Social Psychology Chapter 2 Concepts

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions from the lecture on social psychology, focusing on research methods and ethical considerations.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted an outcome after it already occurred.

Observational Method

The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements or impressions of their behavior.

Ethnography

A method by which researchers attempt to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside, without imposing preconceived notions.

Archival Analysis

A form of observational method in which the researcher examines accumulated documents or archives of a culture.

Correlational Method

The technique whereby two or more variables are systematically measured and the relationship between them is assessed.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure that assesses how well you can predict one variable from another.

Surveys

Research in which a representative sample of people are asked questions about their attitudes or behavior.

Random Selection

A way of ensuring that a sample of people is representative of a population by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected.

Experimental Method

The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures conditions are identical except for the independent variable.

Independent Variable

The variable a researcher changes to see if it has an effect on another variable.

Dependent Variable

The variable a researcher measures to see if it is influenced by the independent variable.

Internal Validity

Ensuring nothing besides the independent variable affects the dependent variable.

Random Assignment to Condition

Process ensuring all participants have an equal chance of taking part in any condition.

Probability Level (p-value)

A number calculated with statistical techniques that tells researchers how likely it is that their results occurred by chance.

External Validity

The extent to which study results can be generalized to other people and situations.

Psychological Realism

The extent to which psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to those in everyday life.

Cover Story

A disguised version of the study’s true purpose used to maintain psychological realism.

Deception

Misleading participants about the true purpose of a study or what will actually happen.

Debriefing

Explaining the true purpose of the study and exactly what happened afterward.

Informed Consent

Agreement to participate in an experiment after being told what it will involve.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A group that reviews all psychological research before it is conducted to protect participants’ rights and safety.

Cross-Cultural Research

Research conducted with people of different cultures to see whether findings are universal or culture-specific.

Field Experiments

Experiments conducted in real-life, natural settings rather than a lab.

Replications

Repeating a study, often with different participants or settings, to test generalizability.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical technique that averages the results of two or more studies to determine if an effect is reliable.

Basic Research

Research designed to find the best answer to why people behave as they do, purely for intellectual curiosity.

Applied Research

Research designed to solve a specific social problem.

Ethical Dilemma in Social Psychology

The tension between conducting experiments that resemble real-life situations (to increase realism) and ensuring participants’ well-being.

Formulating Hypotheses and Theories

Hypotheses come from previous research findings, everyday observations, or theories.

Research Designs

Social psychologists use three main research methods—observational, correlational, and experimental.

Observational Method (Reiterated)

Researchers systematically observe and record people’s behavior.

Correlational Method (Reiterated)

Two or more variables are systematically measured to see how much one can be predicted from the other.

Experimental Method (Reiterated)

Research in which people are randomly assigned to conditions, identical except for the independent variable.

New Frontiers in Social Psychology

Studies how culture shapes thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and examines connections between biology and social behavior.

Ethical Issues in Social Psychology

Researchers must protect participants while testing hypotheses.