Against All Odds: Inside Statistics. Uses creative examples and illustrations to explain important methodological and statistical issues, such as confounds, random assignment, experimenter expectancy effects, probability, hypothesis testing, etc. This series is divided into 26 programs. (1989, 30 min./program.) Available from Annenberg/CPB Collection (800-532-7637).

Experimental Design. Distinguishes between observational studies and experiments, teaching basic principles of experimental design. This video covers issues such as sampling, replication, and the question of causation. (1989, 2 parts, 30 min. each) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Experiments in Human Behavior. Illustrates how psychological experiments are designed, using examples from classic social psychological research on important topics such as obedience to authority, prisoner/guard relationships, cult behavior, and alcohol consumption. Discusses critical methodological issues. Although the visual component of this video isn’t dynamic (because of the use of still images), the examples are compelling. (1985, 35 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Inferential Statistics: Hypothesis Testing: Rats, Robots, and Roller Skates. Illustrates basic principles of research with humorous sketches. Covers such topics as hypothesis testing, random assignment, control groups, and statistical inference. (1976, 28 min.) Available from John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Methodology: The Psychologist and the Experiment. Explores methods and basic rules common to research by documenting Stanley Schachter’s “fear and affiliation” experiments and Austin Riesen’s visual motor coordination development experiments. Includes interviews with both researchers, live action sequences, and graphic animation. Riesen’s research is, of course, less relevant to social psychology; thus, consider showing only the discussion of Schachter’s research on the video. (1975, 31 min.) Available from the Bureau of Audio Visual Instruction, University of Wisconsin at Madison, PO Box 2093, Madison, WI 53701-2093; or from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Observation. This video shows techniques for observing children, which can be an engaging way to get students to consider the issues of observing behavior and measuring variables that are discussed in Chapter 2. (1993, 38 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

The Power of the Situation. Uses some classic social psychological studies to introduce the field, including studies by Lewin, Asch, and Milgram. These studies illustrate the central concept of social psychology: Situational factors can exert powerful influence over human behavior. By focusing on specific experiments, this video can be used as a way to discuss research methods, while at the same time previewing some of the classic findings in the field. This is part of the Discovering Psychology series. (1989, 28 min.) Available from Annenberg/CPB Collection (800-532-7637).

Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Introduces research methods, explaining how to gather and interpret data. This video illustrates different types of experimental designs and discusses when each is most appropriate, and considers the use of control and experimental groups. (1995, 33 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Social Psychology. Introduces the field by discussing a variety of programs of research, including research on stereotypes and prejudice, attribution theory, ingroup/outgroup differences, and the power of social roles. Zimbardo’s prison study is described and analyzed; discussing Zimbardo’s study in the context of Chapter 2 could be an excellent way to facilitate discussions of methodology and, in particular, ethics. (1990, 30 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

The Scientific Method. This video traces the evolution of the scientific method and shows the three-step process of observing, developing a hypothesis, and testing it through experimentation. (1988, 23 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Statistics and Psychology. This video demonstrates the use of statistics to test the relationship between experimental data and reported historical findings. (1994, 25 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Why Use Statistics? A four-part series that highlights the relevance of statistics and teaches students some basic statistical concepts and methods. The videos illustrate relevant situations across a broad range of subject areas. (20-25 mins. per part) Available from Films for the Humanities and Sciences (800-257-5126).

Writing for the Social Sciences. If you are planning to have the students write research reports, you might consider this video, which uses lively examples to illustrate how to write for the social sciences. (1991, 30 min.) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Social Psychology Network. Scott Plous maintains this extremely impressive site. It is the largest social psychology database on the Internet (http://www.socialpsychology.org/). It has more than 3,500 links to psychology-related resources, including professional organizations, conferences, discussion groups, Ph.D. programs, research groups, online social psychology studies, and so on. There is also a list of the home pages and e-mail addresses of more than 400 social psychologists. This network of sites can be a great place for students to browse for research ideas and discussions of methodological and ethical issues.

Electronic Companion in Statistics. Allows users to study a variety of topics in statistics, such as normal distributions, correlations, and the analysis of variance. Uses animation, colorful interactive artwork, video segments, and narration. Students can access topic reviews, quizzes, and a dictionary of terms. (1997, Mac/Windows CD-ROM) Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Laboratory in Social Psychology. This computer program demonstrates classic laboratory experiments in social psychology. (DOS.) Available from the Academic Computing Center, University of Wisconsin, 1210 W. Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706.

MacLaboratory for Psychology Research. This CD-ROM allows users to design and conduct research projects. Students can create computer-presented questionnaires, record participants’ reaction time in responding to questions or stimuli, and import movie clips and simulations into an experiment. (1994, Macintosh CD-ROM). Available from Insight Media (800-233-9910).

Aronson, E., Ellsworth, P. C., Carlsmith, J. M., & Gonzales, M. H. (1990). Methods of Research in Social Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill. This book can be a valuable resource for providing instructors with background and ideas in preparation for covering Chapter 2 of the textbook.

Gilbert, D. T., Fiske, S. T., & Lindzey, G. (Eds.) (1998). The handbook of social psychology (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. As noted in Chapter 1 of this Instructor’s Resource Manual, this book is a comprehensive volume of chapters written by eminent social psychologists about a wide range of topics, including the history of the field, research methods, and most of the major research areas in the field. There are four chapters relevant to research methods: Experimentation in Social Psychology (which we recommend most highly for purposes of connecting to Chapter 2 of the textbook); Survey Methods; Measurement; and Data Analysis in Social Psychology.