Samenvatting boek Applying social psychology
Chapter 1: Applying social psychology
Social psychology
- = scientific study of processes in social relationships (thoughts, feelings, behaviors)
(experiments & surveys)
PATHS model
- Problem definition phase from a problem to a problem definition: identifying and
defining the problem
- Analysis phase from a problem definition to analysis and explanation: formulating
appropriate concepts and developing theory-based explanations
- Test phase from explanations to a process model: developing and testing an
explanatory process model
- Help phase from a process model to interventions: developing and implementing a
program of interventions
- Success phase from implementing the intervention to evaluating its succes
- Other relevant decisions:
o Channel
o Norm of reciprocity social exchange norms
Step 1: Problem phase
- What: what is the problem? (concrete)
- Why: why is a problem at all?
- Who: for whom is it a problem?
- Causes: causes of the problem
- Target group: the population we aim to target with our intervention
- Key aspect: applied, concrete, social psychological, solvable?
- Examples: behaviors, attitudes, cognitions and affective/emotional responses
Step 2: Analysis phase
- Outcome variable which variable needs changing
- Divergent phase: look for as much explanations as possible
- Convergent phase: reduce the explanations based on relevance, validity and plausibility
Step 3: Test phase
- Process model
o Outcome variable and the causes
o Primarily variables that can be influenced
o 10 variables, 4 levels, +/- relations
Step 4: Help phase
- Form an intervention programme
- First as many interventions as possible, second pre-test and third implement
,Step 5: Succes phase
- Evaluate the intervention in terms of effects and process
- Starts during/before the implementation
Problems with applying theories
- Three important limitations of research in social psychology
o Oversimplification
Experiments are a reduction and simplification of reality
Look at effect sizes statistical measurement of the magnitude of the
relationship between variables that can help researchers to assess the ‘real
world’ significance of laboratory findings
The effect of mimicry we like people that mimic our own behavior
o External validity
All kinds of factors in real life may obscure the impact of the variables that are
manipulated in experiments
Unconscious priming: priming individuals with stimuli that are offered
subliminally (without being consciously perceived) may affect behavior in real
life not plausible or maybe ethically concerning
o Contradictory evidence
Studies often produce contradictory findings often because of subtly
different methods
, Chapter 2: the problem phase
- From a problem to a problem definition
Problem definition
- What: what is the problem?
o Cause and background, be concrete
- Why: why is a problem at all?
o How does the problem express itself? Consequences?
o Historical picture: since when is it a problem? (Potential causes)
What appears to be a problem may not necessarily be a problem after all
Might point to a particular time when the problem first started to emerge or be
noticed (e.g., since 9/11 many Muslim men/women don’t feel safe)
May indicate a reason why a problem has suddenly increased in severity
o Not only helps to specify the problem, also suggest direction for intervention
solutions shouldn’t be quick-fix solutions (how could it possibly be solved?)
- Who: for whom is it a problem?
o Only the client? Or also other parties involved?
o Do the other parties perceive the problem in the same way?
Other parties may notice the existence of a problem, but they may not
necessarily agree on the kind of problem they face (mostly with more complex
problems)
Even actors within the same party may have a different version of the
story/problem
- Causes: causes of the problem
o Preliminary causal model
What seems to cause this problem?
How may these causes affect the problem?
o Immediate causes VS more distal causes
By making the distinction, one can develop a model of the causal process
leading to the problem
At this stage it may not be clear what exactly the causal chain of events leading
to the problem is or which variables play a major or minor role in causing the
problem.
- Target group: the population we aim to target with our intervention
o Who should be convinced of the problem?
o Whose cooperation is necessary for the problem to be solved?
- Key aspect: applied, concrete, social psychological & solvable?
o Is it and applied problem? applied research deals with finding solutions for
problems and therefore limits itself to the study of those determinants (that is
causes or factors that maintain the problem) that are malleable and may be the
target of an intervention
Chapter 1: Applying social psychology
Social psychology
- = scientific study of processes in social relationships (thoughts, feelings, behaviors)
(experiments & surveys)
PATHS model
- Problem definition phase from a problem to a problem definition: identifying and
defining the problem
- Analysis phase from a problem definition to analysis and explanation: formulating
appropriate concepts and developing theory-based explanations
- Test phase from explanations to a process model: developing and testing an
explanatory process model
- Help phase from a process model to interventions: developing and implementing a
program of interventions
- Success phase from implementing the intervention to evaluating its succes
- Other relevant decisions:
o Channel
o Norm of reciprocity social exchange norms
Step 1: Problem phase
- What: what is the problem? (concrete)
- Why: why is a problem at all?
- Who: for whom is it a problem?
- Causes: causes of the problem
- Target group: the population we aim to target with our intervention
- Key aspect: applied, concrete, social psychological, solvable?
- Examples: behaviors, attitudes, cognitions and affective/emotional responses
Step 2: Analysis phase
- Outcome variable which variable needs changing
- Divergent phase: look for as much explanations as possible
- Convergent phase: reduce the explanations based on relevance, validity and plausibility
Step 3: Test phase
- Process model
o Outcome variable and the causes
o Primarily variables that can be influenced
o 10 variables, 4 levels, +/- relations
Step 4: Help phase
- Form an intervention programme
- First as many interventions as possible, second pre-test and third implement
,Step 5: Succes phase
- Evaluate the intervention in terms of effects and process
- Starts during/before the implementation
Problems with applying theories
- Three important limitations of research in social psychology
o Oversimplification
Experiments are a reduction and simplification of reality
Look at effect sizes statistical measurement of the magnitude of the
relationship between variables that can help researchers to assess the ‘real
world’ significance of laboratory findings
The effect of mimicry we like people that mimic our own behavior
o External validity
All kinds of factors in real life may obscure the impact of the variables that are
manipulated in experiments
Unconscious priming: priming individuals with stimuli that are offered
subliminally (without being consciously perceived) may affect behavior in real
life not plausible or maybe ethically concerning
o Contradictory evidence
Studies often produce contradictory findings often because of subtly
different methods
, Chapter 2: the problem phase
- From a problem to a problem definition
Problem definition
- What: what is the problem?
o Cause and background, be concrete
- Why: why is a problem at all?
o How does the problem express itself? Consequences?
o Historical picture: since when is it a problem? (Potential causes)
What appears to be a problem may not necessarily be a problem after all
Might point to a particular time when the problem first started to emerge or be
noticed (e.g., since 9/11 many Muslim men/women don’t feel safe)
May indicate a reason why a problem has suddenly increased in severity
o Not only helps to specify the problem, also suggest direction for intervention
solutions shouldn’t be quick-fix solutions (how could it possibly be solved?)
- Who: for whom is it a problem?
o Only the client? Or also other parties involved?
o Do the other parties perceive the problem in the same way?
Other parties may notice the existence of a problem, but they may not
necessarily agree on the kind of problem they face (mostly with more complex
problems)
Even actors within the same party may have a different version of the
story/problem
- Causes: causes of the problem
o Preliminary causal model
What seems to cause this problem?
How may these causes affect the problem?
o Immediate causes VS more distal causes
By making the distinction, one can develop a model of the causal process
leading to the problem
At this stage it may not be clear what exactly the causal chain of events leading
to the problem is or which variables play a major or minor role in causing the
problem.
- Target group: the population we aim to target with our intervention
o Who should be convinced of the problem?
o Whose cooperation is necessary for the problem to be solved?
- Key aspect: applied, concrete, social psychological & solvable?
o Is it and applied problem? applied research deals with finding solutions for
problems and therefore limits itself to the study of those determinants (that is
causes or factors that maintain the problem) that are malleable and may be the
target of an intervention
