QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Social psychology - CORRECT ANSWER the scientific study of the way in which an
individuals thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by real or imagined presence of other
people
Scientific Method - CORRECT ANSWER A logical, systematic approach to the solution of a
scientific problem
- avoid biases
- can sometimes show causation
Abcs of social psychology - CORRECT ANSWER Affect (feelings)
Behavior (actions)
Cognition (thoughts)
Social problems social psychologists try to fix - CORRECT ANSWER nature vs nurture why
do people act they way they do in the presence of other people etc
Why conduct social psychological research? - CORRECT ANSWER - research gives us
answers that are objective, verifiable and repeatable
- we can separate fact from fiction and junk science from real science
5 steps of scientific method - CORRECT ANSWER Hypothesize
Operationalize
Measure
Evaluate
Revise or Replicate
Difference between a theory and a hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER -Theory: An
interrelated, coherent set of ideas that helps explain and make predictions. Cannot be tested directly.
, -Hypothesis: specific assumptions and predictions can be tested directly. Testable prediction about the
conditions under which an event will occur
Hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER a testable prediction about the conditions under which an
event will occur
Must be operationalized tested and falsifiable
Conceptual variable - CORRECT ANSWER a variable of interest, stated at an abstract, or
conversational, level
Operational variable - CORRECT ANSWER A variable defined or described in terms of the
procedures used to observe and measure it.
Helpfulness conceptually and operationally - CORRECT ANSWER conceptual: how likely
you are to help someone else
Operationally: per day how often do you help someone (flat tire etc)
Observational Method - CORRECT ANSWER the technique whereby a researcher observes
people and systematically records measurements or impressions of their behavior
- What is x?
- Does x even occur?
Correlational method - CORRECT ANSWER a research procedure used to determine how
much events or characteristics vary along with each other
- how does x change when y changes
- is x related to y?
- can you predict y by knowing what x is?
Random selection - CORRECT ANSWER A way of ensuring that a sample of people is
representative of a population by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected
for the sample
- DEALS WITH EXTERNAL VALIDITY