In an experiment, a factor that changes along with the independent variable and can prevent a clear assessment of the effects of the IV on the DV
Random Assignment: Each participant in a study has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition
Think Again!
1 What are the two key features of an experiment?
2 What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent one?
3 What is a confound, and how do researchers minimize the likelihood of confounds?
Final Thoughts: Social Psychology and Human Nature Revisited
After reading this opening chapter, you should have a pretty good feel for social psychology as the scientific study of the social experiences and behaviors of individuals. I hope you share my fascination for learning what people do and understanding why they do it, and for how social psychology is particularly suited for investigating these topics. Note that social psychology is more than simply a sum of its individual research findings; rather, it is a theoretically driven, empirically based process for pursuing answers to fundamental questions of human nature. The six questions that we’ll return to again and again are: Do we have free will? Are we independent or conformist? Are we rational beings? What is the self? Do we need other people and, if so, why? Are we inherently altruistic or selfish? Returning to our opening story, consider how the various perspectives incorporated into social psychology help us explore such topics as same and opposite sex romantic attraction, how we think about ourselves and other people, the roles of biology and culture in shaping human thought and behavior, attitudes and attitude change, the formation and maintenance of prejudice, stereotypes, and altruism, among many others.
Core Concepts
Social psychology is the scientific study of the social experiences and behaviors of individuals. Social psychology is different from other disciplines because it examines the relationships between individuals and groups, considers multiple levels of explanation, and focuses primarily on laboratory research.
Social psychology is driven by the desire to examine the fundamental questions of human nature having to do with free will, independence, rationality, the self, sociality, and morality.
During the early 20th century, social psychology grew from a nonexperimental to an experimental science. Two early textbooks helped to define social psychology and differentiate it from other social scientific approaches.
Kurt Lewin’s field theory articulated how social behavior is a product of the interactions between dispositional and situational influences on social behavior.
Social psychologists acknowledge that social behavior has many causes and integrate them to develop more complete understandings of social behavior. These three levels of explanation are (1) evolutionary forces, (2) contextual influences, and (3) individual experiences.
The four principles of social psychology are that social behavior is purposive; stems from both dispositional and situational influences; is affected by how people construe the social world; is cultural.
The hindsight bias is demonstrated when people believe that they could have accurately predicted the occurrence of an actual event if they had been asked to predict it before it occurred. Students of social psychology need to be aware of this so that they don’t mistakenly think that some research findings are “obvious” and, consequently, not fully appreciate them.
Social psychological science is a process of discovery that is creative, dynamic, honest, and self-correcting, and is not merely a body of facts. Social psychology seeks to describe, explain, and predict social behavior.
Social psychologists generate hypotheses—or predictions about the nature of social phenomena—to direct their research and develop theories—sets of interrelated statements that explain and predict patterns of observable events—derived from their research. These theories help guide future research.
Correlations exist when two variables change (either up or down) at the same time. However, they do not demonstrate that the variables have a causal relationship (where changes in one variable cause changes in the other).
An experiment is research in which one or more variables are systematically varied in order to examine the effects on one or more other variables. The experimenter manipulates or changes the independent variable (IV) to determine whether or not it causes a change in a different one, the dependent variable (DV). The IV is the purported cause, and the DV the predicted effect.
Treatment groups receive the treatment or variable being tested, whereas control groups do not receive the treatment and serve as comparison groups against which we may measure the effects of the treatment. Confound variables are factors that change along with the independent variable and can complicate a clear assessment of the effects of the IV on the DV.
Random assignment occurs when each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition in an experiment and helps to prevent confounds and ensure parity between the groups.
Controlled, randomized experiments are important, because they can demonstrate cause and effect. Experiments manipulate the IV and measure its potential influence on the DV. In addition, researchers control situational features so that all participants are tested in nearly identical circumstances, with the only differences being the level of the IV as determined by the experimenter.
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Key Terms
Anthropology, 7
Biological/Physiological Psychology, 8
Causal Relationship, 36
Classical, Conditioning, 23
Clinical Psychology, 8
Cognitive Psychology, 8
Collectivistic Culture, 12
Control Group, 37
Confound, 37
Correlation, 35
Culture, 22
Dependent Variable, 36
Experiment, 36
Hindsight Bias, 30
Hypothesis, 34
Independent Variable, 36
Individualistic Culture, 12
Instrumental Conditioning, 23
Lay Theory, 29
Natural Selection,
