social psychology 330 exam 1

false dichotomy

presenting only two options when there are more possibilities

falsification

one cannot prove a theory or hypothesis true. One can prove that X is false

single blind experiment

participants don’t know if they are in the experimental or control group

double-blind experiment

Neither participates nor person gathering data knows what groups the participants are in. reduces rearch bias

three areas of study in social psyc

social thinking, social infleunce, and social behavior

kurt lewin

founder of social psyc

lewinian equation

B=f(P,E) behavior is a function of the person and their environment

why are experiments so important in social psyc

social psyc relies on experimentation/ evidence

why is critical thinking important in social psyc

for the analysis of available facts, evidence, observation and arguments in order to come to a judgment by the application of rational, skeptical and unbiased analyses and evaluation// understanding

scientific method

observe, research, hypothesize, experiment, analyze and report

statistical significance

probability that observed results are not due to chance. P equal or lower than .05

reliablity

consistency

hypothesis

a testable prediction. it guides the direction of research

why is it important that constructs be operationalized

so that variables are specific enough to be measured

archival research

examining pervious data. usually not related to current study

naturalistic observation

observing people in natural environment. used to describe behavior

quasi experiment

Unlike a true experiment- there is no random assignment

true experiment

has independent and dependent variable with a control and treatment group

correlational designs

look for association between two or more variables. range from 1 to -1 (correlation does not equal causation)

independent variable

variable manipulated

dependent variable

variable measured to assess the effect of independent variable

random selection

selecting participates randomly from a population

random assignment

assigning participants to a group (control or experimental) randomly. increases internal validity

T test

used to compare two groups

ANOVAs (analysis of variance)

used to compare means across three or more groups

correlation coefficients

measures the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables

internal validity

the trustworthiness of a research design. likeliness the results are due to experimental manipulation (independent variable)

external validity

extent of results applying to “real world”

APA guidelines

informed consent- deception used as little as possible- right to withdrawal- debriefing

self-concept

what we know and believe about self

self- monitoring

extent to which people monitor self-presentation, expressive behavior and nonverbal affective display

high self-monitors

social chameleons

low self monitors

remain consistent across situations

self-compassion

orientation to care for oneself

self- awareness

recognition of ourselves being separate being

mark test

assess self-awareness. putting a mark on a baby face and having them look in a mirror- if the baby is self-aware, it will touch where the mark is on their face

W.I.D.E

WHO- we evaluate our abilities automatically by comparing ourselves to similar others. INTERPRETATION- how we interpret social comparisons influences our self-concept. DIRECTION- the direction of our social comparison influences our self-concept. ESTEEM- protecting our self-esteem influences our self-concept

upward comparison

comparing ourselves to others that are better. can give us a goal

downward comparison

comparing ourselves to others that are worse than us. can make us feel less bad about ourselves

social identity theory

self- concept is composed of two parts: a personal identity that is based on personal characteristics and a social identity that is based on social role characteristics

self- discrepancy theory

we have three selves that exist simultaneously. ideal self, actual self, and ought self. the more in line these are the better we feel about self

self- expansion theory

we include other people in our self-concepts. the motivation to grow and enhance self-concept can be achieved through interpersonal relationships

optimal margin theory

theory proposes a slight to moderate range of healthy distortions of reality improves psychological and physiological well-being

independent self-construal

self is seen as independent and uniqueness is good

interdependent self-construal

self is seen as connected to other and greater group membership is good

ingratiation

other enhancement or opinion conformity

self- promotion

self-enhancement and entitlement

conspicuous consumption

lavish spending or prominent display of high status items

three types of self-serving cognitive biases that people often display

1.our own traits. 2.our own behaviors. 3.feeback about the self

collective self-esteem

our evaluation of the worth of the social groups we are in

how can too much self-esteem be harmful

more reluctant to take intelligent risk. make fewer mistakes from which to learn. substitute competitive social comparisons for cooperative social supports. decrease academic performance. avoid helpful feedback. increased levels of intergroup prejudice. increase bullying and aggression towards others