Professional Documents
Culture Documents
revealing science of
social psychology
Learning Goals
Understand the foundations of social psychology
How do social psychologists conduct research?
How do social psychologists ensure the quality of their
research?
How does social psychology research differ across
cultures?
What are the ethical implications of social psychology
research?
Foundations of Social
Psychology
Evolutionary Perspective
Social behavior is a consequence of evolutionary
adaptations
Cultural Perspective
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by
culture
Humans give their own symbolic conception of reality, this is
culture
Existential Perspective
Cognitions, affect, and behaviors are influenced by
aspects of the human condition, such as the knowledge
of mortality, the desire for meaning, and personal
identity
Neuroscience Perspective
How do
psychologists
conduct research?
Scientific Method
R
ent
m
e
efin
Conclusion:
Insights about
what works,
gained from
analysis
Evaluation:
Assess the
outcome of
the
experiment
Theory:
Assumption
based on welltested and
accepted
hypotheses
Hypothesis:
Speculation
about how
something
might work
Experimentati
on:
Trial to test
hypothesis
Operational definitions
Specific procedure for manipulating or
measuring a conceptual variable
Example: IQ
1. Correlational Research
Goal is to determine relations between variables.
How similar or distinct are two variables?
How well does one variable predict another variable?
1. Correlational Research
Correlation coefficient
1. Correlational Research
Advantages
Can assess associations between variables that
Cannot be manipulated or induced
Would be difficult or unethical to manipulate or induce
Disadvantages
Correlation causation
Self-selection
2. Experimental Research
Research that randomly assigns people to different
conditions, thus enabling researchers to make strong
inferences about how different conditions affect
behavior
2. Experimental Research
Key terms
Independent variable: Variable that is
manipulated, hypothesized to cause an
outcome
2. Experimental Research
Key terms
Dependent variable: Variable that is
measured, hypothesized to be affected by an IV
DV: Aggression
2. Experimental Research
Key terms
Random assignment: Assigning research
participants to different groups randomly
2. Experimental Research
Key terms
Control condition: Condition comparable to
the experimental condition in every way except
for that it lacks the one ingredient
hypothesized to produce the expected effect on
the DV
2. Experimental Research:
Laboratory Experiments
Advantages:
Conducted in settings in which environment can be controlled
Participants can be carefully studied
Control groups allow us to draw causal inferences with a good
degree of certainty
Disadvantage:
Can the causal inferences made from studying people in a
laboratory generalized to the real world?
2. Experimental Research:
Field Experiments
An experiment set up in the real world, often with
participants who are not aware that they are in a study
of any kind
Advantage:
People more likely to behave naturally in the real world than
they are in the lab
Disadvantage:
Less control than a laboratory study
3. Meta-Analysis
Set of statistical procedures for combining the results of
individual studies to measure the overall reliability and
strength of a particular effect
Internal Validity
Confidence that only the manipulated variable could
have produced the results
External Validity
Experimental setup closely resembles real-life situations
so that results can safely be generalized to such
situations
Laboratory experiments often tradeoff an increase in
internal validity for a decrease in external validity
Realism
Mundane: Extent to which
the research setting
resembles the real-world
setting of interest
Experimental: Degree to
which the experimental
setting and procedures are
real and involving to the
participant
Arnett, 2008
The neglected 95%. American Psychologist.
Psychological research focuses largely on Americans
Less than 5% of the population of the world
Deception in Experiments
Deception: Providing participants with false
information about experimental procedures
Can add to realism
Ethical issues