Understanding Social Psychology Theories and Methods

1. Chapter 1 Theories and Methods in Social Psychology

2. The Social Psychological Approach • Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to others

3. The Social Psychological Approach • focuses on the interpersonal (rather than the societal or individual) level of analysis

4. Historical Roots of Social Psychology • Three major perspectives have influenced social psychology: • Psychoanalytic Theory • Behaviorism • Gestalt Psychology

5. Theories in Social Psychology • Motivational Theories • Learning Theories • Cognitive Theories • Decision-Making Theories • Interdependence Theories

6. Sociocultural Theories • A sociocultural perspective emphasizes how behavior is influenced by cultural values, social norms, and social roles.

7. Sociocultural Theories • Cultures differ in the relative emphasis they give to individualism versus collectivism.

8. Evolutionary Social Psychology • applies the principles of evolution and natural selection to the understanding of human behavior and social life.

9. Social Psychological Theories Today • combines and integrates different theoretical traditions. • “middle-range theories,” or models to explain specific aspects of human behavior, are emphasized.

10. Research Methods • scientific methodology and minimizing bias are emphasized.

11. Four Goals of Research • Description • Causal Analysis • Theory Building • Application

12. Selecting Research Participants • Ideal samples are representative of the population from which they come. • Random sampling is the best way to get a representative sample.

13. Biases in Research Samples • College students are over-represented due to convenience. • Males are over-represented in older research. • Ethnic minority groups are under-represented.

14. Correlational versus Experimental Designs • There are two basic research designs: correlational and experimental.

15. Correlational Research • Observes the relationship between two or more variables

16. Advantages of Correlational Designs • Enable researchers to study problems in which intervention is impossible or unethical • Efficient: allow researchers to collect more information and test more relationships

17. Disadvantages of Correlational Designs • Do not provide clear-cut evidence of cause-and-effect • reverse-causality problem • third-variable problem

18. Experimental Research • The researcher creates two or more conditions that differ from each other in clearly specified ways. • Individuals are randomly assigned to conditions. • Their reactions are measured.

19. Variables in Experiments • The independent variable is the presumed cause and is manipulated by the researcher.

20. Variables in Experiments • The dependent variable is the effect that is measured.

21. Variables in Experiments • The operational definition of a variable is the specific procedure or operations used to manipulate or measure it.

22. Random Assignment • Random assignment is crucial because it allows one to infer that differences between groups are due solely to the experimental conditions.

23. Table 1-1

24. Field versus Laboratory Settings • Field research examines behavior in its natural habitat • Laboratory research is done in an artificial situation.

25. Advantages of Laboratory Research • maximizes internal validity • more convenient and less costly than field research

26. Advantages of Field Research • Maximizes external validity • Allows researchers to study powerful situations that cannot be studied in the lab. • Minimizes suspicion by participants

27. Table 1-2

28. Methods of Data Collection • Self-Report • Observational Research • Archival Research

29. Bias in Research • Two kinds of bias are troublesome in social psychology: experimenter bias and subject bias

30. Experimenter Bias • Subtle cues from the researchers may influence participants’ behavior. • Solutions • “blind” research assistants • Standardize research procedures

31. Subject Bias • The mere fact of knowing that one is being studied may alter one’s behavior. • Solutions • unobtrusive measures • don’t tell participants the goals or hypotheses

32. Replication • No one study is ever perfect, so results should be replicated • Conceptual replications should be conducted in addition to exact replications.

33. Research Ethics • American Psychological Association ethical guidelines for research • Institutional Review Boards.

34. Three Important Ethical Principles • Informed Consent • Debriefing • Minimal Risk