Theories and Methods in Social Psychology David Rude, MA, CPC Instructor 1

 Correlational and experimental research designs;  Research ethics, including informed consent, debriefing, and minimal risk;  Research bias (experimenter and subject);  Social psychology theories, including social learning, expectancy value, and social exchange. 2

 Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to others.  people’s perceptions and attitudes,  their interactions among others,  the interpersonal level of analysis rather than the societal or individual level

 Social learning theory is a perspective that states that people learn within a social context.  It is facilitated through concepts such as modeling and observational learning.  People, especially children, learn from the environment and seek acceptance from society by learning through influential models 4

 Bad words are generally common words which come to be associated with ideas, groups, and behaviors considered taboo or unclean at some time by someone. 5

 Social Exchange Theory is a social psychological and sociological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties.  Social Exchange Theory posits that all human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective cost-benefit analysis and the comparison of alternatives 6

 Expectancy-Value Theory: contends that decisions are based on the value of outcomes and the probability each will occur. 7

 Motivational  Cognitive  Learning  Sociocultural  Evolutionary 8

 Motivational Theories: focus on the individual’s own need or motives.  Motivation is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes us to take action, whether to grab a snack to reduce hunger or enroll in college to earn a degree. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. Motivation 9

 Cognitive Theories: emphasizes that a person’s behavior depends on the way he or she perceives the social situation.  Cognitive psychology focuses on the way humans process information, looking at how we treat information that comes in to the person, and how this treatment leads to responses. 10

 Learning in psychology is defined as change in behavior due to environmental influences.  It put an emphasis on the scientific study of observable behavior – i.e., what goes on in the mind is not important, only the resultant behavior. It has contributed to the scientific study of behavior (i.e. psychology as we study it) by advocating the experimental testing of hypotheses. 11

 Sociocultural perspective: emphasizes how behavior is influenced by cultural values, social norms, and social roles. Cultures differ in the relative emphasis they give to individualism versus collectivism. 12

 Culture: shared beliefs, values, traditions, and behavior patterns of a group. ◦ Culture affects all facets of life from our favorite foods to our beliefs about masculinity and femininity.  Socialization: process of acquiring the rules, standards, and values of a group. 13

 Social Norms: rules and expectations about how group members should behave.  Social Role: set of social norms about how a person in a particular social position should behave. 14

 Evolutionary Social Psychology applies the principles of evolution and natural selection to the understanding of human behavior and social life.  Evolved Psychological Mechanisms: human tendencies and preferences resulting from natural selection 15

 Scientific methodology minimizing biases is emphasized.  Four broad goals of research:  Description  Causal analysis 16  Theory building  Application

 Ideal samples are representative of the population from which they come.  Random sampling is the best way to get a representative sample. 17

 How is an experiment performed? ◦ Vary a condition you think affects behavior ◦ Create two or more groups of subjects  Alike in all ways except condition you are varying ◦ Record whether varying the condition has any effect on behavior ◦ Watch Stanford Prison Experiment clipStanford Prison Experiment

 What are variables? ◦ Variable  Any condition that can change  Anything that might affect an experiment’s outcome  Three types  Independent - cause  Dependent - effect  Extraneous – interfere with results  Watch VIDEOVIDEO

 Experimental Group ◦ Subjects whose behavior is under investigation ◦ Receive independent variable  Control Group: ◦ Comparison group ◦ Do not receive independent variable

 Correlation - watch videovideo ◦ Consistent, systematic relationship  Between two or more events, measures, or variables ◦ Relationship allows prediction ◦ Cannot infer causation  Correlation ≠ causation

◦ Positive correlation  Increases in one match increases the other  Decreases in one match decreases in the other ◦ Negative correlation  Increases in one match decreases in the other

 Advantages (+): ◦ Can observe relationships ◦ Allows for prediction  Disadvantages/Limitations (-): ◦ Correlation does NOT demonstrate causation ◦ Correlation ≠ causation

 Field research examines behavior in its natural habitat  Laboratory research is conducted in an artificial situation. 24

 Self-Report  Observational Research  Archival Research  Internet Research 25

26 Two troublesome biases in social psychology research are:  Experimenter bias: unintentional acts by the researcher can bias results  Subject bias/demand characteristics: aspects of research that make people aware that they are being studied can bias their behavior.

 Replication: No study is ever perfect, results should be replicated; meaning the study must be repeated 27

 The American Psychological Association, APA, provides rigorous ethical guidelines for research: 1. Informed consent 2. Debriefing 3. Minimal risk 28

Activity 1: Unit 1 Assignment 2: Comparing and contrasting the theoretical perspectives of social psychology. GRADED Due at the beginning of class 2. 29