PSYC 2700 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
Know what social psychology is (including identifying examples that do/don't fit the
scientific definition of social psychology) - Answers - Social psychology: the scientific
way in which people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or
imagines presence of other people
- Social Psychology is the science of social influence
Social Psychology is distinct from other entities because...
- it is an empirical field (observed + measured evidence)
- of its emphasis on people's CONSTRUALS (the way we perceive, comprehend, and
interpret)
Know what the fundamental attribution error (a.k.a. correspondence bias) is, including
when/where it is more likely to occur. - Answers - Fundamental Attribution Error: the
tendency to overestimate the extent to which people's behavior is due to internal,
dispositional factors and to underestimate the role of situational factors
- FAE is the tendency to overestimate the role of traits (p) AND underestimate the role
of the situation (s) in determining behavior
EX:
traits: somebody runs into someone so we automatically assume they are a "dick"
situation: the guy just lost a friend in an incident
We tend to believe that a person's behavior matches their personality
Causes of FAE
1. Observers focus attention on actors, so situational causes are less noticed (or may
be unknown)
2. People often rely on PERCEPTUAL SALIENCE (importance based on info that
focuses or grabs attention
3. Also, social perception experiences matter; e.g. the spotlight effect (the phenomenon
where people tend to overestimate how much others notice aspects of one's
appearance or behavior) and the effects of actor/observer difference)
FAE more likely in the West
Know the two primary motives for social behavior, their strengths, distinctions, and the
critical role that construals play in both motives. - Answers - Social Psychologists note
two primary motives that determine construals:
1. A need to be accurate (Social Cognitive Motive)
2. A need to feel good about oneself (Self-Esteem Motive)
Know the definitions, differences, and examples of each type of social psychological
research (i.e., observational, correlational, experimental). - Answers - Observational:
, - The study of non-experimental situations in which behavior is observed and recorded
Correlational:
- Investigates relationships between two or more variables without the researcher
controlling or manipulating any of them
Experimental:
- Research conducted with a scientific approach using 2 sets of variables -> IV and DV
Observational Research = Description = "What is the nature of the phenomenon?"
Correlational Research = Prediction = "From knowing X, can we predict Y?"
Experimental Research = Causality = "Is variable X a cause of variable Y
Observational Method
- The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records
measurements of impressions of their behavior
Correlational Method
- The technique whereby two or more variables are systematically measured and the
relationship between the, (i.e. how much one can be predicted by the other) is assessed
Experimental Method
- The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different
conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent
variable (the one thought to have a causal effect on people's responses)
Know what a correlation coefficient is, how to identify it, and what it means (regarding
degree and direction of association) - Answers - Correlation Coefficient:
- A statistical technique that assesses how well you can predict one variable from
another -- for example, how well you can predict people's weight from their height
A correlation coefficient can range from -1 to +1
- A positive correlation means that increases in the value of one variable are associated
with increases in the value of the other variable
- A negative correlation means that increases in the value of one variable are
associated with decreases in the value of another
Know the makeup of a good experiment, including distinguishing independent and
dependent variables, and understanding internal validity, external validity, and ethical
considerations. - Answers - Independent Variable:
- The variable the researcher changes or varies to see if it has an effect on some other
variable
--> CAUSE
Dependent Variable:
Know what social psychology is (including identifying examples that do/don't fit the
scientific definition of social psychology) - Answers - Social psychology: the scientific
way in which people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or
imagines presence of other people
- Social Psychology is the science of social influence
Social Psychology is distinct from other entities because...
- it is an empirical field (observed + measured evidence)
- of its emphasis on people's CONSTRUALS (the way we perceive, comprehend, and
interpret)
Know what the fundamental attribution error (a.k.a. correspondence bias) is, including
when/where it is more likely to occur. - Answers - Fundamental Attribution Error: the
tendency to overestimate the extent to which people's behavior is due to internal,
dispositional factors and to underestimate the role of situational factors
- FAE is the tendency to overestimate the role of traits (p) AND underestimate the role
of the situation (s) in determining behavior
EX:
traits: somebody runs into someone so we automatically assume they are a "dick"
situation: the guy just lost a friend in an incident
We tend to believe that a person's behavior matches their personality
Causes of FAE
1. Observers focus attention on actors, so situational causes are less noticed (or may
be unknown)
2. People often rely on PERCEPTUAL SALIENCE (importance based on info that
focuses or grabs attention
3. Also, social perception experiences matter; e.g. the spotlight effect (the phenomenon
where people tend to overestimate how much others notice aspects of one's
appearance or behavior) and the effects of actor/observer difference)
FAE more likely in the West
Know the two primary motives for social behavior, their strengths, distinctions, and the
critical role that construals play in both motives. - Answers - Social Psychologists note
two primary motives that determine construals:
1. A need to be accurate (Social Cognitive Motive)
2. A need to feel good about oneself (Self-Esteem Motive)
Know the definitions, differences, and examples of each type of social psychological
research (i.e., observational, correlational, experimental). - Answers - Observational:
, - The study of non-experimental situations in which behavior is observed and recorded
Correlational:
- Investigates relationships between two or more variables without the researcher
controlling or manipulating any of them
Experimental:
- Research conducted with a scientific approach using 2 sets of variables -> IV and DV
Observational Research = Description = "What is the nature of the phenomenon?"
Correlational Research = Prediction = "From knowing X, can we predict Y?"
Experimental Research = Causality = "Is variable X a cause of variable Y
Observational Method
- The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records
measurements of impressions of their behavior
Correlational Method
- The technique whereby two or more variables are systematically measured and the
relationship between the, (i.e. how much one can be predicted by the other) is assessed
Experimental Method
- The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different
conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent
variable (the one thought to have a causal effect on people's responses)
Know what a correlation coefficient is, how to identify it, and what it means (regarding
degree and direction of association) - Answers - Correlation Coefficient:
- A statistical technique that assesses how well you can predict one variable from
another -- for example, how well you can predict people's weight from their height
A correlation coefficient can range from -1 to +1
- A positive correlation means that increases in the value of one variable are associated
with increases in the value of the other variable
- A negative correlation means that increases in the value of one variable are
associated with decreases in the value of another
Know the makeup of a good experiment, including distinguishing independent and
dependent variables, and understanding internal validity, external validity, and ethical
considerations. - Answers - Independent Variable:
- The variable the researcher changes or varies to see if it has an effect on some other
variable
--> CAUSE
Dependent Variable:
