Chapter 2

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2

Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research


Social Psychology: An Empirical Science

A fundamental principle of social psychology is that social influence can be studied scientifically.

The results of some of the experiments you encounter may seem obvious, because social psychology concerns topics with which we are all intimately familiar—social behavior and social influence.


Social Psychology: An Empirical Science

Scientific methods of answering questions are of three types:

• the observational method,• the correlational method,• the experimental method.


Formulating Hypothesesand Theories

Social psychological research begins with a hypothesis about the effects of social influence.


Inspiration from EarlierTheories and Research


Hypotheses Based onPersonal Observation


The Observational Method:

Describing Social Behavior Observational Method


The Observational Method:Describing Social Behavior

Suppose a researcher wants to investigate how much aggression children exhibit during school recesses.

Interjudge Reliability.


Archival Analysis

Archival Analysis


The Correlational Method: Predicting Social Behavior

Correlational MethodThe technique whereby two or more variables are systematically measured and the relationship between them (i.e., how much one can be predicted from the other) is assessed.


Positive correlationIncreases in the value of one variable are associated with increases in the value of the other variable.

• Height and weight are positively correlated; the taller people are, the more they tend to weigh.



Negative correlationIncreases in the value of one variable are associated with decreases in the value of the other variable.

• Vaccination rate correlates negatively with disease rate: The more often people get vaccinated, the less often people get the disease.



SurveysResearch in which a representative sample

of people are asked questions about their attitudes or behavior.



Advantages of Surveys

Random Selection


Limits of the Correlational Method: Correlation Does Not Equal Causation


The Experimental Method: Answering Causal Questions

The only way to determine causality is to use the experimental method.

Experimental MethodMethod in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures these conditions are identical except for the independent variable (the one thought to have a causal effect on people’s responses).


The Experimental Method: Answering Causal Questions

Experimental method is the method of choice in most social psychological research because it allows causal inferences.


Independent and Dependent Variables

• The independent variable is

• The dependent variable is


Internal Validity in Experiments

Experiments should be high in internal validity.

Internal ValidityMaking sure that nothing besides

the independent variable can affect the dependent variable.


Random Assignment to Condition

A process ensuring that all participants have an equal chance of taking part in any condition of an experiment.

Through random assignment, researchers can be relatively certain that differences in the participants’ personalities or backgrounds are distributed evenly across conditions.

This powerful technique is the most important part of the experimental method.


External Validity in Experiments

External ValidityThe extent to which the results of

a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.


Basic Versus Applied Research

Basic Research Experiments: Designed to answer basic questions about why people do what they do.

Applied Studies:Research designed to find ways to solve specific social problems.


Cross-Cultural Research

Cross-Cultural ResearchResearch conducted with members

of different cultures, to see whether the psychological processes of interest are present in both cultures or whether they are specific to the culture in which people were raised.


Ethical Issues in Social Psychology

• Social psychologists are concerned with the welfare of their research participants.

• Researchers also make discoveries that can benefit society.

• To gain insight into such critical issues, researchers must create vivid events that are involving for the participants.



Informed ConsentAgreement to participate in an

experiment, granted in full awareness of the nature of the experiment, which has been explained in advance.



DeceptionMisleading participants about the true

purpose of a study or the events that will actually transpire.

Chapter 2

Documents

Transcript of Chapter 2