Social Psychology:Introducing Social Psychology9/10/2014

What is Social Psychology

• Social Psychology:

• Scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another.

• The influences of our situations, with special attention to how we view and affect other people.

• Social Psych vs. Personality Psych

• Individual differences vs how individuals view and affect one another

• Does our behavior depend on the objective situations we face or how we construe them?- Self-fulfilling prophecy

• Would people be cruel if ordered?- Obedience, Milgram

• To help, or to help oneself? – Influence of culture, collectivistic vs individualistic

Social Psychology’s Big Ideas:Social Thinking• We construct our social reality:

• Attribution: circumstances, person

• Culture

• Social influences shape our behavior and attitudes

• Obedience, Altruism

Social Psychology’s Big Ideas:Social Influences• Personal attitudes and dispositions shape behavior

• Violent actions vs Nonviolent actions

• Civil Rights Movement

Social Psychology can help understand our own behavior, attitudes - thinking and how it is influenced by others and how other behavior can be influenced by us

The influence of human values in Social Psychology1. Choosing Research Topic

1. Social History

2. Personal History

1. Culture

2. Personal preference

3. Topic – how they form, change, influence

2. Subjectivity:

1. Common Culture within researchers

2. Definitions

Social Psychology and Common Sense• Hindsight bias:

• Tendency to exaggerate after learning an outcome, ones ability to have foreseen how something turned out

• Attraction to people

• Opposites attract vs. Birds of a feather flock together

RESEARCH METHODS

Research Methods

• Theory vs. Hypothesis

• Research Method:

• Correlational Research

• Survey Research

• Experimental Research

• Locations

• Field Research

• Laboratory Research

• Ethics

Hypothesis

• Hypothesis: testable proposition that describes a relationship that may exist between events.

• states expected relationship between variables.

• A statement about the predicted relationship

between the two or more variables

• Directional hypothesis: specific relationship between IV and DV

• Nondirectional hypothesis: a change in IV will cause a change in the DV

Research Methods!Hypothesis vs. Theory• Theory: integrated set of principles that explain and predict observed

events A theory is someone’s understanding of how things work.

This means: Most theories are proposals about what causes what, and under what

conditions.

Two Examples: Theories of Aggression Frustration-aggression theory says aggressive behavior is one response to

frustration. Social learning theory understands aggression as an imitative response to role

models.

Notice that these theories of aggression are complementary – each addresses an idea that the other does not. Both frustration-aggression theory and social learning theory can be part of a

more general understanding. Theories do compete with each other sometimes, but they also often co-exist

or even combine.

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Correlational Research

• Try to determine if two variables are statistically related without manipulating either one experimentally

• Used when can’t do an experiment

• Relationship of interest is degree to which a set of behaviors may be related

• CAUTION: Causation cannot be determined

• Directionality problem: we do not know which variable may be doing the causing

• Third variable problem: we do not know if some other behavior not being measured may be doing the causing 12

Survey Research

• Participants are asked to complete a questionnaire assessing behaviors, attitudes, and/or opinions

• Interested in describing phenomena or in correlating variables to determine whether relationships exist

• May be administered as paper-and-pencil, telephone, face-to-face, web-based, or over email

• Should use a random sample out of the population

• Random Sampling: survey procedure in which every person in the population being studied has an equal chance of inclusion 13

Survey Research: Biasing Influences

• Unrepresentative samples

• Order of questions

• Response Options

• Wording of questions

• Framing – the way a question is posed

Field research

• Field research: conducted in a natural real-world setting, outside the laboratory

• Advantage: people tend to act more natural in a real-world setting (high validity)

• Disadvantage: it is difficult to rule out alternate explanations (low reliability)

Experimental Research

Studies that seek clues to cause and effect relationship by manipulating on or more factors (IV) while controlling others (holding them constant

Experimental Research

• Some factor is varied, all else is held constant, and then some result is measured

• The relationship of interest is between a set of circumstances and a behavior - IMPORTANT

• An aspect of the environment is manipulated(stimulus) and some aspect of behavior is measured (response)

• Under certain circumstances, it is possible to say that the manipulation caused the response

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Experimental Research

• Independent variable:

• Experimental factor that the researcher manipulates.

• Independent of the participant’s behavior.

• What the experimenter manipulates or chooses... it is the circumstance

• Dependent variable:

• The variable measured, it may depend on the manipulation of the independent variable.

• A.k.a. “outcome” or “criterion” variable

• Want to see if it is predicted/influenced by IV

• Should (hopefully) be “dependent” on the levels of the independent variable

• Random assignment:

• Assignment of participants to the conditions of an experiment.

• All participants should have the same chance of being in a given condition

• In experiments: random assignments in groups -> cause and effect

• In sampling surveys -> generalize in a population

Exercise: Recognizing Correlational & Experimental Research• Do people find comedy funnier when alone or with others?

• Can they be randomly assigned to the conditions

• Independent Variable

• Dependent Variable

• Do higher-income people have higher self-esteem?

• Can they be randomly assigned to the conditions

• Independent Variable

• Dependent Variable

Ethics

• Informed Consent

• Requires that research participants be told enough information for them to choose if they are willing to participate

• Deception:

• Only when justified

• Protect participants:

• IRB

• Confidentiality

• Anonymity

• Debrief participants:

• Explain the experiment to participants, after the experiment, specially in case of deception