User talk:Atcovi/Spring2024/Social Psychology/Ch. 1

Powerpoint
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YaLj3JlvBq9d9C1ODSqUK7f7BAsfv7sm/edit#slide=id.p3 —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 03:56, 11 January 2024 (UTC)

Key Points/Summary
What is social psychology? Social psychology is the study of our social behaviors. This branch seeks to explain the influences behind our thoughts and behaviors. This branch aims to improve people's lives.

1.1

 * Seeks to be accurate, objective, skeptical (replicatable), and open-minded.
 * Social contexts or experiences one may have leads to self-identities, one's identity then influences their behavior.
 * Variables that affect behavior, include moods, emotions, actions and appearances.
 * Planning fallacy - To overestimate a completion of a task due to focus on task completion and not on the task itself.
 * Evolutionary perspective: variations exist, variations pass down (inheritance), and variations that are beneficial are used more often (selection).

1.2

 * Thoughts and behaviors are related.
 * Emotions affect us all the time.
 * Social relationships are important.
 * Neuroscience: study of the brain (fMRI/PET scans), though cannot explain every phenomenon on social behavior. Example of neuroscience is the study of mirror neurons and empathy.
 * Implicit Processes: Unconscious drives. Gender bias studies, for example... or, "Why do I not like this person?".
 * Diversity must be accounted for, thereby taking a "multicultural perspective" in the 1960s.

1.3

 * Research methods: observing with objective measurements (systematic observations), self-answered questions (surveys), correlations exist and we can make predictions based on one variable for another variable (correlational method), employ the scientific method with random assignments and constants (experimental method).
 * Mediating variables: variables that affect the IV which has an impact on the DV. Example is testosterone affecting aggression (DV), which is caused by holding a gun (IV). Usually, it may be the "through".
 * Meta analysis: Fact-checking thousands of studies. We can see research errors easier. Moderators are what can change the direction or strength of the IV. An example are categorical variables, such as race or religion.

1.4

 * Theories: Consistent, can use to make predictions about observable events, support or modify/reject, never proven.

1.5
—Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 19:42, 19 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Deception: withholding scope/steps of project. 2 forms, withholding (passive) or misleading (risky). Should only be used if necessary and if more benefits than costs. Is allowed if informed consent is given and debriefing takes place AFTER the experiment.