TEST 1 Research Methods in Social Psychology Common Wrong Assumptions o People in a sad mood are less likely to help others than are people in a neutral mood o If 10 people are all telling you the same thing you are more likely to conform publicly to their opinion than if just 5 people are telling you the same thing o 3 The greater the cohesiveness or solidarity of a group the better its decisions will be o 4 Physically attractive people are usually seen as less intelligent than physically unattractive people o 5 Promising and delivering rewards to people for doing an enjoyable activity should in the long run make them enjoy the activity even more Is Psychology a Science after learning about it o Hindsight bias the tendency to exaggerate one s ability to have foreseen an outcome Birds of a feather flock together vs Opposites attract Absence makes the heart grow fonder vs Out of sight out of mind Answering Why with Social Psychology o Social psychology uses the scientific method to answer questions about human nature How do social psychologists study what they study Theories are integrated principles that explain and predict observed events o Theories vs Hypotheses Hypotheses Testing Theories Correlational approach o Natural relationships o Strength of relationship between two variables o Correlation does not equal causation o Everyday observations and inferences are not always right o Experimental Research Key features Control o Manipulation of independent variable o All other variables are kept constant Random assignment of representative sample of participants Independent variables are often controlled or manipulated Dependent variables are measured Operational Definitions are Important Benefit of random assignment Validity Interpreting results Interaction when the effect of one IV on the DV depends on the value or level of the other IV Main Effect when an IV has an effect of similar magnitude and direction across levels of the other IV o Ethics of Experimental Research Institutional Review Boards Informed Consent Use deception only if essential Debrief participants at end Protect people from harm Information about participants should remain confidential o Methods summary Independent Variable IV is something manipulated Dependent Variable DV is something measured Correlational studies can determine variables that are related but cannot determine that one variable causes another Experimental lab studies can determine causation The Self The Triad o Social psychologists are interested in three main aspects of human experience Affect feelings emotions mood Behavior observable actions Cognition thoughts or mental processes o Example Aggression Researcher interested in aggression might A Measure heart rate while people watch a violent movie B Measure how many times someone hits a punching bag after being insulted C Ask someone to report their thoughts after performing an aggressive activity The Self Concept or self knowledge o Constructing the self concept o Four methods introspection the looking glass self self perception vicarious self perception o Priming Stimuli encountered in the world activates related concepts in the mind Seeing snow activates information about snow in the mind Activation spreads to all related concepts o People have limited introspective access o Four ways of constructing self concepts Introspection We usually know what we feel or think But not often why Self Concept construction is a multifaceted active process Aside from introspection The Looking glass Self Positive reaction increase beh preference Learn about ourselves from others feedback Or by imagining how others see us Negative reaction decrease beh preference Discrepancies Not the entire picture Self perception Observing our behavior and actions as we would observe others Then interpret action Particularly when we re unsure or in a new situation Vicarious Self Perception People have a merged identity with similar others Learn about ourselves by watching merged others Incorporate new info into self from merged others Self Esteem self concept knowledge of one s self self esteem evaluation of one s self o Trait how good you feel generally Stable o State how good you feel in the moment Varies around trait Measuring self esteem o Explicit measures Self report o Problems Self presenting Want to see self as good self deception o Implicit measures o Explicit vs Implicit The Name Letter Test NLT Source of implicit egotism Explicit measures provide more content specific index of self esteem How great of a basketball player am I Specific but susceptible to self presentation Implicit involved How positive do I see myself overall Avoids self presentation but not content specific o High self esteem as a panacea High self esteem was correlated with Popular Successful Talented Happy But Big self esteem movement o Correlation does not imply causation No differences in o Intelligence success social relationships attractiveness Good grades more likely a cause of high self esteem or some other third variable o High vs Low Self esteem Self protection vs self enhancement Low SE s more worried about protecting from failure avoid failure High SE s are more concerned with achievement enhancement o I m okay I guess approach success o I m pretty awesome Self concept clarity vs self concept confusion When asked does this trait describe you people low in self esteem Are less confident Are less extreme Take longer Exhibit unstable perceptions Only exhibit confusion with the self o Benefits of High Self esteem More resilient Persist longer on hard tasks Report more positive affect Buffer against bad news or failure Whatever at least I m cool o Contingencies of Self worth o Self esteem level bottom line Small differences in initiative persistence and positive experiences Too much self esteem may be bad Risky behavior drugs unsafe sex Narcissists o What is self esteem for Two theories Terror management theory TMT o Death is a perpetual fear for humans o We all know that someday we will die knowledge is a constant source of subconscious anxiety o SE purpose is to protect us from death anxiety o Death anxiety is constant o Our SE and culture can protect us from death anxiety o Culture lives on even though we may die Culture is source of symbolic immortality Our achievements live on after we die Relationships art institutions like jobs religions etc Symbolic immortality reduces death anxiety o How do you test this Make P s confront
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