Chapter 1

What are the two most important characteristics of an empirical test?

1) It is set up so an idea can be either refuted or supported.

2) It is conducted so it can be evaluated and replicated by others.

What are the five core values guiding scientific research methods?

1) accuracy

2) objectivity

3) skepticism

4) open-mindedness

5) ethics

What are the four goals that must be met to accomplish understanding?

1) description, or being able to identify and report the details and nature of the phenomenon

2) prediction, or knowing what factors are systematically related

3) determining causality between factors

4) explanation, or establishing why a phenomenon or relationship occurs

True or False: Intergroup attitude is formed in part by socialization.

True

What makes the applied branch of social psychology unique? (2 things)

The concern with developing intervention strategies for social problems and the interest in control.

What is the scientific reason applied social scientists must evaluate the consequences of interventions?

To test underlying theoretical rationales and hypotheses.

What is the ethical reason applied social scientists must evaluate the consequences of interventions?

To ensure the intended beneficiaries of the interventions gain from them and do not suffer negative consequences.

Who was Kurt Lewin?

One of the originators of applied social psychology who conducted research on a variety of practical issues and social problems in the 1930s.

What world events impacted applied social psychology in the 1930s and 1940s?

WWII and the Holocaust raised questions about causes of violence, prejudice, genocide, conformity, and obedience.

What characterized applied social psychology in the 1950s?

The foundation for applied social psychology had been set, but backlash prevented its takeoff. There were concerns about the “applied” element being unscientific and a demand for emphasis on theory and lab experiments or “pure science.”

What characterized applied social psychology in the 1960s?

Powerful social and political occurrences increased attention on social issues and therefore demand from scientists and broader society for psychology to become more socially relevant. Social psychologists began critiquing the reliance on lab experiments.

What characterized applied social psychology in the 1970s?

Applied social psychology emerged as an identifiable field. The Journal of Applied Social Psychology was established and the first doctoral program in the field was introduced at Loyola.

What is the distinction between “practical problems” and “social problems”?

Practical problems are unsatisfactory circumstances experienced by people in groups or organizations that are not conventionally defined as social problems because they do not affect a broader section of society outside that specific group or organization.

What are the three most prevalent approaches to applied social psychology?

1) social cognition approach

2) engaged research approach

3) critical approach