Welcome to the LittleMonkeyLab
As Module Coordinator of Y2 Research Methods - give some forward-looking guidance!
Do the ‘Lie of the Land’ survey - tap your deception expertise!
BREAK - 10-15 mins
A brief overview of my research
Today’s Target Paper
Questions (of which I hear you usually have many!)
Dr. Gordon Wright
Lecturer in Psychology
Module Coordinator - Y2 Research Methods
g.wright@gold.ac.uk
What do I need to know?
Why did you choose to study at Goldsmiths?
Why Psychology?
This module is designed to try to give you a glimpse of real psychological research - and introduce some of the real challenges
PS51010C - Extended Essay
3000 words MAX
4 x Target Articles (Empirical from the last 3 years)
You choose your own topic!
Make sure to really delve into the Methods employed! Really scrutinise the tasks!
PS52007D Research Methods in Psychology (30 credits - 20 weeks)
Mini-Dissertation - Groups of 3/4 from within your Personal Tutor Group
A unique 2x2 design each - but a shared design/development/data-collection
Once you’ve started your Research Journey
Summer Bursary Competition - a number of weeks of paid research experience
45 Credit Module - Independent Research Project
1:1 with a member of staff
Whatever topic you can agree on (excluding children/clinical/forensic samples)
In December of your final year you can apply for a 1+3 funded MSc & PhD position
You are able to ask to join a lab or work with a member of staff at any time
Some labs have regular meetings and are open to volunteers, some are more informal or even work on a 1:1 basis
If you like the research somebody is doing, go and knock on their door!
Tip Number 1
Start poking around in Academic Journals.
My favourite way to do this is the app Browzine
on your computer AND your phone
Tip Number 2
Get to grips with the Library
Tip Number 3
Make Google Scholar your own
Tip Number 4
Strategic Searching & Literature Management
Always keep your eyes open for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Google Advanced Search!)
The link to our study for today is available on the VLE. It’s called the ‘Lie of the Land’ study
2.5 Credits available today/this week
https://goldpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ebMllxwNTfXHXRX
## Some easy research! |
{=html} <iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/embed/prog/11ED256E?bcast=127465838" title="Horizon: The Honesty Experiment" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## BBC Horizon: The Honesty Experiment |
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Deception frequency is significantly correlated to neocortical volume across species R. W. Byrne & Corp (2004).
Evolution selects for more and more effective strategies of achieving social success (including deception, manipulation, alliance formation, exploitation of the expertise of others, etc.)
And for the ability to learn and use such strategies.
Social success translates into reproductive success!
Observations of non-human behaviour of the type led scientists to suggest a positive relationship between brain size and social group size.
A bigger brain seems to be found in more complex social environments. But bigger brains are costly.
There has to be a benefit to carrying around this big brain.
. . .
The social world is very complex and the characters in this social world are difficult to predict.
. . .
We usually operate within a status hierarchy which predetermines our opportunities. Think of our cheeky little monkey. What did he want?
Navigating the hierarchy successfully requires cooperation and competition.
The Machiavellian Intelligence Hypothesis posits that social demands have driven the evolution of the cognitive facilities humans employ to navigate their social domain.
‘Machiavellian’ strategies, such as deception, interpersonal manipulation, cooperation, and alliance formation allow individuals to achieve higher social and reproductive success.
. . .
Maybe it would help to be a bit more “Machiavellian”?
Self- or other-report
Diary study (or similar)
Some kind of app?
Motion capture suits and TV cameras?
Experimental, lab-based research
Sensitive to social context, and will switch quickly between cooperation and competition depending on utility
Endorse emotional manipulation and use emotional skills to ingratiate
Comprises a cynical view of human nature and interpersonal manipulation tactics (perception of the world and behaviour)
Vain, ‘grandiose sense of self’, with high levels of entitlement
The Narcissist is unique and special
Narcissists, as a result of being surrounded by ‘mere mortals’ may show reduced empathy for others and disregard their goals or status
Narcissists maintain their grandiose sense of self by seeking out praise, adoration, adulation and avoiding realistic feedback
Grandiose/Vulnerable distinction is starting to get hold.
Manifest disregard for other people - Low empathy, disruptive behaviours verging on bullying or sadism, deception thought to be a central feature.
Superficial charm and glibness. Erratic lifestyle factors and high impulsivity. Extreme reward appetite and low fear of loss or punishment. Often related to criminal activity.
Boldness, Meanness, Disinhibition is the 3 Factor structure suggested by the Triarchic Model (Patrick 2010, onwards)
As part of the Dark Tetrad, sadism is investigated in its subclinical manifestation—everyday sadism.
When people enjoy watching violent movies or even playing violent games as a social escape to manifest their sadistic traits it is referred to as vicarious sadism.
There is sometimes an alternative aspect called direct sadism, but it is actually far too rare to be useful in most studies.
In turn, higher scores in everyday sadism are associated with injuring others verbally, physically, and/or psychologically, inspired by a hedonic value of being cruel.
Turi et al. (2022)
Bonfá-Araujo et al. (2022)
Levine (2022)
Denault et al. (2022)
https://hyp.is/L4vR9m9QEe2hne9nNT_AIg/link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42761-022-00126-5
hint: Sign up for a Hypothesis account (FREE)
Log in.
Then access the paper here: https://hyp.is/hvUM3m-KEe26bBOBEKqwUQ/link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42761-022-00126-5
Hypothes.is
They ‘operationalised’ deception in the following way:
Is that a good way to measure an emotional reaction?
Practical Issues Week 5 VLE