Theories and Methods in Social Psychology
David Rude, MA, CPC
Instructor
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Correlational and experimental research
designs;
Research ethics, including informed consent,
debriefing, and minimal risk;
Research bias (experimenter and subject);
Social psychology theories, including social
learning, expectancy value, and social
exchange.
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Social psychology is the scientific study of how
people think about, influence, and relate to
others.
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people’s perceptions and attitudes,
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their interactions among others,
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the interpersonal level of analysis rather
than the societal or individual level
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Social learning theory is a perspective that
states that people learn within a social
context.
It is facilitated through concepts such as
modeling and observational learning.
People, especially children, learn from the
environment and seek acceptance from
society by learning through influential models
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Bad words are generally common words
which come to be associated with ideas,
groups, and behaviors considered taboo or
unclean at some time by someone.
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Social Exchange Theory is a social
psychological and sociological perspective
that explains social change and stability as a
process of negotiated exchanges between
parties.
Social Exchange Theory posits that all human
relationships are formed by the use of a
subjective cost-benefit analysis and the
comparison of alternatives
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Expectancy-Value Theory: contends that
decisions are based on the value of
outcomes and the probability each will
occur.
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Motivational
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Cognitive
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Learning
Sociocultural
 Evolutionary
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Motivational Theories: focus on the
individual’s own need or motives.
Motivation is the force that initiates, guides
and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is
what causes us to take action, whether to
grab a snack to reduce hunger or enroll in
college to earn a degree. The forces that lie
beneath motivation can be biological,
social, emotional or cognitive in nature.
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Cognitive Theories: emphasizes that a
person’s behavior depends on the way he
or she perceives the social situation.
Cognitive psychology focuses on the way
humans process information, looking at
how we treat information that comes in to
the person, and how this treatment leads
to responses.
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Learning in psychology is defined as change
in behavior due to environmental influences.
It put an emphasis on the scientific study of
observable behavior – i.e., what goes on in
the mind is not important, only the resultant
behavior. It has contributed to the scientific
study of behavior (i.e. psychology as we study
it) by advocating the experimental testing of
hypotheses.
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Sociocultural perspective: emphasizes
how behavior is influenced by cultural
values, social norms, and social roles.
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Cultures differ in the relative emphasis
they give to individualism versus
collectivism.
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Culture: shared beliefs, values, traditions,
and behavior patterns of a group.
◦ Culture affects all facets of life from our favorite
foods to our beliefs about masculinity and
femininity.
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Socialization: process of acquiring the
rules, standards, and values of a group.
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Social Norms: rules and expectations about
how group members should behave.
Social Role: set of social norms about how
a person in a particular social position
should behave.
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Evolutionary Social Psychology applies
the principles of evolution and natural
selection to the understanding of human
behavior and social life.
Evolved Psychological Mechanisms:
human tendencies and preferences
resulting from natural selection
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Scientific methodology minimizing
biases is emphasized.
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Four broad goals of research:
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Description
 Theory building
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Causal analysis
 Application
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Ideal samples are representative of the
population from which they come.
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Random sampling is the best way to
get a representative sample.
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How is an experiment performed?
◦ Vary a condition you think affects
behavior
◦ Create two or more groups of subjects
 Alike in all ways except condition you
are varying
◦ Record whether varying the condition
has any effect on behavior
◦ Watch Stanford Prison Experiment clip
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What are variables?
◦ Variable
 Any condition that can change
 Anything that might affect an experiment’s
outcome
 Three types
 Independent - cause
 Dependent - effect
 Extraneous – interfere with results
 Watch VIDEO
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Experimental Group
◦ Subjects whose behavior is under
investigation
◦ Receive independent variable
Control Group:
◦ Comparison group
◦ Do not receive independent variable
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Correlation - watch video
◦ Consistent, systematic relationship
 Between two or more events,
measures, or variables
◦ Relationship allows prediction
◦ Cannot infer causation
 Correlation ≠ causation
◦ Positive correlation
 Increases in one match increases
the other
 Decreases in one match decreases
in the other
◦ Negative correlation
 Increases in one match decreases
in the other
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Advantages (+):
◦ Can observe relationships
◦ Allows for prediction
Disadvantages/Limitations (-):
◦ Correlation does NOT
demonstrate causation
◦ Correlation ≠ causation
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Field research examines behavior in its
natural habitat
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Laboratory research is conducted in an
artificial situation.
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Self-Report
 Observational Research
 Archival Research
 Internet Research
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Two troublesome biases in social
psychology research are:
Experimenter bias: unintentional acts
by the researcher can bias results
 Subject bias/demand characteristics:
aspects of research that make
people aware that they are being
studied can bias their behavior.
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Replication: No study is ever perfect,
results should be replicated; meaning
the study must be repeated
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The American Psychological
Association, APA, provides rigorous
ethical guidelines for research:
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Informed consent
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Debriefing
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Minimal risk
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Activity 1: Unit 1 Assignment 2:
Comparing and contrasting the
theoretical perspectives of social
psychology. GRADED
Due at the beginning of class 2.
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