Chapter 2 Methodology

Question 1

I-Knew-It-All-Along Hindsight bias:

Answer 1

the tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted an outcome after knowing it occurred (Aronson et al., 2007)

Many of the findings we are going to discuss are going to seem obvious

Is social psychology just common sense?

Question 2

Hypothesis -

Answer 2

a testable prediction about a relationship between variables

Hypotheses must be stated using very specific operationaly defined variables

Inspiration from old theories (applying old theories in new ways)

Inspiration from old theories (from challenging prior research)

Question 3

operational definitions -

Answer 3

give clear, precise definition to variables, including how they are measured or manipulated

Hypothesis: Watching violent TV causes aggression

Op. Def. of violent TV = watch Barney OR watch Power Rangers

Op. Def. of aggression = number of times Bobo doll is kicked and punched

Text book definition of aggression: intentional behavior aimed at causing physical harm or psychological pain to another

Question 4

Operationally Define:

Answer 4

Helping (as a measure)

Shyness (as a measure)

Anxiety (as a measure)

Social exclusion (as a manipulation)

Confidence (as a manipulation)

Question 5

Evaluating Operational Definitions

Answer 5

Operational definitions tell us exactly what is being studied

Headline: Study Proves Violent TV Causes Violence

Violence = punching a Bobo doll

How concerned should we be?

Violence = attacking classmates with a weapon How concerned should we be?

What prevents operational definitions from perfectly capturing what we really care about?

Question 6

Correlational Method-

Answer 6

technique two or more variables are systematically measured and the relationship between them (i.e., how much one can be predicted from the other) is assessed. Example: Does happiness go up as exercise goes up? Example: Are number of siblings related to happiness? 1.How many hours do you exercise per week? 2.Rate your happiness on a 1-10 scale 1=extreme unhappiness 10 = extreme happiness 3.How many siblings do you have?

Question 7

Correlation

Answer 7

exists when 2 variables are related Correlation coefficient – a statistical technique that assesses how well you can predict one variable from another. Scaled to be between -1 and 1 Numbers farther from 0 indicate a stronger relationship Examples? Sign (+ or -) indicates direction of the relationship

Question 8

Positive Correlation X Y Height Weight

Positive correlation – when 2 variables change together in the same direction Negative Correlation X Y Exercise Weight X Y SES Mental Illness

Answer 8

Negative correlation – when 2 variables change together in opposite directions

Question 9

Correlation Coefficient: Correlational studies can’t establish causation, but can be used for prediction 0 No relation Strong Strong -.5 .5 1

Answer 9

CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION X Correlation Y Exercise Happiness Self-Esteem Grades Crime Ice Cream Sales Possible Explanations X Y X Y X Y Z

Question 10

Experiment –

Answer 10

The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent variable. oOnly method that allows determination of causality. oExperiment on if Exercise Causes Happiness

Question 11

Independent Variable (IV) –

Answer 11

the variable a researcher changes or varies to see if it has an effect on some other variable.

Question 12

Dependent Variable (DV) -

Answer 12

the variable a researcher measures to see if it is influenced by the independent variable; the researcher hypothesizes that the DV will depend on the level of the IV.

The outcome

Sometimes = observed behavior

Often = answers on ?naire

Question 13

Internal validity –

Answer 13

making sure that nothing besides the independent variable can affect the dependent variable… … accomplished by… controlling all extraneous variables/avoiding confounds

Question 14

Extraneous variable -

Answer 14

any variables other than the IV that could influence the DV in a study .

Question 15

Confound -

Answer 15

occurs when two variables (a variable of interests and an extraneous variable) are linked in a way that makes it hard to know their unique effects

Question 16

Using random assignment –

Answer 16

a process ensuring that all participants have an equal chance of taking part in any condition of the experiment

Question 17

Confounding examples

Answer 17

Confounding Examples
In a taste test 35 F Coca-Cola is compared to 80 F Pepsi

To study the effect of violent movies on aggression

20 JV football players are assigned to watch Batman and 20 JV chess club members are assigned to watch Mama Mia

Aggression levels are compared

To study the effect of rock music on grades

100 PSY 101 students are randomly assigned to either listen to rock music for 2 hours a day (7 PM to 9 PM) everyday for a week or to do whatever they want from 7 PM to 9 PM besides listen to rock music

Grades on the first exam are compared.

Question 18

External validity –

Answer 18

the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and other people (Aronson et al., 2007).

Generalizability across situations Experiments often don’t resemble real life situations.

Question 19

Psychological realism –

Answer 19

the extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to the psychological processes that occur in everyday life (Aronson et al., 2007).

Question 20

Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research

Deception –

Answer 20

misleading participants about the true purpose of a study or the events that will actually transpire (Aronson et al., 2007) Is deception ethical?

Allows for more naturalistic observation of behavior (i.e. improves external validity)

Does it harm participants?

Basic ethical guidelines:

Obtain informed consent

Obtain institutional review board approval
Debriefing must be used when using deception