chp 1

efforts to connect activity in the brain to the key aspects of studying social thoughts and behavior; neurolgical connections in social situations

marks the importance of how cultural factors shape who we are and our social behaviors

behavior is carefully observed with no interference and recorded in settings where behavior naturally takes place

asking a large number of people questions about their attitudes or behavior

systematically altering 1 or more variables to test whether or not these changes in variable will affect some aspect of behavior

the variable intentionally changed in the experiment or is controlled

the variable that changes as a result of independent variable manipulation. the obserable effect

random assignment for participants and a control on outside variables that may influence the results

other factors that may influence behavior in the experiment

explains the how or why of a relationship between an independent variable and dependent variable

used to synthesize a body of knowledge and point to what can be done; combine the results of multiple studies into one to answer a research study

variables that change the relationship between independent and dependent variables

frameworks for explaining various events or processess

efforts by social psychologists to withhold/conceal information from participants about the study being done during experiments that may skew the results

if informed consent and debriefing had taken place

giving participants of an experiment as much information about the procedures beforehand before they make their decision to participate

providing participants with a full description of the purposes of a study after they have participated in it. including: an explanation for any deception and why

the influence of a large group (culture, community)

certain social trends that enable us to survive

the social behaviors are changed based on an individuals' past experience gained from observation and consequences

how our thoughts influence our social behavior

scientific study of mental processes and behavior

scientific study of mental processes and behavior in social situations

the organization of thought

the father of modern day psychology, developed introspection (self reflection)

behavioral psychologist that studied social faciliation and social hindrance (the study on the bikes)

father of social psychology, founded the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, developed field theory

examines patterns of interaction between the individual and the total field (the environment). you are a combination of everything you've ever known; life space: all the factors influencing your behavior (past experiences, current perceptions, external envrionment). various forces at play. made by kurt lewin

we perform better in the presence of others when we are good at a task or have a lot of experience in it (or the task is easy)

we perform worse in the presence of others when we are bad a task or lack experience in it (or the task is hard

inconsitency of thoughts and behaviors

focues on how what we think about influences our behaviors

two systems for thinking (implicit and explicit thinking)

we act differently when we known we're being watched

our own memories, environmental variables, cultural context, biological factors

to establish social ties, to understand ourselves and others, to defend ourselves and those we value, to attract and retain mates

birds of a feather (those who have things in common are drawn to each other)

familiary breeds content (the more we are around a person the more we like them just by association)

out of sight out of mind (we forget about people and move on with our lives, if we arent in their presence)

two heads are better than one (perfect number 5, if it goes over then it becomes too much)

accuracy, objectivity, skepticism, open-mindedness

believe they could've predicted the outcome of an event after it occurs

watching people in a natural social environment

asking questions directly about any topic of interest

measuring whether or not variables are connected to each other. positive correlation if the variables move together, negative correlation if they move the opposite directions together

systematic observation, interviews, survey method, correlational research, experimentation

not complex, is simplistic

doesnt control any variables, have to consider the reactivity effect

great at getting multiple responses with groups and seeing their interactions with each other (in context of couple and group therapy)

can filter out some responses. people are likely to change their answers as a result of the influence of others

it is anonymous and doesnt take long

it is limited in responses and cannot ask for clarification

can study the statistical relationship between two variables, less expensive and time-consuming

correlation does not imply causation, directionality problem (cant pinpoint which is the cause and effect), outside variables could be the cause

high level of control over experiment, specific conclusion, results can be replicated, cause and effect can be determined

highly prone to human error, personal bias, time-consuming and expensive, ethical implications, may create unrealistic situations

the mental processes that help us interact with the world and interpret our own experiences

they shape how we act in the future. we use our past experiences to make inferences

the setting we are in affects our mood, behavior and thoughts. for example, we are more focused in clean environments

our heritage influences our behaviors. Not necessarily race, but the different cultures built in different envrionments (e.g., classroom culture)

our innate tendencies and predispositions that affect how we act.