Social Sciences
Social Sciences - Related Videos
01:22
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
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2025
The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, or SPSS, is a data management and analysis software suite. Developed by SPSS Inc. in 1968 and acquired by IBM in 2009, this tool was initially designed for social science data analysis, evolving to serve a wider range of disciplines. It was later renamed to Statistical Product and Service Solutions. SPSS streamlines the process from data preparation to analysis and reporting. It is characterized by its user-friendly interface, which conceals...
04:56
Perspectives on Social Psychology
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2023
Social Psychology is a complex field—one that investigates how social contexts affect people’s actions, thoughts, and attitudes. It brings the scientific method into our everyday lives by addressing questions relevant to interactions amongst individuals near and far or even over the internet. For example, the video about ostracism details an approach to induce feelings of exclusion without direct face-to-face contact. These videos are meant to show the wide reactionary nature of human beings,...
11:13
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
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Cited by 13 •
2015
Previous research on the social dimension of stress has focused on two important variables: social identity and social support. This protocol introduces an effective experimental manipulation of these two social variables and describes their implementation in a standard stress induction paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test).
00:52
Social Proof
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2020
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do. A good example of social proof is from laugh tracks on television shows. Fullery & Skeffington (1974) found that adding group laughter sounds to material increased how humorous the participants perceived that material, regardless of whether the content itself was funny or not. By adding a laugh...
02:10
Social Scripts
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2020
People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter), the opening...
FAQs
Sampling determines which observations stand for a wider population. Because researchers usually work with limited observations, the selected sample influences estimated population trends and the uncertainty attached to them. Statistical analysis can organize these data and quantify conclusions, but it cannot remove limitations created by a sample that does not adequately reflect the population being studied.
Correlation helps identify relationships among variables, while regression supports estimation of population trends from observed data. The two tools address related but different analytical needs: one focuses on whether variables vary together, and the other models estimates from limited observations. Researchers can use them when testing hypotheses, while interpreting results alongside probability and uncertainty.
Probability gives researchers a way to evaluate how likely an observed pattern or difference could arise by chance. This matters when studies compare groups or test hypotheses using limited observations. By incorporating probability into statistical analysis, investigators can separate stronger evidence of a relationship from results that may reflect sampling variation, while still reporting conclusions with appropriate uncertainty.
Variables convert features of people, relationships, institutions, or societies into organized forms that can be compared across observations. Once identified, they can be examined with probability, correlation, and regression to investigate patterns and estimate population trends. Careful organization matters because statistical analysis depends on representing relevant social characteristics consistently in the available data.
Researchers may gather evidence through systematic observation, surveys, interviews, or experiments. These approaches allow social scientists to study behavior, relationships, institutions, and societies from organized observations rather than unsupported impressions. After collection, statistical methods help structure the resulting variables and assess patterns or differences, making the evidence suitable for hypothesis testing and population estimation.
Statistical analysis supports research in economics, psychology, political science, education, and sociology by organizing evidence, identifying patterns, estimating population trends, and testing hypotheses. These results can inform public policy, but their interpretation must account for uncertainty and the complexity of human systems. Statistics therefore contributes evidence for decisions without removing the limits of conclusions drawn from observed data.