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Methodology: How Social Psychologists Conduct Research

This chapter outlines the methods used by social psychologists in conducting research, including formulating hypotheses and theories, observational methods, correlational methods, and experimental methods. It discusses the strengths and limitations of each method and highlights the importance of empirical research in understanding social behavior.

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Methodology: How Social Psychologists Conduct Research

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  1. Chapter 2 Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research

  2. Chapter Outline Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research

  3. Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research • Empirical research allows us to test the validity of personal observations and folk wisdom.

  4. Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research • Findings from social psychological research may appear obvious because of the hindsight bias.

  5. Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research • Social psychology relies on three types of methods -- observational, correlational, and experimental -- to provide empirical answers to questions about social behavior.

  6. Chapter Outline I. Formulating Hypotheses and Theories

  7. Formulating Hypotheses and Theories • Inspiration from Previous Theories and Research Science is cumulative and people often generate hypotheses based on previous theories and research.

  8. Formulating Hypotheses and Theories • Hypotheses based on Personal Observations Personal experience, current events, and literature can provide a source of hypotheses to test.

  9. Chapter Outline II. The Observational Method: Describing Social Behavior

  10. The Observational Method • The observational method involves systematic observation and measurement of behavior.

  11. The Observational Method • Ethnography A type of observational method used by cultural anthropologists and social psychologists to study and understand a group or culture.

  12. The Observational Method • Participant Observation A form of systematic observation whereby the observer interacts with the people being observed, but tries not to change the situation in any way.

  13. The Observational Method • Archival Analysis A form of the observational whereby the researcher examines the accumulated documents of a culture.

  14. The Observational Method • Limits of the Observational Method Certain kinds of behavior are difficult to observe, because they occur rarely or in private. It is confined to one particular group of people, one setting, and one type of activity. It describes patterns of behavior but is not conducive to understanding relationships between variables or why a behavior occurs

  15. Chapter Outline III. The Correlational Method: Predicting Social Behavior

  16. The Correlational Method • The correlational method involves systematically measuring the relationship between two or more variables (e.g., how much one can be predicted from the other).

  17. The Correlational Method • Surveys The correlational method often relies on surveys, as well as on observational data. Surveys are used when the variable of interest is not easily observable.

  18. The Correlational Method • Correlation Coefficient The correlation coefficient provides a metric for calculating the degree of association between two variables. Positive correlations indicate that an increase in one variable is associated with an increase in the other. Negative correlations indicate that an increase in one variable is associated with a decrease in the other.

  19. The Correlational Method • Surveys The validity of survey data depends on using samples that are representative of the population being studied. Random selection can ensure that a sample is representative.

  20. The Correlational Method • Surveys Problems with survey data Sampling errors Survey questions that ask people to explain their own behavior are likely to be inaccurate. Answers to survey questions can be influenced by the way the question is phrased.

  21. The Correlational Method • Correlation does not equal causation The correlational method identifies only whether two variables are associated, and not why they are related.

  22. The Correlational Method • Correlation does not equal causation Confusion of correlation and causality may appear in media reports.

  23. The Correlational Method • Correlation does not equal causation Only the experimental method, which systematically controls and manipulates events, can determine causality.

  24. Chapter Outline IV. The Experimental Method: Answering Causal Questions

  25. The Experimental Method • Independent and Dependent Variables The independent variable is manipulated by the researcher. It is the variable presumed to cause the change in the other variable. The dependent variable is the one measured by the researcher to see if changes depend on the level of the independent variable.

  26. The Experimental Method • Establishing Internal Validity in Experiments Internal Validity refers to making sure that nothing else besides the independent variable can affect the dependent variable; this is accomplished by controlling all extraneous variables and by randomly assigning people to different experimental conditions.

  27. The Experimental Method • Establishing Internal Validity in Experiments Internal validity is established by controlling all extraneous variables and by using random assignment to conditions.

  28. The Experimental Method • Establishing Internal Validity in Experiments Even with random assignment, there is a small probability that different characteristics of people are distributed differently across conditions. To guard against misinterpreting results, scientists calculate the probability level (p-value) that their results would occur by chance.

  29. The Experimental Method • Establishing External Validity in Experiments External validity is the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and other people.

  30. The Experimental Method • Establishing External Validity in Experiments Generalizability across situations Generalizability across people Replication Cross-cultural research

  31. The Experimental Method • The Basic Dilemma of the Social Psychologist When deciding between conducting field experiments and laboratory experiments, social psychologists must face a trade-off between internal and external validity, between having enough control over the situation to ensure that no extraneous variables are influencing the results, and making sure the results can be generalized to everyday life.

  32. The Experimental Method • The Basic Dilemma of the Social Psychologist The way to resolve this dilemma is to conduct both laboratory experiments and field experiments that study the same phenomenon.

  33. Chapter Outline V. Ethical Issues in Social Psychology

  34. Ethical Issues in Social Psychology • Social psychologists face the tension between wanting experiments to be realistic and wanting to avoid causing participants unnecessary stress and unpleasantness • The dilemma is less problematic when researchers can obtain informed consent.

  35. Chapter Outline VI. Basic Versus Applied Research

  36. Basic Versus Applied Research • Basic research tries to find the best answer to the question of why people behave the way they do, purely to satisfy intellectual curiosity. • Applied research tries to solve a specific social problem.

  37. Study Questions Why do some conclusions about social behavior seem obvious?

  38. Study Questions How are theories and hypotheses formulated?

  39. Study Questions Why is interjudge reliability necessary in observational studies?

  40. Study Questions What are the strengths and limitations of the observational method?

  41. Study Questions In addition to describing a relationship between two variables, what do correlations allow us to do?

  42. Study Questions If you were informed that a positive correlation exists between variable A and variable B, what does it mean? What does it NOT mean?

  43. Study Questions What are some criteria for survey data collection in order to help insure that the data are accurate?

  44. Study Questions What are the necessary components of an experiment?

  45. Study Questions Regarding an experiment, what does high internal validity imply?

  46. Study Questions If a researcher used random assignment to conditions and found differences in the dependent variable across conditions, what may account for these differences?

  47. Study Questions Why might lab experiments lack external validity?

  48. Study Questions How do replications and cross-cultural research help to increase the external validity of research findings?

  49. Study Questions What is a trade-off between lab and field experiments? Why are lab experiments conducted in social psychology?

  50. Study Questions What role do the APA and an Institutional Review Board play in governing research in psychology?

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