/Counseling -Average, or normal person in everyday situations. 2. Personality -Personality research focus on how and why individual people are different, when/why individuals behave consistently across situations. -We want to understand behavior- this depends on how personality and the situation interact to influence behavior. 3. Sociology -Studies cultural phenomena and societal variables. -Focuses on group-level, psychology focuses on individual-level 4. Philosophy -Focuses on rationalizing and thinking, but not scientific study.

NOT benefits of having high self-esteem

1. Does NOT improve task performance 2. Does NOT make you more likable, attractive or have better relationships -Narcissists are LESS likable 3. Does NOT prevent crime or bullying -Criminals and bullies have self-esteem 4. Does NOT prevent delinquency -may even be more willing to experiment with sex and drugs.

Benefits of high self-esteem

1. Happiness- having high self-esteem feels good 2. Increased initiative- persistence in the face of failure.

(Culture and the self) name the 2 cultures and their self:

1. Individualist cultures - independent self 2. Collective cultures -Interdependent self

Observational designs (2 designs)

1. Primarily descriptive: -observations of the nature of some phenomenon. -Researcher observes people and records their behavior. 2. Naturalistic observation: -useful to observe people in natural settings -Good for variables we cannot manipulate.

Self-discrepancy theory

1. actual self 2. Ought self 3. Ideal self

four types of validity?

1. internal validity 2. External validity 3. Statistical conclusion validity 4. Construct Validity

Examples of conceptual and operational

EX: Happiness is related to Helping- Conceptual variables Mood scale, listen to happy music|volunteer work, donation to charity, pick up dropped items- operational definitions

Ego-depletion

Ego depletion refers to the idea that self-control or willpower draw upon a limited pool of mental resources that can be used up. When the energy for mental activity is low, self-control is typically impaired, which would be considered a state of ego depletion. -self-control is like a muscle that relies on glucose (sugar) -once we use all of our energy on the first act of self-control, we won't be able to on a second self-control task

Debriefing

Explaining to anticipants at the end of the study about the true purpose and what transpired.

Deception

Misleading participants about the true purpose of a study or events that will transpire. (Milgram study)

Self-discrepancy

Mismatch between how you see yourself and how you want to be

Are humans the only species with sense or self?

NO -great apes recognize themselves, but only when socialized

correlation coefficient

R signifies the size and direction of the relationship between 2 variables Ranges from -1 to 1 r = -1 to +1 -1 = strong negative relationship 0 = no relationship +1 = strong positive relationship

Ideal self

The person you aspire to be -hopes and wishes

social psychology

The scientific study of the way in which individual's thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people

Interdependent VS independent

interdependent- -"if my brother fails, i feel responsible" -"i avoide an argument even when i disagree with others" Independent- "i enjoy being different from others "I prefer to be direct when dealing with people i've just met"

ought self

the person you feel you SHOULD be -duties and obligations