Research Methods for Social Psychology

by Dunn, Dana S.

• ISBN13: 9781118406052
• ISBN10: 1118406052
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-12-10
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The 2nd edition of Research Methods for Social Psychology offers information on how to conduct empirical research in social psychology. The author teaches readers to think like experimental social psychologists, that is, to use or develop explanatory theories and to manipulate and measure variables in order to explain the origin or purpose of some aspect of social life. It provides information to perform research projects on human social behavior from start to finish, from selecting a research topic to collecting and analyzing data to writing up and the results using the American Psychological Association's required format (i.e., APA-style). Along the way, they will learn about the particular ethical issues social psychologists face, the logic of experimental design, alternative research approaches, sorting accuracy from error in research, and how to orally present their findings, among other issues. This book contains up-to-date scholarship and emphasizes active learning through pedagogical activities and exercises designed to help students design and execute their own social psychological research.

Author Biography

Dana S. Dunn is Professor of Psychology at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. Among other works, he is the author of Statistics and Data Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2001), and A Short Guide to Writing about Psychology (2004), as well as several works currently in preparation, including Best Practices for Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology (with Randolph Smith and Jane Halonen; 2009), Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century, 9th edition (with Wayne Weiten and Margaret A. Lloyd; 2009), and the second edition of The Practical Researcher: A Student Guide to Conducting Psychological Research (Wiley Blackwell; 2010). Dana Dunn is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a charter member of the American Psychological Society (APS).

Table of Contents

List of Active Learning Exercises

Preface

Acknowledgements

1 Studying Social Psychology

2 Developing Research Topics in Social Psychology

3 Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research

4 Basic Experimental Design

5 Alternatives to Experimental Research in Social Psychology

6 Developing Questionnaires and Surveys

7 Introducing a Difference: Independent Variables

8 Measuring What Happens: Dependent Variables

9 Validity and Realism in Research

10 Conducting Social Psychology Experiments: Practical Matters

11 Data Analysis

12 Presenting Social Psychological Research

Appendix A Major Journals in Social Psychology

Appendix B Reading Journal Articles in Social Psychology

Appendix C Student Research Paper

References

Author Index

Subject Index