Title: Conducting Research in Social Psychology – Principles of Social Psychology – 1st International Edition
Headings: Conducting Research in Social Psychology
Conducting Research in Social Psychology
The Importance of Scientific Research
Answer each of the following questions, using your own intuition, as either true or false.
Measuring Affect, Behavior, and Cognition
Social Neuroscience: Measuring Social Responses in the Brain
Observational Research
Research Design
Goal
Advantages
Disadvantages
The Research Hypothesis
Correlational Research
Experimental Research
viewing violence (independent variable) → aggressive behavior (dependent variable)
Factorial Research Designs
Deception in Social Psychology Experiments
Interpreting Research
References

Content: Social psychologists are not the only people interested in understanding and predicting social behavior or the only people who study it. Social behavior is also considered by religious leaders, philosophers, politicians, novelists, and others, and it is a common topic on TV shows. But the social psychological approach to understanding social behavior goes beyond the mere observation of human actions. Social psychologists believe that a true understanding of the causes of social behavior can only be obtained through a systematic scientific approach, and that is why they conduct scientific research. Social psychologists believe that the study of social behavior should be empirical —that is, based on the collection and systematic analysis of observable data. The Importance of Scientific Research
Because social psychology concerns the relationships among people, and because we can frequently find answers to questions about human behavior by using our own common sense or intuition, many people think that it is not necessary to study it empirically (Lilienfeld, 2011). But although we do learn about people by observing others and therefore social psychology is in fact partly common sense, social psychology is not entirely common sense. To test for yourself whether or not social psychology is just common sense, try taking the short quiz in Table 1.1, “Is Social Psychology Just Common Sense?” and respond to each statement with either “True” or “False.” Based on your past observations of people’s behavior, along with your own common sense, you will likely have answers to each of the questions on the quiz.