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PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODSChapter Two
CONDUCTING RESEARCHSection 1
Psychologists love experiments
They also believe everything should be questioned
STEPS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
1. Form a Research Question: can be about anything in everyday life or about other research
2. Form a Hypothesis: create an educated guess to answer your research question
3. Test the Hypothesis: scientifically test your educated guess; collect data
4. Analyze the Results: figure out what the findings mean; look for patterns and relationships; may take weeks, months, or years
5. Draw Conclusions: was your hypothesis proven true?
6. Replicate: repeat the experiment to see if the same results are generated
New Questions: may lead to additional research
SURVEYS, SAMPLES, AND POPULATIONSSection 2
SURVEY
Asks people to respond to a series of questions
Interviews and questionnaires aren’t always accurate because people can lie
Often done verbally
POPULATIONS
Target population: the whole group you want to study or describe
Sample: a part of the target population You usually cannot include everyone you want to
research Random: selects members of the target
population by chance Stratified: selects members of the target
population proportionally
Unless all people are asked, researchers must generalize the results
When researchers allow people to volunteer, they must be aware of volunteer bias— People who want to volunteer to participate tend
to generally have similar personalities
METHODS OF OBSERVATIONSection 3
Testing Method: subjects are questioned and answers are analyzed to evaluate the subject Example: personality or IQ tests
Case Study Method: an in-depth investigation into a person or group involved in a specific situation Example: performing a study on a group
stranded without food
Longitudinal Method: an investigation into a person or group over a number of years Example: following a group of infants from birth
to preschool, kindergarten, etc. to evaluate how friendships form
Cross-sectional Method: completing a longitudinal study using different people at different developmental stages Example: looking at friendships with different
preschoolers, kindergarteners, etc.
Naturalistic-observation Method: looking at a subject in the place where he is usually found Example: watching school children in their
classroom
Laboratory-observation Method: watching the subjects in a created environment Example: a pretend classroom with a two-way
mirror and same-aged children
ANALYSIS
Looks to the correlation—a measurement of the relationship between two variablesPositive Correlation: as one factor goes up,
so does the otherExample: the more you eat, the more you weigh
Negative Correlation: as one factor goes up, the other factor goes downExample: the more I spend, the less money I have in my checking account
SECTION THREE REVIEW
Think of an example when you would use each observational method for a research project. Why would that method be the best one for your research?
THE EXPERIMENTAL METHODSection 4
Purpose: to answer questions about cause and effect
Researchers manipulate the independent variable which causes changes in the dependent variable
Members of the experimental group receive the treatment, while members of the control group do not Sometimes they receive a fake treatment—a
placebo
In single-blind studies, those participating do not know if they’re receiving treatment or a placebo; in a double-blind study, both participants and researchers are unaware
ETHICAL ISSUESSection 5
DEFINITION
Standards for proper and responsible behavior
STANDARDS OF THE APA
APA: American Psychological Association
Confidentiality: records of participants/clients are private
Informed Consent: people must agree to participate after being fully informed
Deception: psychologists may lie when The benefits outweigh the harms Individuals would have agreed if they’d known People receive an explanation eventually
When dealing with animals, psychologists may harm them: If there is no other option The benefits outweigh the harms
Psychologists must be objective when analyzing data and cannot ignore the results
REVIEW
List 10 ethics associated with your JVS program. Example: as a teacher, I shouldn’t give grades
out that weren’t earned.
When would it be wrong to use a placebo? Explain your opinion.
List one benefit and one draw back from both a single-blind and a double-blind study.