Research Methods II: Social Psychology Issues
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Questions and Answers

What is the main concern regarding experimenter effects in psychological research?

  • Experimenter effects are irrelevant in social psychology.
  • The hypothesis must be manipulated to reduce effects.
  • Experimenter beliefs may influence participant behavior. (correct)
  • Experimenter effects bias the data collection process.

    • What do implicit social priming experiments typically involve?

  • Explicit instructions for behavior change.
  • Complex verbal prompts only.
  • Subtle cues like words or images. (correct)
  • Experimental manipulation of participant demographics.

    • Which statement best describes how to enhance research outcomes according to recent recommendations?

  • Fully disclose study materials and procedures. (correct)
  • Only publish the final results for clarity.
  • Use non-standardized measures for flexibility.
  • Avoid pre-registration to maintain neutrality.

    • In the context of social psychology, what does 'automaticity effects' refer to?

    <p>Behavior consistent with a concept prompted subtly. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a confounding variable in the context of the experimenter effects discussed?

    <p>The experimenter’s belief about the task. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of p-hacked data in p-curve analysis?

    <p>It tends to have a left-skewed distribution. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does HARKING refer to in research methodology?

    <p>Creating post-hoc hypotheses after analyzing results. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes a well-structured hypothesis?

    <p>It is clear, directional, and comprehensive. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which scenario would indicate a potential problem with publication bias?

    <p>Only significant findings are published, while non-significant results are not. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the recommended approach for stating hypotheses in research?

    <p>Hypotheses must be clearly defined and stated before data collection. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one reason for the increased rate of false positives in research?

    <p>Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What ultimately undermined the conclusions drawn from the Stanford Prison Experiment?

    <p>Heavily directed behavior of both prisoners and guards (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main focus of the Robber's Cave Experiment?

    <p>Competition due to scarce resources (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of these methods is NOT recognized as a questionable research practice?

    <p>Data triangulation (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a key issue in Muzafer Sherif's first experiment prior to the Robber's Cave?

    <p>The experiment was aborted due to unfavorable results (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'Realistic Conflict Theory' primarily explain?

    <p>Competition between groups for scarce resources (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the Stanford Prison Experiment, who periodically escalated conflicts that arose?

    <p>The prison warden (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did the Robber's Cave Experiment ultimately resolve the initial enmity between the groups?

    <p>By establishing a common purpose (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    P-hacking

    Manipulating data analysis to achieve a significant p-value (below .05).

    Replication Crisis

    A situation where research findings cannot be reproduced, leading to concerns about the reliability of scientific studies.

    P-curve analysis

    A method to detect p-hacking and publication bias by analyzing the distribution of significant p-values.

    QRPs

    Questionable Research Practices that lead to false positives in studies.

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    HARKing

    Hypothesizing After Results are Known; creating a hypothesis after analyzing data, misleadingly presenting it as prior.

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    P-hacking

    Manipulating data to achieve statistically significant results.

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    HARKing

    Hypothesizing After Results are Known, altering hypotheses based on observed data.

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    Good vs Bad hypotheses

    A good hypothesis is directional and specific (e.g., 'Indians higher in interdependence'). A bad hypothesis is vague (e.g., 'difference between groups').

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    Exploratory vs Confirmatory research

    Exploratory seeks patterns without prior expectations; confirmatory tests specific predictions made beforehand.

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    Stanford Prison Experiment

    Study by Philip Zimbardo investigating the psychological impact of perceived power and authority.

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    Robber’s Cave Experiment

    An experiment by Muzafer Sherif demonstrating how competition for scarce resources fosters conflict.

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    Realistic Conflict Theory

    Theory stating intergroup conflict arises from competition for limited resources.

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    Directed Behavior

    Behavior heavily influenced by external instructions or authority.

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    Implicit Social Priming

    The process where a subtle prompt activates specific concepts, influencing behavior accordingly.

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    Automaticity Effects

    Behavior influenced by concepts triggered automatically through prompts like words or images.

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    Experimenter Effects

    The influence an experimenter's awareness of conditions has on participant behavior.

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    21-word solution

    A method for researchers to report sample size, data exclusions, manipulations, and measures in studies.

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    Pre-registering Studies

    The practice of documenting study purpose, hypotheses, and methods before conducting research.

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    Study Notes

    Research Methods II: Introduction to Social Psychology

    • This presentation covers key issues in social psychology research.

    The Replication Crisis

    • The current methods of research and reporting findings are leading to a higher rate of false positives.
    • This is a significant contributor to replication failures.
    • Common issues include:
      • p-hacking
      • Cherry-picking data
      • HARKing (Hypothesizing After Results are Known)
      • Other questionable research practices

    Key Research in Social Psychology

    • Stanford Prison Experiment (Philip Zimbardo):

      • Examined the psychological effects of perceived power.
      • Questioned whether brutality among prison guards is due to sadistic personalities or a situational effect (prison setting).
      • Ordinary students assigned as guards showed unexpectedly brutal behavior.
      • This experiment's methodology and conclusions have been questioned, mainly referring to the highly directed nature and a lack of validity.

    • Robber's Cave Experiment (Muzafer Sherif):

      • Investigated "Realistic Conflict Theory".
      • Study involved 11-13 year-old boys in a summer camp, assigned to two groups ("houses").
      • A competition created conflict and hostility between the groups.
      • The ultimate resolution involved a common goal (e.g., a common objective) that brought the groups back together.
      • The findings have been questioned, mentioning factors like how the study's conditions were artificially set up and factors of researcher influence.

    • Implicit Social Priming Experiments:

      • Explore "Automaticity Effects".
      • Use subtle prompts (words, images, experiences) to activate concepts in the mind of participants.
      • Observe participant behavior and its alignment with activated concepts.
      • This could reveal the influence of subconscious cues on social interactions.
      • However, experimenter biases are a concern in this type of research which raise question over the validity of the study.

    Problems in Social Psychological Research

    • Experimenter effects and biases: Experimenters are aware of the experiment conditions so this could unintentionally influence results. They could sometimes change their behaviour on purpose or through accident; these changes impact participants' behaviours and this could lead to conclusions that don't reflect what happened.
    • Ethical concerns: In regards to whether or not results speak to broader theories or are merely an experimental difference between the variables.

    How to Enhance Research Outcomes

    • Use Simmons et al's (2012) suggestions: Fully disclose how sample sizes, data exclusions, and other relevant factors were determined.
    • Pre-register empirical studies: Outline hypotheses, variables, procedures in advance.
    • Post data and results: Share the raw data and results to foster transparency.

    Reducing P-hacking

    • Understand p-hacking as a data "fishing expedition".
    • Use p-curve analysis to identify p-hacking and publication bias.
    • Using appropriate "p-value" thresholds to avoid bias during research. p-values around .01 and .02 rather than .04 or .05 is seen as a key indicator of whether p-hacking has taken place or not.

    Reducing HARKing

    • Hypothesize Before Collecting Data: Formulate hypotheses before collecting the data, rather than afterward.
    • Clarity in Hypotheses: State hypotheses explicitly; they should be comprehensive, directional, and parsimonious.

    Hypothesis Examples

    • Bad vs. good hypotheses and examples of how to generate better hypothesis statements.

    Improve Statistical Power

    • Focus on within-subject designs.
    • Use a larger sample size.
    • Understanding Cohen's effect size guidelines (small, medium, and large effects).

    Take-Away Points & Good News

    • Emphasize replication as being just as important as innovation.
    • Encourage the use of methods like registered replication reports, for greater transparency, and a better understanding in the conclusions of research.
    • Highlight the recent trends in psychology of adopting open-science practices and using social media for dissemination.

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    Related Documents

    Research Methods II: Introduction to Social Psychology PDF

    Description

    This quiz explores critical topics in social psychology research, including the replication crisis and problematic research practices such as p-hacking and cherry-picking data. It also delves into key studies like the Stanford Prison Experiment, discussing their implications and methodological challenges.

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