Research Methods
What is the difference between an independent and dependent variable?
Independent = predictor/manipulated variable; Dependent Variable = outcome
What is the mark test?
researchers place a mark on the forehead of an animal and see whether it's able to recognize itself in a mirror.
How are caregivers thought to support development of the self?
Through instances of synchrony (causing self-fusion) and asynchrony (causing self-other distinction)
______ is the study of how we form impressions of and make inferences about other people.
social perception
What is the difference between a conceptual and an operational variable. Give an example.
Conceptual = abstract; operational = concrete and measurable.
What is the relationship between self-awareness and self-concept.
Self-awareness is necessary in order to develop a self-concept.
Describe the two main types of social comparisons.
Upward = compare to someone more skilled/better off
Downward = compare to someone less skilled/worse off
______ is the processes of observing and integration information about another person or group in order to construct an overall social judgement about them (e.g., their traits, dispositions, behaviors, etc.)
impression formation
What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?
theory = explanation for available data; hypothesis = concrete prediction about how two variables relate
How are the self-concepts of adults and children different.
Children = simpler, more concrete.
Adults = complex, more abstract.
TRUE OR FALSE -- upward social comparisons are always harmful.
FALSE -- can be dispiriting OR aspirational.
What are three sources of target variance that contribute to impression formation?
Appearance (e.g., face, cloths); non-verbal behavior (e.g., expression, body language); verbal behavior; context
What is Random Selection?
A way of ensuring that a sample of people is representative of a population by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected for the sample.
What is the difference between self-awareness theory and self-perception theory?
self-awareness theory = we evaluate behaviors by referencing beliefs.
self-perception theory = we evaluate beliefs by referencing behaviors/contexts.
Blare has an interview for her dream job. When she sits down with her interviewer, she pauses to compliment their glasses. This is an example of?
Ingratiation.
What are three sources of perceiver variance that influence impression formation?
context; social learning; emotion/mood; physiology
What are two limitations of experimental research?
Often artificial (a consequence of experimental control).
Limits research on phenomena that is difficult or impossible to manipulate.
Self-perception theory.
When are people most likely to engage in social comparison?
when there is no objective standard to measure yourself against and when you are uncertain about yourself in a particular area
Define racial phenotypicality bias:
racial group members whose appearance most closely resembles our representation of the “typical” category member are more likely to be viewed through the lens of category stereotypes and evaluations.