100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Summary PSY 102 - Chapter 2 CA$10.35
Add to cart

Summary

Summary PSY 102 - Chapter 2

 16 views  0 purchase
  • Course
  • Institution
  • Book

Summary of Chapter 2 of PSY102

Preview 2 out of 5  pages

  • No
  • Chapter 2
  • February 27, 2021
  • 5
  • 2020/2021
  • Summary
avatar-seller
Chapter.2 : How Social Psychologists Do Research ?
2.1 : How Do Researchers Develop Hypotheses and Theories ?
Social Psychology : An Empirical Science
- A fundamental principle of social psychology is that social problems can be studied scientifically.
o The results of the experiments are obvious because the topics are intimately familiar.

- When we study human behavior, results seem predictable. There is a well known human tendency
called hindsight bias.
o Hindsight Bias : after something occurred, people exaggerate how they could have predicted
it before occurrence.

Formulating Hypotheses and Theories
- Researchers begin with a hunch or hypothesis that they want to test.

- INSPIRATION FROM EARLIER THEORIES AND RESEARCH : Many studies stem from
researcher’s dissatisfaction with existing theories.
o Ex. Leon Festinger dissatisfied with the theory of behaviorism, so he formulated a new
approach.
o Social psychologist engage in continual process of theory refinement.
▪ Theory Refinement : a theory is developed; specific hypotheses from theory are
tested; based on results, theory is revised and new hypotheses formulate.

- HYPOTHESES BASED ON PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS : Social psychology also deals with
phenomena we encounter in everyday life.
o Ex. Genovese murder in which nobody reported the murder to the police. It might be because
the neighbors assumed someone else called police which is called diffusion of responsibility.
o In science, idle speculation isn’t enough but researches must collect data.

, 2.2 : What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Research
Designs that Social Psychologists Use ?
Research Designs
- Social psychology is a scientific discipline with a set of methods for answering questions about social
behavior.
o There are three types of methods : observational method, correlational method, and experimental
method.
o Part of creativity in social psychology research involves choosing the right method,
maximizing its strengths and minimizing weaknesses.

The Observational Method : Describing Social Behavior
- If goal is to describe what a particular group of people or type of behavior is like, observational method
is helpful.
o Observational Method : a researcher observes people and records measurements or
impressions of their behavior.

- ETHNOGRAPHY : An example of observational method is ethnography.
o Ethnography : method by which researchers attempt to understand a group by observing it
from the inside without any preconceived notions.
o The goal is to understand the richness and complexity of the group by observing it in action.
▪ It is the chief method of cultural anthropology (study of cultures and societies).
o The key is to avoid imposing preconceived notions on the group and to understand their
point of view.
o We know accuracy by establishing inter-judge reliability.
▪ Inter-judge Reliability : the level of agreement between two or more people who
observed independently and code a set of data.
• When two or more judges come up with the same observations, researchers
ensure the observation are not subjective.
- ARCHIVAL ANALYSIS : The researcher can also examine the accumulated documents of a culture a
technique known as archival analysis.
o Ex. Diaries, novels, suicide notes, popular music lyrics, television shows, movies, magazines.

- LIMITS OF THE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD : Certain kinds of behavior are difficult to observe
because they occur only rarely only in private.
o Social psychologists want to predict and explain behavior; therefore, there are more
appropriate methods.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller asbinmahfouz. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for CA$10.35. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
CA$10.35
  • (0)
Add to cart
Added