Social psychology: study of how thought, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other
people or imaginary
Godfather of social psychology: Lewin’s Equation: thought, feelings, and behaviors
B=F(person,environment)
Behavior is a function of the person and the environment (more influence on the E)
Criticism of social psychology
Can't rely on common sense- common sense doesn’t seem to stand the test of time
Human perspective is subjective and prone to error
We have the tendency to believe what we want, even if objectively inaccurate
(confirmation bias)
People are gullible
Problem with common sense
Notions based purely in common sense often do not hold up over time
Ex: women not voting
Ex: prohibiting black people from voting!
Ex: we were doing ice pick lobotomies (eye socket) 70 years ago
The difference between psychology and common sense is psychology uses scientific methods
to understand topics- We need science to understand the complexity
We all have blind spots- see the world you wish it would be rather than how it actually is
________________________________________________________
Research methods
Scientific discipline must have:
-Systematic observation- vs. casual observation
-Explore topics via exploration ex: whether God exists is not something that can be disproven
via observation
Theory: statements describes or explains behavior
Ex: physically venting frustration makes one feel better
Hypothesis: specific testable and disconformable statement that follows from the theory
Ex: punching a pillow, after frustrating event, will result in a positive mood relative to not
punching a pillow
The Test: support or disconfirm
Theory v Hypothesis
Theory are constructs = abstract categories
Ex: physically venting frustration makes one feel better
Hypothesis operationalization = concrete definitions of constructs- defining constructs in a way
they can be measured
Ex: punching a pillow after a frustrating event will result in a positive mood relative to not
punching a pillow.
Descriptive research: To describe characteristics in a population
Ex: what percentage of US citizens of voting age approves of Trump?
What percentage of people would deliver a lethal electric shock to another person because they
were told to do so.
Different methods to describe behavior:
Self-report: survey
Observational methods: Naturalistic observation
Issue with sampling and external validity:
You want to ensure the people on your study resembles the population you want to describe
, Random sampling: sampling to ensure each individual in a population has an equal chance of
being included- Ensures external validity, results of a study can be generalized to the
population’s interest
Hypothesis breaks theory into measurable pieces
Interpreting responses can be complicated, ordering of questions also matter
Advantage: can conclude cause and effect
Disadvantage: not like the real world. Practical and ethical issues with manipulating variables
Bottom line: we can learn about people from surveys but we have to be aware they may not be
truthful and accurate responses could be biased by aspects of the way questions were asked
Goal of psychological sciences
To describe, predict and explain behavior
Correlational research
Prediction: determine whether and how variables are related
Ex: how political ideology and happiness are related, how does a personality trait say openness
relate to marital satisfaction?
Strength: extent of the relationship
Directionality: description of the relationship
Correlation coefficient (r) -1 to 1
EX: which is stronger? .8 or .3 .3 or -.5 1.2 or .8
A positive or negative directionality means a positive or negative relationship
Positive: as one goes up the other goes up
Negative: as one goes up, the other goes down
*correlation doesn't equal causation
Designed to predict important outcomes such as school/work performance but correlations
leave much to be desired
Experimental methods: acts to find out if x causes y
Ex: watching violent shows causes viewers to become violent
Kids watch violent cartoons, play with dolls OR random assignment to place participants and
groups treated the same except for violent tv show manipulation.
How do we address ethical concerns in research?
- informed consent
- adhere to the golden rule- minimize discomfort, show appreciation and reimburse
them
- confidentiality
- debriefing- a detailed explanation of the true purpose of the study after its over
Issues: how do we place people into one of the two TV groups?
- Random assignment
- Groups need to be treated the same way except for the TV manipulation (control)
Advantage: can conclude a cause and effect
Disadvantage: often not like the “real world”, practical and ethical issues associated with
manipulating variables
____________________________________________________________________________
The self
Self recognition: develops around 2 y/o
Infantile amnesia: child did not have memories stored
Self concept: your beliefs about yourself who you are
(important: spontaneous self concept) (unimportant: eye and hair color)
people or imaginary
Godfather of social psychology: Lewin’s Equation: thought, feelings, and behaviors
B=F(person,environment)
Behavior is a function of the person and the environment (more influence on the E)
Criticism of social psychology
Can't rely on common sense- common sense doesn’t seem to stand the test of time
Human perspective is subjective and prone to error
We have the tendency to believe what we want, even if objectively inaccurate
(confirmation bias)
People are gullible
Problem with common sense
Notions based purely in common sense often do not hold up over time
Ex: women not voting
Ex: prohibiting black people from voting!
Ex: we were doing ice pick lobotomies (eye socket) 70 years ago
The difference between psychology and common sense is psychology uses scientific methods
to understand topics- We need science to understand the complexity
We all have blind spots- see the world you wish it would be rather than how it actually is
________________________________________________________
Research methods
Scientific discipline must have:
-Systematic observation- vs. casual observation
-Explore topics via exploration ex: whether God exists is not something that can be disproven
via observation
Theory: statements describes or explains behavior
Ex: physically venting frustration makes one feel better
Hypothesis: specific testable and disconformable statement that follows from the theory
Ex: punching a pillow, after frustrating event, will result in a positive mood relative to not
punching a pillow
The Test: support or disconfirm
Theory v Hypothesis
Theory are constructs = abstract categories
Ex: physically venting frustration makes one feel better
Hypothesis operationalization = concrete definitions of constructs- defining constructs in a way
they can be measured
Ex: punching a pillow after a frustrating event will result in a positive mood relative to not
punching a pillow.
Descriptive research: To describe characteristics in a population
Ex: what percentage of US citizens of voting age approves of Trump?
What percentage of people would deliver a lethal electric shock to another person because they
were told to do so.
Different methods to describe behavior:
Self-report: survey
Observational methods: Naturalistic observation
Issue with sampling and external validity:
You want to ensure the people on your study resembles the population you want to describe
, Random sampling: sampling to ensure each individual in a population has an equal chance of
being included- Ensures external validity, results of a study can be generalized to the
population’s interest
Hypothesis breaks theory into measurable pieces
Interpreting responses can be complicated, ordering of questions also matter
Advantage: can conclude cause and effect
Disadvantage: not like the real world. Practical and ethical issues with manipulating variables
Bottom line: we can learn about people from surveys but we have to be aware they may not be
truthful and accurate responses could be biased by aspects of the way questions were asked
Goal of psychological sciences
To describe, predict and explain behavior
Correlational research
Prediction: determine whether and how variables are related
Ex: how political ideology and happiness are related, how does a personality trait say openness
relate to marital satisfaction?
Strength: extent of the relationship
Directionality: description of the relationship
Correlation coefficient (r) -1 to 1
EX: which is stronger? .8 or .3 .3 or -.5 1.2 or .8
A positive or negative directionality means a positive or negative relationship
Positive: as one goes up the other goes up
Negative: as one goes up, the other goes down
*correlation doesn't equal causation
Designed to predict important outcomes such as school/work performance but correlations
leave much to be desired
Experimental methods: acts to find out if x causes y
Ex: watching violent shows causes viewers to become violent
Kids watch violent cartoons, play with dolls OR random assignment to place participants and
groups treated the same except for violent tv show manipulation.
How do we address ethical concerns in research?
- informed consent
- adhere to the golden rule- minimize discomfort, show appreciation and reimburse
them
- confidentiality
- debriefing- a detailed explanation of the true purpose of the study after its over
Issues: how do we place people into one of the two TV groups?
- Random assignment
- Groups need to be treated the same way except for the TV manipulation (control)
Advantage: can conclude a cause and effect
Disadvantage: often not like the “real world”, practical and ethical issues associated with
manipulating variables
____________________________________________________________________________
The self
Self recognition: develops around 2 y/o
Infantile amnesia: child did not have memories stored
Self concept: your beliefs about yourself who you are
(important: spontaneous self concept) (unimportant: eye and hair color)
