1: Intro and methods

Question 1

What are the four goals of research?

Answer 1

1. Description.
2. Causal analysis.
3. Theory building.
4. Application

Question 2

When selecting research participants, they must be _________ of the __________ from which they come.

Answer 2

When selecting research participants, they must be representative of the population from which they come.

Question 3

What is the best way to get the most representative sample?

Answer 3

Random sampling.

Question 4

What are the two basic research designs in social psychology?

Answer 4

Correlational and experimental.

Question 5

What does correlational research do?

Answer 5

Observes the relationship between 2 or more variables.

Question 6

What is the range for correlations?

Answer 6

-1 to +1

Question 7

What are the two main advantages of correlational designs?

Answer 7

1. Researchers can study problems in which intervention would be impossible or unethical.
2. Efficient. Researchers can collect more information and test more relationships.

Question 8

What is the main disadvantage of correlational designs?

Answer 8

Cannot determine cause and effect or variables.

Reverse causality problem.
Third variable problem.

Question 9

What are the three main features of experimental research?

Answer 9

1. Researcher creates 2+ conditions that differ from another in clearly specified ways.
2. Individuals randomly assigned to conditions.
3. Their reactions are measured.

Question 10

What is the operational definition of a variable?

Answer 10

The specific procedure or operations used to manipulate or measure a variable.

Question 11

What is the main difference between field and lab research?

Answer 11

Field research examines behaviour in its natural habitat, whereas, lab research examines behaviour in an artificial setting.

Question 12

What are the two main advantages of lab research?

Answer 12

1. Maximises internal validity.

2. More convenient and less costly than field research.

Question 13

What are the three main advantages of field research?

Answer 13

1. Maximises external validity.
2. Allows researchers to study powerful situations that cannot be studied in a lab.
3. Minimises suspicion by participants.

Question 14

What are the three methods of data collection in social psychology research?

Answer 14

1. Self report.
2. Observational.
3. Archival research.

Question 15

Who two bodies hold authority over research ethics in social psychology research?

Answer 15

1. BPS or APA ethical guidelines for research.

2. Institutional review boards.

Question 16

What are the three important ethical principles of research in social psychology?

Answer 16

1. Informed consent.
2. Debriefing.
3. Minimising risk.

Question 17

What is hindsight bias?

Answer 17

The tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted an outcome after knowing it occurred.

Question 18

According to Latané and Darley (1968), what is the diffusion of responsibility?

Answer 18

The more people who witness an emergency, the less likely any given individual will intervene.

Question 19

What is ethnography? What research method category does it fall under?

Answer 19

Ethnography is a method used in observational research. Researchers attempt to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside, without imposing any preconceived notions they might have.

Question 20

What is interjudge reliability?

Answer 20

The level of agreement between 2+ people who independently observe and code a set of data.

By showing 2+ judges independently came up with the same observations, researchers ensure observations are less subjective.

Question 21

What is archival analysis? What method of research does it fall under?

Answer 21

Used in observational research, examining accumulated documents or archives or a culture, such as diaries, novels, magazines and newspapers.

Question 22

What are the 3 limitations of observational research?

Answer 22

1. Some behaviours are difficult to observe if they rarely occur or are done in private.
2. If using archives are sources, information may be biased or limited in what the original author or publisher chose to disclose in the papers.
3. It can only be used to describe behaviour, not predict or explain it.

Question 23

What is a correlation coefficient? Give an example.

Answer 23

A statistical technique that assesses how well you can predict one variable from another.

E.g. How well you can predict someone’s weight from their height.

Question 24

What are surveys?

Answer 24

Research in which a representative sample of people are asked (often anonymously) questions about their attitudes and behaviour.

Question 25

What are the two main advantages of using surveys?

Answer 25

1. Allows researchers to judge the relationship between variables that are difficult to observe. 2. Capability of sampling representative segments of a population.

Question 26

What is the main disadvantage of using surveys?

Answer 26

Accuracy of responses. Predicting ones behaviour in hypothetical situations rely more on their own theories and beliefs, which may not be accurate to what they would actually do in such a scenario.

Question 27

What is a probability level (p-value)?

Answer 27

A number calculated with statistical techniques that tells researchers how likely is is that the results of their experiment occurred by change and not because of independent variable(s). In social psychology, the significance level is .05 or 5%.

Question 28

What is psychological realism?

Answer 28

The extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to psychological processes that occur in everyday life.

Question 29

What is one method used to increase psychological realism in research?

Answer 29

Experimenters telling participants a cover story.

Question 30

What is a cover story?

Answer 30

A description of a purpose of a study, given to participants, that is different from its true purpose and is used to maintain psychological realism.

Question 31

What are replications in social psychology research? Why are they used?

Answer 31

Repeating a study, often with different subject populations or in different settings. Replications are used to test an experiments external validity.

Question 32

What is a meta-analysis? Why is it used in social psychology researcher?

Answer 32

A statistical technique that averages the results of 2+ studies. It is used to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable.

Question 33

What is basic research? Why is it conducted?

Answer 33

Studies designed to find the best answer to why people behave the way they do. They are conducted purely for reasons of intellectual curiosity.

Question 34

What is applied research? Why is it conducted?

Answer 34

Studies designed to understand the underlying causes behind a particular social phenomena. They are conducted to solve specific social problems.

Question 35

What is cross-cultural research? Why is it conducted?

Answer 35

Research conducted with members of different cultures. To see whether psychological processes are present in both cultures or are only found in particular ones.

Question 36

Where the limitations of cross-cultural research?

Answer 36

Observer limitations and bias.

Question 37

What is evolutionary theory?

Answer 37

A concept developed by Charles Darwin to explain the ways animals adapt to their environment.

Question 38

What is natural selection?

Answer 38

The process in which heritable traits promoting survival in a particular environment are passed down to future generations. Organisms with those traits are more likely to produce offspring.

Question 39

What is evolutionary psychology in the context of social psychology?

Answer 39

The attempt to explain social behaviour in terms of genetic factors having evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection.

Question 40

What is the main advantage of evolutionary psychology?

Answer 40

Can generate novel hypotheses that can be tested with other methods of psychological research.

Question 41

What is the main disadvantage of evolutionary psychology?

Answer 41

Difficult to test with the experimental method.

Question 42

What are the two main methods of measurement used uni social neuroscience? Why are they used?

Answer 42

fMRI and EEG Allow researchers to correlated different kinds of brain activity with social information processing.

Question 43

What is fMRI?

Answer 43

People are placed in scanners that measure changes in blood flow in the brain.

Question 44

What is EEG?

Answer 44

Electrodes are placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity in the brain.

Question 45

What is informed consent?

Answer 45

Agreement to participate in an experiment, granting in full awareness of the nature of the the experiment, which has been explained in advance.

Question 46

What is deception?

Answer 46

Misleading participants about the true purpose of a study or the events what will actually transpire.

Question 47

What is the IRB for psychological research?

Answer 47

The Institutional Review Board a group made of 1 scientist, 1 nonscientist, 1 person not affiliated with the institution that reviews all researcher at that institution. They decide whether it meets ethical guidelines and can be approved.

Question 48

What is debriefing?

Answer 48

Explaining to participants, at the end of an experiment, the true purpose of a study and exactly what transpired.