Doing Social Psychology Research

Doing Social Psychology Research

To Professor Halla Beloff who encourages diversity

Edited by GLYNIS M. BREAKWELL Doing Social PSYCHOLOGY Research

2004 by The British Psychological Society and Blackwell Publishing Ltd except for editorial material and organization 2004 by Glynis M. Breakwell 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Glynis M. Breakwell to be identified as the Author of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2004 by The British Psychological Society and Blackwell Publishing Ltd Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Doing social psychology research / edited by Glynis M. Breakwell. 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-4051-0811-8 (alk. paper) ISBN 1-4051-0812-6 (pbk : alk. paper) 1. Social psychology Research Methodology. I. Breakwell, Glynis M. (Glynis Marie) HM1019.D65 2004 302 dc22 2003015768 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10/12pt Meridien by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by MPG Books, Bodmin, Cornwall For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com

CONTENTS List of Contributors vii 1 Introduction: Approaches to Data Collection and Data Analysis 1 Glynis M. Breakwell 2 Experimental Research Designs 10 Lorne Hulbert 3 Measuring Optimistic Bias 54 Chris Fife-Schaw & Julie Barnett 4 A Quasi-experimental Study of Stereotyping 75 Adam Rutland 5 The Design and Analysis of Quasi-experimental Field Research 93 Eamonn Ferguson & Peter Bibby 6 The Impact of Social Value Orientation on Decision Making in Social Dilemmas: A Survey Exercise 128 Mark Van Vugt & Richard H. Gramzow 7 On Using Questionnaires to Measure Attitudes 154 Geoffrey Haddock 8 Modelling Identity Motives Using Multilevel Regression 174 Vivian L. Vignoles 9 The Analysis of Equivocation in Political Interviews 205 Peter Bull

vi Contents 10 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis 229 Jonathan A. Smith & Mike Osborn 11 Cognitive Mapping: Generating Theories of Psychological Phenomena from Verbal Accounts and Presenting them Diagrammatically 255 Tom Farsides 12 The Multiple Sorting Procedure 289 Julie Barnett 13 The Laddering Technique 305 Susan Miles & Gene Rowe 14 Focus Groups 344 Sue Wilkinson Index 377

CONTRIBUTORS Julie Barnett is a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK. Peter Bibby is a Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham, UK. Glynis M. Breakwell is Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath, UK. Peter Bull is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of York, UK. Tom Farsides is a Lecturer in Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Sussex, UK. Eamonn Ferguson is a Reader in Health Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham, UK. Chris Fife-Schaw is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK. Richard H. Gramzow is Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Geoffrey Haddock is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Cardiff, UK. Lorne Hulbert is Psychology Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at The University of Kent at Canterbury, UK. Susan Miles is a Research Associate in the School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. Mike Osborn is a consultant Macmillan psychologist at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, UK. Gene Rowe is a Senior Research Scientist in the Consumer Science group at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK. Adam Rutland is a Lecturer at the Centre for the Study of Group Processes, Department of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.

viii Contributors Jonathan A. Smith is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London. Mark Van Vugt is Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, University of Southampton, UK. Vivian L. Vignoles is Lecturer in Social Psychology, University of Sussex, UK. Sue Wilkinson is Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Professor in the Department of Women s Studies, Simon Fraser University, Canada.