Research methods in social psychology

Question 1

Hindsight bias

Answer 1

Tendency to exaggerate, after learning an outcome, one’s ability to have foreseen it
- the “i knew it all along” phenomenon

Question 2

Proverbs

Answer 2

used to make any result seem it makes sense and it is true.

Is it true that: “too many cooks spoil the broth” or that “two heads are better than one”?

Question 3

QUANTATIVE research - definition

Answer 3

Approach to research aimed at studying the relationship between variables.
Variables = expressed numerically and their relationships are explored via statistical analysis

Question 4

QUALATIVE research - definition

Answer 4

approach to research based on interpretation of qualitive data

Question 5

ASPECTS - Quantative research

Answer 5

1. persue the systematic measurement of phenomena (often in controlled laboratory settings)
2. make predicitions about the outcomes of research
3. aim at establishing general laws + principles about types of phenomena
   - positivism + idea that psychological variables can be reliably measured
   - hypotheses
   - inductive method

Question 6

ASPECTS - qualitive research

Answer 6

1. focus on interpretation of phenomena as emerged in naturalistic + unconstrained situations
2. open to new, surprising and previously unthought of findings
3. aim to provide a thorough description + understanding of specific phenomena under investigation
   - constructivism
   -lacks hypotheses
   exploratory nature

Question 7

quantative research - more in depth

Answer 7

see’s social psychological world in terms of measurable variables
psychological variables= self esteem, life satisfaction etc (general feelings about yourself)
change over time and/or across situations
Focus of interest = interplay between variables
connections are expressed numerically (quantaties)
eg: relation between self esteem and performance at school

Question 8

Stages of QUANTATIVE apporach to research

Answer 8

1. research question (broad or narrow question addressed by researcher)
2. theory ( interrelated assumptions + propositions used to define/explain specific phenomena)
3. hypothesis (testable proposition)
4. method ( research procedure used to test hypotheses)

Question 9

Correlational research

Answer 9

Study of natural occurring relationships between variables
Type of non experimental research method - researcher measures 2 variables
- a testable proposition that describes relationship that MAY exist between events
questionaries are most used measurement

Question 10

Experimental research

Answer 10

set of principles that explain + predict observed events (eg; theory of planned behaviour –> explained people’s behavior)

Question 11

what should a questionaire contain?

Answer 11

1. nature of sample
2. order of questions
3. response options
4. wording of questions
5. validity + reliability of measure we use

Question 12

Random sampling

Answer 12

Survey procedure in which every person in population being studied has equal chance of inclusion

Question 13

Association vs correlation

Answer 13

Association indicate the relationship BUT they cannot tell us whether changing one variable will cause change in another

Question 14

correlation research

Answer 14

study of naturally occurring relationship between variables

- can be randomly assigned to conditions

Question 15

negative + positive correlation

Answer 15

Negative = when one variable decrease and one increases 
positive = both variables increase or decrease

Question 16

searching for cause + effect

Answer 16

studies that seek understanding cause + effect relationships by manipulating one or more factors (independent variables) but controlling others (keeping them constant)
every social psychology experiment contains
1. control - manipulating variables
2. random assignment

Question 17

independent variable

Answer 17

the experimental factors that researcher manipulates

changes

Question 18

dependent variable

Answer 18

variable expected to be dependent on manipulation or change in independent variables
(does not change)

Question 19

random assignment

Answer 19

the process of assigning participants to the conditions of an experiment such that all people have the same chance of being in a given condition

Question 20

experimental research

Answer 20

studies that seeks to understand cause - effect relationships by manipulating one or more factors (independent) while controlling other (constant)
- can’t be randomly assigned to conditions

Question 21

Quasi experiments

Answer 21

natural experiments

field experiment

Question 22

Natural experiments

Answer 22

researcher does NOT directly manipulate independent variable for practical or ethical reasons

Question 23

Field experiments

Answer 23

Researcher CAN manipulate independent variable, but NO random assignment + no full control of confounding variables

Question 24

qualitative research

Answer 24

• research question addressed in a way that allows a free exploration of the issue
• constructivism = study socially constructed accounts to context
• purposive or theoretical sampling
• researcher interacts with participant
• data collection instruments = interview, observation, newspapers

Question 25

qualitative data analysis

Answer 25

Aims: capture meaning

researchers need to carefully code data + discern themes

Question 26

main traditions of qualitative analysis

Answer 26

1. Grounded theory
2. discourse analysis
3. critical discourse analysis
4. interpretive phenomenological analysis

Question 27

Grounded theory - Glaser and strauss 1967

Answer 27

In this theory rather than beginning by developing a hypothesis based on existing research + theory, data collection is the first step. From data collection concepts are developed and from these concepts categories are formed using method of constant comparison
- want to create a theory which accounts for every single piece of data

Question 28

discourse analysis (DA) - potter and wetherell 1987

Answer 28

Argued that the ‘talk’ + ‘text’ should be the principle of concern in social psychology,
Potter argues that language is not simply mirror neutrally reflecting how we see the world + ourselves but also constructs yard where life is constructed
3 interpretive repertories:
1. professional boundaries
2. disempowered psychology
3. psychology + health

Question 29

Interpretative phenomenological analysis

Answer 29

based on philosophy of phenomenology. Phenomenologists emphasize the inextricable relationship between the mind and the outside world