PSYCH 9.1 Stanford Prison Experiment and Lay Beliefs about Psychology
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58 Terms
Q: What are demand characteristics?
A: When experimenters unintentionally influence participants to behave in expected ways.
Q: How did demand characteristics affect the Stanford Prison Experiment?
A: Participants may have acted according to expected "guard" and "prisoner" roles.
Q: What was a major ethical issue in the SPE?
A: Participants had no easy way to quit the experiment.
Q: What is selection bias in the SPE?
A: Participants self-selected into a "prison study," possibly attracting certain personalities.
Q: Why is the sample in the SPE criticized?
A: It consisted only of White males, limiting generalizability.
Q: Why is the SPE considered unrepresentative of real prisons?
A: It lacked diversity and realistic prison conditions.
Q: What belief justified harmful behavior in the SPE?
A: That actions were "for science and the good of society."
Q: Why is this justification problematic?
A: Real abuses of power are rarely for societal good.
Q: What does it mean that the SPE "took on a life of its own"?
A: It became widely misinterpreted by the public compared to academic understanding.
Q: What is a key takeaway from critiques of the SPE?
A: Scientific studies can be misunderstood and oversimplified by the public.
Q: How is psychology often viewed by laypeople?
A: As not a real science or as pseudoscience.
Q: What did Keith Stanovich call psychology?
A: The "Rodney Dangerfield of the sciences."
Q: Why did Stanovich use this comparison?
A: Psychology often "gets no respect" from the public.
Q: What did the APA Benchmark Study (2008) measure?
A: Public attitudes toward psychology.
Q: What percentage believed psychology improves lives?
A: 82%.
Q: What percentage believed psychology is scientific?
A: Only 30%.
Q: What are the six main criticisms of psychology?
Merely common sense
Not scientific
Everyone is unique
Not repeatable
Not precise
Not useful
Q: What does this criticism claim?
A: Psychology just states obvious truths.
Q: Why is the claim psychology is merely common sense incorrect?
A: Many psychological findings contradict common sense.
Q: What is an example of a false belief about anger?
A: Expressing anger reduces anger.
Q: What percentage believed anger expression reduces anger?
A: 66%.
Q: What is a myth about full moons?
A: They cause strange behavior.
Q: What percentage believed this myth?
A: 65%.
Q: What is a common misconception about schizophrenia?
A: It involves multiple personalities.
Q: What percentage believed this (1977)?
A: 77%.
Q: What is a misconception about memory?
A: It works like a tape recorder.
Q: What percentage believed this (2009)?
A: 27%.
Q: What is a myth about lie detectors?
A: They are highly accurate.
Q: What percentage believed the myth about lie detectors?
A: 45%.
Q: What is a myth about hypnosis?
A: People blindly obey hypnotists.
Q: What percentage believed the myth about hypnosis?
A: 44%.
Q: What is a test-taking myth?
A: Always stick with your first answer.
Q: What percentage believed the myth about test taking?
75
Q: What percentage believe schizophrenia = split personality?
A: 50%.
Q: What percentage believe subliminal ads are effective?
A: 72%.
Q: What percentage believe Mozart boosts intelligence?
A: 40%.
Q: Is there one universal scientific method?
A: No.
Q: What are two core features of science?
1. Willingness to root out error
2. Safeguards against confirmation bias
Q: What is confirmation bias?
A: Seeking evidence that supports existing beliefs.
Q: How does psychology reduce bias?
A: Through controls, double-blind designs, etc.
Q: Is psychology similar to other sciences?
A: Yes, in its use of scientific methods.
Q: Why doesn't individuality invalidate psychology?
A: Patterns still exist across people.
Q: What analogy is used?
A: Melanoma patients are unique, yet treatments work broadly.
Q: What do psychiatric diagnoses focus on?
A: Shared core symptoms despite differences.
Q: Is replication perfect in psychology?
no
Q: Does that mean no results are repeatable?
A: No, many are, replication is an issue in other sciences like cancer research
Q: Why are precise predictions difficult in psychology?
A: Human behavior is highly complex.
Q: Can psychology make accurate group predictions?
yes
Q: What example is used for is psychology can make group predictions?
A: Predicting patterns in large samples vs individuals.
Q: What analogy is used for is psych can make accurate group predictions?
A: Meteorology (weather prediction).
Q: How has psychology helped autism treatment?
A: Operant conditioning (reinforcement or punishment) improves language skills.
Q: How has psychology improved eyewitness testimony?
A: Changed lineup procedures to reduce bias.
Q: How has memory research impacted law?
A: Changed how eyewitness evidence is evaluated.
Q: How has psychology influenced economics?
A: Introduced heuristics and biases (not purely rational actors).
Q: How has perception research improved safety?
A: Changed fire truck colors to lime-yellow for visibility.
Q: What policy change used psychology?
A: Organ donation defaults (e.g., Nova Scotia).
Q: What is the Moral Machine Experiment about?
A: Ethics of self-driving cars.
Q: How has psychology improved organizations?
A: Diversity interventions.
