Research Methods in Social Psychology

Flashcards for reviewing research methods in social psychology lecture notes.

Scientific Research

Consciously designed methods to overcome distortions in lay opinions.

Scientific Theory

A general statement about social behavior that explains why behavior occurs and under what conditions.

Constructs

Abstract concepts that cannot be observed directly, used in scientific theories.

Causal Relationships

Theories offer reasons to explain why events occur, indicating that a change in one construct produces a corresponding change in another.

Interventions

Practical steps taken to change people’s behavior or to solve social problems.

Construct Validity

The extent to which the independent and dependent variables used in research correspond to the theoretical constructs under investigation.

Independent Variable (IV)

A concrete manipulation or measurement of a construct that is thought to cause changes in other constructs.

Dependent Variable (DV)

A concrete measurement of a construct that is thought to be an effect of other constructs.

Social Desirability Response Bias

People’s tendency to act in ways that they believe others find acceptable and approve of.

Self-report measures

Measures that rely on participants' own reports, which can be sensitive to social desirability bias.

Observational measures

Assessment of behavior that can be sensitive to social desirability.

Archival measures

Examination of past behavior through existing records.

Performance measures

Tasks designed to measure how well participants perform, which are less sensitive to social desirability bias.

Physiological measures

Measurements of physical responses like heart rate or blood pressure.

Neuroscience-based measures

Using brain activity to measure responses to social stimuli.

Internal Validity

The extent to which changes in the independent variable actually caused changes in the dependent variable in a research study.

Research Design

A plan that specifies how research participants will be selected and treated.

Threat of reversed causal direction

Threat to internal validity where the causal direction between variables might be reversed.

Third variable problem

When factors other than the independent variable may be causing the observed changes in the dependent variable.

Experimental manipulation

Researcher manipulates (varies) the independent variable so that participants in the different conditions are exposed to different treatments

Random assignment

Ensures that the groups are approximately equivalent in every way

Demand characteristics

Cues that lead participants to assumptions about the goal

External Validity

The extent to which research results can be generalized to other appropriate people, times, and settings.

Individualist cultures

Individual uniqueness

Collectivist countries

Social roles, relations, obligations

Replication Crisis

results of many influential widely cited studies failed to be replicated

Informed consent

Ethical consideration ensuring participants are aware of the study details

Debriefing

The process of informing participants about the true nature and purpose of a study after it has concluded.