Social Psychology 02 Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is the primary focus of social psychology?
It broadly focuses on understanding people within social contexts, centering on how they interact and relate to one another.
What defines a social psychological theory?
It’s a set of ideas attempting to explain human actions by examining various social or psychological processes.
What are the two main categories of research methods in social psychology?
Experimental and non-experimental methods.
Define the ‘bystander effect’.
It’s a phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone in need when other people are present. This often happens because people assume someone else will intervene.
What distinguishes experimental from non-experimental research?
The key difference is researcher control; experimental research involves manipulating factors, while non-experimental research observes things as they naturally occur without manipulation.
Which classic study, involving a line-matching task, demonstrated the power of conformity?
Solomon Asch’s (1951) study on conformity.
What did Asch’s (1951) experiment reveal about social pressure?
It showed that participants often conformed to a group’s obviously incorrect answer, highlighting the significant effect of social influence on individual decision-making and judgment.
What is a laboratory experiment in social psychology?
It’s an experiment conducted in a controlled, designated room (a lab) where participants are observed or tested, often using specific equipment.
List some strengths of laboratory experiments.
High control over variables, aiding cause-and-effect determination.
Standardised procedures enhance reliability.
Allows for accurate and detailed measurement.
List some limitations of laboratory experiments.
Artificial settings may limit generalisability to the real world.
Participants might alter their behaviour (demand characteristics).
Ethical or practical issues can limit the scope of research.
What is a field experiment?
An experiment conducted in a naturalistic, real-world setting outside of a laboratory.
What did Bryan and Test (1967) find in their ‘flat tyre’ field study?
They found that people were significantly more likely to stop and help a person with a flat tyre if they had previously seen someone else helping in a similar situation.
List some strengths of field experiments.
High external validity; results are more applicable to real life.
Observes more authentic behaviour.
Reduces demand characteristics.
List some limitations of field experiments.
Less control over variables makes pinpointing causes harder.
Can raise ethical concerns (e.g., lack of informed consent).
Difficult to replicate due to variable conditions.
What are online experiments?
Experiments conducted via the internet, often through surveys, allowing for broad participation.
List some strengths of online experiments.
Access to diverse and large samples quickly.
Lower costs and time commitment.
Participant convenience can increase participation and natural responses.
List some limitations of online experiments.
Less control over the participant’s environment.
Potential for sampling bias.
Technical issues (internet, devices) can affect data quality.
What is the focus of qualitative research in social psychology?
It aims to understand people’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings in-depth using non-numerical data to gain rich insights.
Name five methods used for qualitative data collection in social psychology.
Interviews, photo elicitation, focus groups, journals/diaries, and using the internet (blogs, forums, etc.).
What is ‘photo elicitation’?
A method where photographs taken by participants are used as prompts in interviews to stimulate deeper discussion.
What is a ‘focus group’?
A qualitative method using a small, diverse group to discuss a topic, gathering insights and opinions.
What is a significant ethical challenge when using ‘found text’ from online sources for research?
It concerns confidentiality, anonymity, and particularly informed consent, as collecting data without participants’ awareness and agreement is generally considered unethical.
Name four methods used for qualitative analysis in social psychology.
Thematic Analysis.
Conversation Analysis.
Discourse Analysis.
Phenomenological Analysis.
(Also: Narrative Analysis).
