WEEK 2: the methods of social psychology

Hindsight bias

People’s tendency after learning about a given outcome to be overconfident about whether they could have predicted the outcome

Hypothesis versus theory

• A prediction about what will happen under particular circumstances

• A set of related propositions intended to describe some phenomenon or aspect of the world

Types types of research

• Observational research

• Archival research

• Surveys

Random sampling Vs convenient samples

• Are likely to capture the proportions of given types of people in the population as a whole

• Can produce certain proportions that are severely skewed away from the actual proportions in the population as a whole

• Example contacting people as they enter the library

Correlational research

Psychologist measured two or more variables, and examine whether they are related

Experimental research

Research that randomly assigned people to different conditions or situations enabling researchers to make strong inferences about why our relationship exists or how different situations affect behaviour

Third variable

An unmeasured alternative explanation That might be the cause of the relationship between two other variables in correlation research

Self selection

The participant determines their own level of each variable for example, how many hours do they spend on the toilet?

• Creates problems of other unknown properties like bias

Longitudinal study

Involves collecting measures at different points in time from the same participants

Independent versus dependent variable

• Presume to be the cause of some particular outcome

• The measured outcome

Control condition or control group

A condition comparable to the experimental condition in every way, except that it lacks the ingredient hypothesized to produce the expected effect on the dependent variable

• No changes

External validity

Indication of how well the results of a study pertain to context outside the conditions of the laboratory

• the degree to which it generalizes to real life

Field experiment

An experiment that takes place in the real world, usually with participants were unaware that they are involved in research or study at all

Internal validity

Refers to the likelihood that only the manipulated variable, and no other external influence could’ve produced the results

Measurement validity

The correlation between a measure and some outcome the measure is supposed to predict

Statistical significance

A measure of the probability that a given result could’ve occurred by chance alone

Replication

Involves the reproduction of Research results by the original investigator or by someone else

Open science

The broad approach to ensuring that scientific research is sound, and that reported results are likely to replicate

Institutional review board

A committee that examines research proposals and makes judgement about their ethical appropriateness

Informed consent

A participants agreement to participate after learning about all relevant aspects of the procedure

Deception research

Participants are misled about the purpose of the research or the meaning of something that is done to them

Debriefing

Asking the participants directly if they understood the instructions and to educate them about the questions being studied

Basic science

Trying to understand some phenomenon in its own right rather than using a finding to solve a particular real world problem

Applied science

Solving a real world, problem of importance

Interventions

An effort to change a persons behavior, for example, smoking