Psy 2020 chapter 1
- 1. Social Psychology: Introducing Social Psychology 9/10/2014
- 2. What is Social Psychology • Social Psychology: • Scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. • The influences of our situations, with special attention to how we view and affect other people. • Social Psych vs. Personality Psych • Individual differences vs how individuals view and affect one another
- 3. • Does our behavior depend on the objective situations we face or how we construe them?- Self-fulfilling prophecy • Would people be cruel if ordered?- Obedience, Milgram • To help, or to help oneself? – Influence of culture, collectivistic vs individualistic
- 4. Social Psychology’s Big Ideas: Social Thinking • We construct our social reality: • Attribution: circumstances, person • Culture • Social influences shape our behavior and attitudes • Obedience, Altruism
- 5. Social Psychology’s Big Ideas: Social Influences • Personal attitudes and dispositions shape behavior • Violent actions vs Nonviolent actions • Civil Rights Movement Social Psychology can help understand our own behavior, attitudes - thinking and how it is influenced by others and how other behavior can be influenced by us
- 6. The influence of human values in Social Psychology 1. Choosing Research Topic 1. Social History 2. Personal History 1. Culture 2. Personal preference 3. Topic – how they form, change, influence 2. Subjectivity: 1. Common Culture within researchers 2. Definitions
- 7. Social Psychology and Common Sense • Hindsight bias: • Tendency to exaggerate after learning an outcome, ones ability to have foreseen how something turned out • Attraction to people • Opposites attract vs. Birds of a feather flock together
- 9. Research Methods • Theory vs. Hypothesis • Research Method: • Correlational Research • Survey Research • Experimental Research • Locations • Field Research • Laboratory Research • Ethics
- 10. Hypothesis • Hypothesis: testable proposition that describes a relationship that may exist between events. • states expected relationship between variables. • A statement about the predicted relationship between the two or more variables • Directional hypothesis: specific relationship between IV and DV • Nondirectional hypothesis: a change in IV will cause a change in the DV
- 11. Research Methods! Hypothesis vs. Theory • Theory: integrated set of principles that explain and predict observed events A theory is someone’s understanding of how things work. This means: Most theories are proposals about what causes what, and under what conditions. Two Examples: Theories of Aggression Frustration-aggression theory says aggressive behavior is one response to frustration. Social learning theory understands aggression as an imitative response to role models. Notice that these theories of aggression are complementary – each addresses an idea that the other does not. Both frustration-aggression theory and social learning theory can be part of a more general understanding. Theories do compete with each other sometimes, but they also often co-exist or even combine. 11
- 12. Correlational Research • Try to determine if two variables are statistically related without manipulating either one experimentally • Used when can’t do an experiment • Relationship of interest is degree to which a set of behaviors may be related • CAUTION: Causation cannot be determined • Directionality problem: we do not know which variable may be doing the causing • Third variable problem: we do not know if some other behavior not being measured may be doing the causing 12
- 13. Survey Research • Participants are asked to complete a questionnaire assessing behaviors, attitudes, and/or opinions • Interested in describing phenomena or in correlating variables to determine whether relationships exist • May be administered as paper-and-pencil, telephone, face-to-face, web-based, or over email • Should use a random sample out of the population • Random Sampling: survey procedure in which every person in the population being studied has an equal chance of inclusion 13
- 14. Survey Research: Biasing Influences • Unrepresentative samples • Order of questions • Response Options • Wording of questions • Framing – the way a question is posed
- 15. Field research • Field research: conducted in a natural real-world setting, outside the laboratory • Advantage: people tend to act more natural in a real-world setting (high validity) • Disadvantage: it is difficult to rule out alternate explanations (low reliability)
- 16. Experimental Research Studies that seek clues to cause and effect relationship by manipulating on or more factors (IV) while controlling others (holding them constant
- 17. Experimental Research • Some factor is varied, all else is held constant, and then some result is measured • The relationship of interest is between a set of circumstances and a behavior - IMPORTANT • An aspect of the environment is manipulated (stimulus) and some aspect of behavior is measured (response) • Under certain circumstances, it is possible to say that the manipulation caused the response 17
- 18. Experimental Research • Independent variable: • Experimental factor that the researcher manipulates. • Independent of the participant’s behavior. • What the experimenter manipulates or chooses... it is the circumstance • Dependent variable: • The variable measured, it may depend on the manipulation of the independent variable. • A.k.a. “outcome” or “criterion” variable • Want to see if it is predicted/influenced by IV • Should (hopefully) be “dependent” on the levels of the independent variable
- 19. • Random assignment: • Assignment of participants to the conditions of an experiment. • All participants should have the same chance of being in a given condition • In experiments: random assignments in groups -> cause and effect • In sampling surveys -> generalize in a population
- 20. Exercise: Recognizing Correlational & Experimental Research • Do people find comedy funnier when alone or with others? • Can they be randomly assigned to the conditions • Independent Variable • Dependent Variable • Do higher-income people have higher self-esteem? • Can they be randomly assigned to the conditions • Independent Variable • Dependent Variable
- 21. Ethics • Informed Consent • Requires that research participants be told enough information for them to choose if they are willing to participate • Deception: • Only when justified • Protect participants: • IRB • Confidentiality • Anonymity • Debrief participants: • Explain the experiment to participants, after the experiment, specially in case of deception