PSY220 Lecture 1 - Introduction to social Psychology

Social Psychology can be definied by…

1. Definition

2. How it differs from other branches of psychology

3. Guiding Principles

4. Kinds of Questions

Social Psychology

• the scientific study of feelings, thoughts, and behaviours of individuals in social situations

Personality Psychology

• the scientific study of a person’s enduring characteristics and behaviour

Sociology

• The scientific study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society

Two guiding principles of social psychology

1. The Powder of the Situation

2. The Role of Construal

Milgram Study

Stanley Milgram’s 1963 study investigated how far people would obey an authority figure, even when asked to harm another person. Forty male participants were told to give electric shocks to a “learner” whenever they answered incorrectly, with the shocks increasing up to 450 volts. The learner was actually an actor, and no real shocks were given. The results showed that 65% of participants continued to the maximum voltage when instructed by the experimenter. Milgram concluded that people may obey authority figures even when their actions conflict with their personal morals. The study also raised ethical concerns because of deception and the psychological stress experienced by participants.

Applied Research

Focuses on specific situations out in the real world (a very specific context)

• les rechercheur applique les situations specifique a la vie reel

Applied Research examples

• During the pandemic, why did some people wear masks while the others did not?

• Why are conservatives and liberals be coming more polarized?

• Why do people express mortal outrage online

Theory

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

• A theory is an explanation for why or how something happens, based on evidence and research.

Hypothesis

A prediction about what will happen under a particular circumstances

Self - Verification example

Theory: we strive to get others to confirm our pre-existing beliefs about ourselves

Hypothesis: A depressed person will remember more negative than positive feedback

What types of research are used to test ideas?

Qualitative and Quantitative

Qualitative research

Data collection from interview sessions, disscussion with focus group, case studies and ethnography

• Qualitative research explores ideas, meanings, and experiences through words

• the goal is to identify certain ideas

Quantitative research

Data collection from surveys, experiments, observations, and content analysis

• quantitative research measures variables and tests hypotheses using numbers and statistics

• the goal is to find something that you can measure

What are the types of quantitative?

• Observational

• Content Analysis

• Archival

• Surveys

• Experiments

Observational Research

Watching and recording people's behavior without interfering.

• Example: A psychologist watches how students behave during lunch and records how often they talk to others.

• Think: “Watch and record.”

Content Analysis Research

Meaning: Studying existing text, images, videos, or media to find patterns.

• Example: A researcher looks at 100 TikTok videos to see how often mental health is mentioned.

• Think: “Analyze existing content.”

Archival Research

Meaning: Using old records or documents that already exist to study something.

• Example: A researcher looks at school records from the past 20 years to study changes in graduation rates.

• Think: “Study old records.”

Surveys Research

Meaning: Asking people questions to collect information about their opinions, behaviors, or experiences.

• Example: A researcher gives 500 students a questionnaire asking how many hours they study each week.

• Think: “Ask people questions.”

Experiment Research

Meaning: Changing one thing to see if it causes a change in something else.

• Example: A researcher gives one group of students caffeine and another group no caffeine, then compares their test performance.

• Think: “Change something and measure the effect.”

Correlations

Research that examines the relationship between variables without assigning participants to different situations or conditions

• it does not equal to causation

What are the disadvantages of correlations - 2 issues to the Non-representativeness of the participants in the study

1. Convenience Sampling: The researchers selects participants based on ease of access (Researcher chooses whoever is easiest to reach.)

2. Self-selection bias: When the participants choose to be part of a study on their own initiative, rather than being selected by the researcher

What are the disavantage of correlations - to the non-representativeness of the participants in the study - 3 isses related to the relationship between the two variables

1. Directionality: the direction can go either… Correlation shows that two variables are related, but it cannot tell us which variable causes which.

2. Third variables: also called a confounding variable or lurking variable - it is unmeasured variable that influences both variables

3. Covariates: A variable that is included in the analysis because it might be related to the outcome of interest

Third Variable

Introduces bias or an illusion of correlation. Usually unmeasured unless the researcher is aware of it

Covariate

Deliberately included in the analysis to control for its effect, refining the relationship between the main variables

• It helps adjust for potential ensures the observed correlation is more accurate

Good Samaritan Study

Good Samaritan Study — Summary

The Good Samaritan Study was conducted by Darley and Batson (1973) to investigate whether being in a hurry affects whether people will help someone in need. Seminary students were told to walk to another building to give a talk. Along the way, they encountered a person who appeared to be injured and in need of help. The researchers found that students who were in a hurry were less likely to stop and help, while those who had more time were more likely to help.

Main idea: Situational factors, especially being in a hurry, can affect helping behavior.

• life lessons

Natural Experiment

A naturally occuring event or phenomenon with somewhat different conditions (e.g., before versus after) that can be compared with almost as much rigor as conditions manipulated by the investigator in an experiment