The tip of the iceberg: that’s what you encounter reading about research findings in basic psychology courses. This site invites you to explore–at least for one topic–the expansive and enlightening mass of scientific work evaluating and extending a specific well-known finding.
The module has four parts. It’s not necessary to explore them all, but if you want to complete the demonstration study (Part A), please do so before reviewing subsequent sections.
(Part A) A short and simple psychology study of social judgment. You can participate in the study and then learn what your responses might indicate.
(Part B) An introduction to the phenomenon the study demonstrates and to its possible relevance to a variety of real life examples.
(Part C) An outline of the procedures and findings of the key study that inspired Part A’s research demonstration and stimulated other studies discussed in the module. Part C also draws attention to a lesser known experiment reported in the foundational study that draws attention to racism in the history of psychology.
(Part D) A selective literature review of four issues and associated studies stemming from the original investigation described in Part C. This section shows how subsequent studies can reinforce, amplify, limit, and/or challenge a key finding. In particular, the review will consider how additional work addresses research generalization, replicability, cultural variability, and causal explication.
NEXT STEP: Study Participation or Reading about Social Perception
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Notes:
1. The primary goals of the module are (a) to help students recognize that well-known individual studies in psychology commonly serve as starting points and models for further investigation in research literatures, (b) to illustrate the kinds of questions researchers pursue in scientific literatures stimulated by a paradigmatic study, and (c) to engage readers’ active thinking as psychological scientists examining research issues and results. The last of these goals is addressed most directly in the Summary Questions for Student Consideration listed on most module pages. The overarching but generally implicit purpose of the module is to seed an understanding of how science contributes to a richer understanding of a topic through research literatures. One implication of this is that while there is value to be found in close readings of individual studies, it may be useful not to take the results of any one study too seriously or uncritically and to rely instead on the accumulating wisdom of a research literature.
2. The four parts of the module highlight different facets of scientific inquiry. There is a logic to the order of the presentation of these parts, but the structure isn’t rigid. Module materials invite varied encounters and assignments in the service of instructors’ particular educational goals. Students may need from 10 to 60 minutes to review and consider the module depending on what they are directed to do.
3. The issues and materials cited in the module are not intended to represent relevant literatures comprehensively; rather, the goal of the module is to stimulate informed thinking through accessible encounters with important but selective and simplified examples. Feedback is invited via the Contact information on the menu at the top of the page.
4. This module was initially developed for student use at Carleton College, Northfield, MN, in association with National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education grant DUE #9751519 to Neil Lutsky (Principal Investigator), Sharon Akimoto, Julie J. Neiworth, and Lawrence J. Wichlinski, Carleton College Department of Psychology. Carleton Curricular Grants supported further development of module materials, and Carleton students Marshall Ma, Jennifer Chan, Lena White, Emily Cogsdill, and Karen Mild contributed to the past construction and revision of the module. Huanchen Cai, Carleton class of 2024, was instrumental in the development of the current iteration of the module. Over 20 years of introductory psychology students at Carleton have provided useful feedback and reflections on the module. Informational Technology Services staff at Carleton, including Em Palencia, Wiebke Kuhn, Doug Foxgrover, and Sean Fox, have, at various times, contributed substantially to the technical foundations of the module. Jeanne Willcoxon, Administrative Assistant in Psychology, carefully proofread these pages. Neil Lutsky is William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychology at Carleton College. Lutsky can be reached at nlutsky@carleton.edu and is responsible for the contents of this module.
