ch1 social experimental psych

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Social Psychology

  • Overview of social psychology and its significance.

  • Major sections include:

    • A Brief History of Social Psychology

    • What Do Social Psychologists Do?

    • Social Psychology’s Place in the World

    • Reasons for studying Social Psychology

    • Methodologies in Social Psychology

    • Validity and truthfulness in Social Psychology research.

The Mission and the Method

  • Key Questions Addressed:

    • Is peace among humans achievable?

    • Influence of situations on behavior.

    • Role of Social Psychology in understanding human behavior complexity.

A Brief History of Social Psychology

  • Early Social Psychology Experiments:

    • Norman Triplett (1897-1898): Studied the effects of social presence on bicycle racing and fishing reels.

    • Max Ringelmann (1880s): Examined performance in tug of war; identified the impact of others on individual performance.

Influences in Early 20th Century

  • Key figures in shaping early Social Psychology:

    • Gordon Allport: Emphasized personality traits.

    • Kurt Lewin: Highlighted that behavior is a function of both personality and situational factors.

  • Impact of behaviorism and Freudian psychoanalysis in the 1950s and 1960s.

  • Emergence of Social Psychology as a scientific discipline.

Contemporary Themes in Social Psychology

  • Main Areas of Focus:

    • Social Cognition: How individuals process and interpret social information.

    • Biology and the Brain: Biological influences on behavior.

    • Focus on Self: Understanding identity and self-perception.

    • Focus on Conflict: Investigating the causes and resolutions of social conflicts.

What Do Social Psychologists Do?

  • Aim for a robust understanding of human thoughts, actions, and feelings.

  • The ABC Triad:

    • A: Affective (feelings)

    • B: Behavioral (actions)

    • C: Cognitive (thoughts)

  • Influence of personal and situational factors on ABC.

  • Emphasis on the Scientific Method as a fundamental approach.

Social Psychology’s Place in the World

  • Relationship with other Social Sciences:

    • Integrates with fields like Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, and Sociology.

Subfields Within Psychology

  • Placement among various psychology branches like Biological, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, and Personality Psychology.

Why People Study Social Psychology

  • Motivations include:

    • Curiosity about human behavior.

    • Exploration of experimental philosophy.

    • Aim to create a better world through applied research.

    • General interest in fascinating human interactions.

How Do Social Psychologists Answer Their Own Questions?

  • Engage with accumulated common wisdom; however, note the potential contradictions.

  • Recognize that adages may start inquiries but are not reliable for scientific truth.

Scientific Method in Social Psychology

  • Steps to the scientific approach:

    • State the problem.

    • Formulate testable hypotheses.

    • Design studies and gather data.

    • Analyze data against hypotheses.

    • Communicate findings to peers.

Example Research: Chicken Soup and Cold Symptoms

  • Hypothesis: Chicken soup reduces upper respiratory inflammation.

  • Experiment Design: Evaluated effects on neutrophil levels.

    • Independent variable: Chicken soup consumption.

    • Dependent variable: Neutrophil counts.

Results of Chicken Soup Study

  • Observed results indicated that chicken soup consumption leads to reduced neutrophil counts.

  • Participants reported less congestion post-consumption.

  • Findings published in the journal "Chest."

Scientific Theories in Social Psychology

  • Defined as constructs linked logically through observable variables.

  • Importance of operational definitions for variables.

  • Requirement that scientific theories are testable.

Variables in Research

  • Independent Variables: Observable factors that can influence behavior (e.g., treatments).

  • Dependent Variables: Observable responses or behaviors influenced by the independent variable.

Construct Validity

  • Validity of constructs in terms of both independent (causal) and dependent (response) variables.

Research Design

  • Experimental Method: Full control by researchers with random participant assignment; allows for cause-effect statements.

  • Quasi-experiment: Lacks random assignment; outcomes are less definitive.

Features of Experimental Studies

  • Internal Validity: Assurance that changes in the dependent variable are due to the independent variable.

  • Confederate: An actor used within experiments to simulate participants.

Laboratory and Field Experiments

  • Laboratory Experiments: Prioritize experimental realism but may lack mundane realism.

  • Field Experiments: Conducted in real-world settings with emphasis on generalizability of findings (external validity).

Nonexperimental Studies

  • Correlational Approach: Examines relationships between two variables without manipulation.

  • Correlation coefficient measures strength and direction of relationships but does not confirm causation.

How Much of Social Psychology Is True?

  • Emphasizes the self-correcting nature of scientific inquiry.

  • Challenges with student samples leading to potential bias.

  • Cultural relativism in social psychology: dominance of Western cultures in research may overlook important cultural differences.