History of Social Psychology

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Questions and Answers

Who is considered the father of Social Psychology and Experimental Psychology?

Wilhelm Wundt

Floyd Allport (correct)

Norman Triplett

John Dewey

What did Festinger primarily focus on in his studies during the 1930s to 1950s?

Research on community ties

Individual dispositions

Social Facilitation Theory

Conformity and obedience (correct)

What does Lewin's interactionalism perspective emphasize?

The importance of mental states only

The individual in isolation from society

Strict laboratory settings for research

Behavior and attitudes interaction with environment (correct)

Which of the following criticized the treatment of African Americans and the use of IQ tests on other cultures?

Sumners Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant concern raised about social psychology in the 1960-70s?

Relevance of lab observations to real-life situations Signup and view all the answers

What is a major consequence of using small sample sizes in research?

It can result in answers that do not represent the population. Signup and view all the answers

Which practice can help protect against cognitive biases in research?

Implementing blinding in testing conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What describes 'P-Hacking' in research methodology?

Changing the hypothesis after the data is analyzed. Signup and view all the answers

Why is collaboration in research beneficial?

It enhances generalizability and strengthens study designs. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of promoting study pre-registration?

To improve the transparency and reporting of research. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a benefit of reproducibility in scientific research?

It increases transparency and the credibility of scientific claims. Signup and view all the answers

How can methodological training be improved to address common misinterpretations in research?

By creating simplified and easy-to-understand learning resources. Signup and view all the answers

What should be done to ensure quality and reliability in research publication?

Implement reporting guidelines and standards for all studies. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Drive Theory by Robert Zajonc suggest about arousal and performance?

Arousal facilitates the performance of the dominant response. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor negatively impacts performance in social situations according to Uziel's findings?

Social anxiety Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the concept of social facilitation?

Performance is enhanced in the presence of others. Signup and view all the answers

What main issue does the replication crisis highlight regarding scientific research?

Many published research findings may be false. Signup and view all the answers

What did Floyd Allport contribute to the field of psychology?

He coined the term social facilitation. Signup and view all the answers

According to the criticisms of Drive Theory, what is a limitation regarding the classification of tasks as difficult or easy?

It often overlooks individual participant differences. Signup and view all the answers

In the Fishing Line Kids Test, what was observed when children were in social groups?

They pulled in fish faster. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the Open Science Collaboration related to replications?

To replicate findings from previous studies. Signup and view all the answers

What did the results of the replications performed by the Open Science Collaboration reveal about previously published studies?

Some studies could not be replicated. Signup and view all the answers

How did Bems (2011) research contribute to the replication crisis?

Its findings could not be replicated by others. Signup and view all the answers

What is a likely reason for the failure of many studies to achieve replication according to the content?

Data manipulation and biased reporting practices. Signup and view all the answers

What type of replication attempts to confirm previous findings using different methods but the same theoretical concept?

Conceptual replication Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best reflects the impact of personality on social performance based on Uziel's findings?

Self-assured individuals perform better socially. Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of social inhibition in performance as discussed in the document?

Inhibition can lead to reduced performance on complex tasks. Signup and view all the answers

Compared to a novice, how did the expert pool players perform when an audience was present according to Michaels Et al. (1982)?

The expert performed better. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Aristotle believed that society shapes human development
Auguste Comte proposed that people are both the consequence and cause of society. They are the products and producers of the social environment.
Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental psychology laboratory in 1879, separating psychology from philosophy and biology.
Norman Triplett is considered the founder of social psychology. In 1898, he published the first paper on the topic and developed the Social Facilitation Theory.
John Dewey believed that collective work benefits the masses and shapes society.
McDougal published the first social psychology textbook in 1908.
Ross also wrote a social psychology textbook.
Floyd Allport is considered the father of social psychology and experimental psychology. He focused on individual dispositions rather than society and researched the influence of social ties on coping with the Great Depression.
W.E.B Du Bois was a prominent sociologist who criticized the treatment of African Americans and the biases within Western IQ tests applied to other cultures.
Leon Festinger, working during World War II, conducted research on conformity, obedience, and authority figures in controlled laboratory settings. He also believed that it was acceptable to deceive participants in experiments.
B.F Skinner, a behaviorist, believed that mental states are preconditioned.
The Cognitive Revolution challenged behaviorism by suggesting that we act based on our thoughts.
Kurt Lewin developed an interactionalist perspective that emphasizes the interplay between a person's personality and their environment within social psychology. He conducted field studies outside the lab, researched resistance to propaganda, and highlighted the impact of subjective experience over objective experiences. He worked for the government and military.
Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo conducted controversial prison experiments that raised questions about the ethics of experimental research and its applicability to real-life situations.
During the 1970s and 1980s, social psychology embraced pluralism. This involved combining laboratory research with correlational research, allowing for the measurement of more variables and a broader perspective.
Ethical standards were established and promoted, emphasizing informed consent, inclusion of diverse individuals and cultures, and a focus on oppressed groups.

Norman Triplett observed that the presence of others enhances performance, leading to the concept of social facilitation.
Floyd Allport coined the term "Social Facilitation" in 1924, highlighting that the presence of other people influences behavior.
Bayer (1929) observed that chickens eat more food in social groups than alone.
Chen (1937) found that ants excavate more dirt when in groups.
Pessin's (1933) study on memorizing non-sense words showed that participants made more errors with an audience present compared to those working alone and quietly.
Robert Zajonc (1965) proposed the Drive Theory based on arousal. He suggested that arousal, often caused by the presence of others, facilitates dominant responses and inhibits non-dominant responses. This idea was supported by the work of Michaels et al. (1982) who found that expert pool players performed better, while novice players performed worse, with an audience.

Lack of objective criteria for determining task difficulty.
Limited meta-analytic support for the impact of audience presence.
Individuals with negative social orientations, such as anxiety or low self-esteem, tend to perform worse in the presence of others.
The Drive Theory is criticized for inconsistently accounting for only a small percentage of the variance in performance.

Individual and Dispositional Factors

Uziel (2007) highlighted that individuals who are confident and comfortable in social situations show enhanced performance, whereas individuals with negative social orientations experience inhibited performance.
This suggests that personality traits and individual differences play a significant role in social facilitation.

The Replication Crisis

John Ioannidis (2005) proposed that a large percentage of published research findings might be false due to methodological issues and practices.
Daryl Bem (2011) published studies suggesting evidence for extrasensory perception (ESP) and the ability to predict the future, which were widely criticized and failed to replicate.
Open Science Collaborative (2015) found that many psychology studies fail to replicate, highlighting the replication crisis and its implications on the validity of research findings.
Galak and Nelson (2010) failed to replicate Bem's studies, further questioning their findings.
Wagenmaker et al. (2011) argued that Bem's use of statistical methods contributed to false positives and encouraged a shift toward more rigorous data analysis.
Replications are crucial for ensuring the accuracy of scientific research and minimizing the impact of individual biases or flawed methodologies.
Direct replications aim to replicate the original study precisely, while conceptual replications test the same theoretical idea using different methods.
The Open Science Collaboration found that only 25% of studies could be directly replicated.

Reasons for Non-Replication & Bad Research

Original data falsification: Unethical practices can lead to unreliable and misleading results.
Publish or perish culture: Pressure to publish results can incentivize researchers to exaggerate findings.
File-drawer problem: Studies with non-significant results are often not published, creating a biased representation of the field.
Small sample sizes: Limited participant numbers can lead to results not generalizable to the larger population.
Limited replicability: Methodological discrepancies, small sample sizes, and incomplete reporting can hinder replication efforts.
Data dredging and p-hacking: Manipulating data or hypotheses to fit desired results is considered unethical and compromises the integrity of research.

Priming Theory

Priming occurs when exposure to one stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus without conscious effort.
Michael Mosley demonstrated priming effects with words related to older people.
However, research on priming is controversial and requires further investigation.

Ways to Improve Research Quality

Protect against cognitive biases: Employ blinding techniques to reduce researchers' bias.
Improve methodological training: Address common misconceptions regarding statistical analysis and research design.
Independent methodology support: Implement multidisciplinary teams and committees to enhance the rigor of the research process.
Collaboration and team science: Combining efforts increases statistical power and generalizability of findings.
Study pre-registration: Promoting transparent reporting and pre-planned research designs improves the quality and integrity of research.
Reproducibility: Clear and detailed methodologies enable successful replications.
Incentive structures: Rewarding replications and transparent research practices can encourage more rigorous scientific conduct.
Open Science: This movement encourages open access to data, methods, and code, promoting transparency and collaboration, which is essential for improving the quality and reproducibility of research studies.

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Description

Explore the evolution of social psychology from Aristotle to modern theorists. This quiz covers the contributions of key figures such as Wundt, Triplett, and Dewey, and examines the foundational theories that shaped the field. Test your knowledge on the historical context and significant milestones in social psychology.