Introduction to Social Psychology – Key Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the major terms and concepts introduced in the lecture on social psychology, research methods, and scientific reasoning.

Multicultural Perspectives

Approach that recognizes and analyzes the impact of multiple cultural backgrounds on perception, behavior, and tolerance.

Social Cognition

Mental processes involved in perceiving, interpreting, and remembering information about the social world.

Constructed Social Reality

Idea that people actively create their subjective understanding of social events based on group membership and expectations.

Armchair Philosophy

Forming conclusions about people purely through reflection or common sense rather than scientific testing.

Science (in Psychology)

Systematic methods for collecting data and building reliable knowledge about behavior and mental processes.

Scientific Method

Four-step cycle of observation, theorizing, data collection, and refinement/testing used to build scientific explanations.

Systematic Observation

Careful, structured recording of behavior or events to obtain objective data.

Operational Definition

Precise description of how a variable is measured or manipulated in a study.

Correlational Method

Research design that assesses the direction and strength of relationships between naturally occurring variables.

Positive Correlation

Relationship in which two variables increase or decrease together.

Negative Correlation

Relationship in which one variable increases while the other decreases.

Direction of Causality Problem

Limitation of correlational research where it is unclear which variable influences the other.

Blind Study

Design in which participants are unaware of the condition they are in, reducing expectancy effects.

Double Blind Study

Design in which both participants and experimenters are unaware of condition assignments, minimizing bias.

Deception (in Research)

Intentional withholding or distortion of study purpose to prevent participant bias when ethically justified.

Internal Attribution

Explanation of behavior as stemming from personal traits or dispositions.

External Attribution

Explanation of behavior as caused by situational or environmental factors.

Participant Characteristics

Personal qualities or motives that can influence how individuals behave in an experiment.

Operational Manipulation

Specific procedures used to vary the independent variable across experimental conditions.

Evolutionary Adaptation

Inherited trait that increased survival or reproductive success over generations, influencing current social behavior.