question

Correlation Method

answer

a tendency for one event to be associated with changes in the other

question

Debriefing

answer

procedures at the conclusion of a research session in which participants are given full information about the nature of the research and the hypothesis under investigation

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Deception

answer

a technique whereby researchers withold information about the purposes or procedures of a study from the people participating in it

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Dependent Variable

answer

the variable that is measured in an experiment

question

Evolutionary Psychology

answer

a new branch of psychology that seeks to investigate the potential role of genetic factors in various aspects of human behaviour

question

Experimentation (Experimental Method)

answer

a method of reserach in which one or more factors (indep) are systematically changed to determine whether such variations affect one or more other factors (dep)

question

Hypothesis

answer

an unverified prediction concerning some aspect of social behaviour or social thought

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Independent Variable

answer

the variable that is systematically changed (i.e. varied) in an experiment

question

Informed Consent

answer

a procedure in which research participants are provided with as much information as possible about a research project before deciding whether to participate in it or not

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Mediating Variable

answer

a variable that is affected by an independent variable and then influences a dependent variable - help explain why or how specific variables influence social behaviour or thought in certain ways

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Multicultural Perspective

answer

importance of cultural factors in social behaviour and social thought - do not necessarily generalize to other cultures

question

Random Assignment

answer

a basic requirement for conducting valid experiments. According to this principle, research participants must have an equal chance of being exposed to each level of the independent variable

question

Relationships

answer

social ties with other persons ranging from casual acquaintances or passing friendships, to intense, long-term relationships such as marriage or lifelong friendship

question

Survey Method

answer

large numbers of people (over 40) are asked about attitudes or behaviours

question

Systematic Observation

answer

a method of research in which behaviour is systematically observed and recorded

question

Social Psychology

answer

the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behaviour, feelings, and thought in social situations

question

Sociology

answer

society and the group is important ,we are shaped by society

question

What makes social psych different from sociology?

answer

you can end up blaming the victim

question

What are the four important aspects of the scientific enterprise?

answer

accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, open-mindedness

question

What are Four things social psychology covers?

answer

1. the actions and characteristics of other people 2. cognitive processes 3. environmental variables: impact of physical world 4. biological factors

question

What are the three aspects of Evolutionary psychology?

answer

variation, inheritance, selection

question

Why does social psych use the scientific method?

answer

because common sense provides an unreliable guide to social behaviour

question

Behaviour

answer

how people act in social situations

question

Cognition

answer

how people attempt to make sense out of the social world and to understand themselves and others

question

Nonconscious Processing (Implicit)

answer

human behaviour and thought is often shaped by factors of which we are unaware

question

The four methods of social psychology

answer

systematic observation, survey method, correlation, experimental method

question

Two key requirements for experimentation

answer

1. random assignment 2. other factors held constant

question

Mediating Variables

answer

how specific variables influence certain aspects of social behaviour or social thought, and you know about it and control for it

question

Confounding Variables

answer

a fatal flaw in experimentation ex. something you've missed messes up the study

question

Theory

answer

a framework for explaining various events or a set of connected processes which invoves a set of correctly proven hypotheses and provides an overwhelming truth

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Methods

answer

tools or instruments

question

Deception

answer

efforts used by social psychologists to withold or conceal information about the purposes of a study from participants (cover story)

question

Two Safeguards

answer

informed consent, debriefing

question

Four Main Aspects of Science

answer

accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, open-mindedness

question

Accuracy

answer

a commitment to gathering and evaluating information about the world (including social behaviour and thought) in as careful, precise, and error-free a manner as possible

question

Objectivity

answer

a commitment to obtaining and evaluating such information in a manner that is as free from bias as humanly possible

question

Skepticism

answer

a commitment to accepting findings as accurate only to the extent they have been verified over and over again

question

Open-Mindedness

answer

a commitment to changing one's views-even views that are strongly held-if existing evidence suggests that these views are inaccurate

question

Science

answer

a set of basic values and a set of basic methods that can be used to study any aspect of the world around us - including the social side of life

question

Planning Fallacy

answer

a strong tendency to believe that projects will take less time than they actually do, or alternatively, that we can accomplish more in a given period of time than is really true

question

Evolutionary Psychology

answer

a new branch of psychology that seeks to investigate the potential role of genetic factors in various aspects of human behaviour

question

Variation

answer

organisms belonging to a given species vary in many different ways

question

Inheritance

answer

some of these variations can be passed from one generation to the next through complex mechanisms

question

Selection

answer

some variations give the individuals who possess them an 'edge' in terms of reproduction

question

Anxious Attachment

answer

anxiety over the possibility of losing a partner and/or an inability to get as close to partners as one would prefer

question

Event-Related Potential

answer

a kind of activity in the brain which occurs when individuals encounter words inconsistent with their values

question

Mirror Neurons

answer

neurons in the brain that are activated during the observation and execution of actions (suggested related to empathy)

question

Frontal Operculum

answer

where mirror neurons are located in the brain

question

Social psychology is the scientific field that seeks to understand the ____________ and ___________ of individual ______________ and _______________ in social situations

answer

nature and causes, behaviour and thought

question

Social psychology is scientific in nature because it ________ the __________ and ________ used in other fields of ______________

answer

adopts, values and methods, science

question

Social psychologists adopt the scientific method because ________________ provides an unreliable guide to ________________________, and because our __________ is influenced by many potential sources of ______________

answer

common sense, social behaviour, personal thought, bias

question

Social psychology focuses on the ________________ of individuals, and seeks to understand the _________ of social behaviour and thought, which can involve the _____________ and ___________ of others, social cognition, environmental factors, _______________ values and even ______ and ______ factors

answer

behaviour, causes, behaviour and appearance, cultural, biological and genetic

question

Social psychology seeks to establish ________________ of _____________ that are _______ across huge cultural differences and despite rapid and major changes in ________________

answer

basic principles, social life, accurate, social life

question

Important causes of social behaviour and thought include the _________ and ____________ of other people, ________________, emotions, ____________ and genetic factors

answer

behaviour and characteristics, cognitive processes, cultures

question

Social psychologists currently recognize that social ________ and social ______ are two sides of the same coin, and that there is a continuous, __________ interplay between them

answer

thought and behaviour, complex

question

There is growing interest among social psychologists in the role of ______ in social thought and social behaviour

answer

emotion

question

The formation and develop of ______________ is another major trend in the field

answer

relationships*

question

Yet another major trend involves growing interest in _________________- efforts to relate activity in the brain to key aspects of social thought and behaviour

answer

social neuroscience

question

Our behaviour and thought is often shaped by factors of which we are ____________. Growing attention to such implicit (________) processes is another major theme of modern social psychology

answer

unaware, nonconscious

question

Social psychology currently adopts a __________________. This perspective recognizes the importance of cultural factors in social behaviour and social thought, and notes that research findings obtained in one culture do not necessarily generalize to other culture.

answer

multicultural perspective*

question

With _________, behaviour is carefully observed and recorded. In naturalistic observation, such observations are made in settings where the behaviour naturally occurs.

answer

systematic observation*

question

_____________ often involve large numbers of people who are asked to respond to questions about their attitudes or behaviour

answer

survey methods*

question

The existence of even strong correlations between variables does not indicate that they are ________ related to each other

answer

causally

question

_____________ involves systematically altering one or more variables (_____) in order to determine whether changes in this variable affect some aspect of behaviour (_____)

answer

experimentation, independent variable, dependent variable

question

Successful use of the ______ requires ________ and holding all other factors that might also influence behaviour constant so as to avoid confounding of variables

answer

experimental method, random assignment of participants to conditions*

question

Although it is a very powerful research tool, the experimental method is not perfect- questions concerning the __________ of findings so obtained often arise. Furthermore, it cannot be used in some situations because of ________ or ___________ considerations

answer

external validity, practical, ethical

question

Research designed to investigate ____________ adds to understanding of how specific variables influence certain aspects of social behaviour or social thought

answer

mediating variables

question

________ are frameworks for explaining various events or processes. They play a key role in social psychological research

answer

theories

question

_________ involves efforts by social psychologists to withold or conceal information about the purposes of a study from participants

answer

deception

question

Most social psychologists believe that temporary deception is often necessary in order to obtain ___________ research results

answer

valid

question

However, most social psychologists view deception as acceptable only when important safeguards are employed: _______ and thorough ________

answer

informed consent, debriefing

Social Psychology – Chapter 1 – Flashcards

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