Research Methods in Social Psychology

Flashcards covering core definitions, scientific requirements, and research methodologies in social psychology.

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others (Allport, 1985).

Objectivity

The ability of something to be observed by a third party; a core requirement of scientific procedure.

Verifiability

The ability to find results that indicate a claim is correct through measurable outcomes and testable hypotheses.

Falsifiability

The ability to find results that indicate a researcher is not correct; it requires identifying what evidence would prove a claim wrong.

Repeatability

The requirement that a procedure is recorded and can be replicated by someone else.

Scientific Method

A 5-step process involving: Hypothesize, Operationalize, Manipulate & Measure, Evaluate, and Revise or Replicate.

Variable

Anything that can potentially hold more than one value.

Hypothesis

A specific prediction about the relationship between variables or the amount of a single variable.

Theories

Organized sets of principles that explain phenomena; they are broader than hypotheses and drive them.

Operationalization

The process of making a variable concrete and measurable to ensure a study is objective.

Conceptual Definition

A broad and unmeasurable abstraction used to describe an idea.

Operational Definition

A specific, observable, and concrete measurement of a variable.

Observational Research

Also called descriptive research, it identifies whether and to what extent something happens, typically involving only one variable of central interest.

Correlational Research

Research design where the relationship between two or more variables is examined to see if $X$ changes when $Y$ changes.

Pearson’s $r$

A statistic ranging from $-1$ to $+1$ that indicates the size and direction of the relationship between two variables.

Positive Correlation

A relationship where one variable increases as the other increases, represented by a value such as $r hicksim 0.9$.

Negative Correlation

A relationship where one variable decreases as the other increases, represented by a value such as $r hicksim -0.9$.

Zero Correlation

A state where the value of one variable is unrelated to that of another, signified by $r = 0$.

Third Variable Problem

The observation that correlation does not equal causation because a separate, unmeasured variable might be causing the relationship.

Experimental Research

Research that manipulates one variable to see its effect on another to determine if $X$ causes $Y$.

Independent Variable (IV)

The manipulated variable in an experiment, representing the 'cause'.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The measured variable in an experiment, representing the 'effect'.

Random Selection

The process of obtaining a representative sample from a total population.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants from a sample to different conditions to control for all external factors, allowing for causal conclusions.

Validity

The degree to which the study's measures and design accurately test the hypothesis.

Replication

Redoing a study to show similar results in a new situation or to ensure findings hold up a second time.

Precognition

The awareness of events that have not yet happened, investigated by social psychologist Daryl Bem (2011).