Revision for social psychology exam PDF

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revision for social psychology exam...

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Revision for social psychology exam Basics of social psychology – • • • •

Personality vs social psychological explanations of individual behaviour (previous slide) Research methods in social psychology (e.g. independent and dependent variables) Demand characteristics and experimenter effects Assignment to conditions

Situational influences on behaviour • • • • •

Explained in lecture via Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) What did this study involve and what did Zimbardo aim to demonstrate? Why were participants randomly assigned to prisoner or guard roles? What psychological processes did Zimbardo use to explain the findings? What alternative explanations (and criticisms) have been proposed and what are they based on?

Conformity and obedience Asch • Explained in lecture using experiments by Asch and Milgram • What did Asch’s original experiment involve? • What types of influence were considered and which type(s) best match the results? • What variations of the experiment were conducted and what do the results tell us about the processes involved? Milgram • What did Milgram’s original study involve and why is it known as the ‘baseline’ experiment? • How do the results compare with the results predicted by experts? • How did Milgram explain the results – what psychological processes were involved? • What variations of the experiment were conducted and what do the results tell us about conformity and obedience? • What alternative explanations have been offered for the results and what evidence is there to support them? Prosocial behaviour • • • •

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Explained in lecture using several key experiments and models What happened in the Kitty Genovese case and how was it explained? What are they key stages in Latané and Darley’s model? What psychological processes does the Latané and Darley model identify that can lead to non-intervention – what evidence is there to support them? (note that the videos watched in lectures are not the original experiments) What do the studies by Levine, Prosser and Reicher (2005) contribute to our understanding of bystander behaviour?

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How does the Bystander-Calculus Model (Piliavin et al., 1981) differ from Latané and Darley’s model – what are the key variables in the former model? What roles might each of the following variables play and what evidence is there to support them: • Mood • Modelling • Effectiveness beliefs • Just world beliefs

Social facilitation • • • • • • • • •

What are social facilitation and social inhibition? What did Triplett conclude about the presence of others on performance from his analysis of cycling times? What else might explain the effects (other than competition) and how have alternative explanations been tested? What are the key concepts in Drive Theory (DT)? What are the key concepts in Evaluation Apprehension Theory (EAT) and how does it differ from Drive Theory? What are the key concepts in Distraction Conflict Theory (DCT) and how does it differ from DT and EAT? How did Markus (1978) test between different theories and which theory/theories did the finding support? What other (non-drive) theories of SF have been proposed and what are the key concepts/variables? What are the main limitations with many of the classic SF experiments?

Group decision making • How do group decisions compare with those made by individuals? • What do classic studies (e.g. Sherif’s autokinetic effects studies) imply about group decisions? • What is ‘risky shift’, how has it been investigated, and how do the findings compare with those from Sherif’s study? • What is group polarisation and how does it differ from ‘risky shift’? • What are the key concepts in Persuasive Arguments Theory (PAT)? • What are they key concepts in Social Comparison/Social Values theory and how does it differ from PAT? • What are the key concepts in Self-Categorization Theory and how does it differ from the other theories? Exam prep - Read, read, read (books) .... the more sources the better • Answer the questions in these slides and the revision questions associated with each lecture topics (some already on Weblearn, other to be posted over next few days) • Practice constructing MCQs – think about what might be asked • Find MCQ tests in textbooks and online and practice answering them...