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Basic introduction to research methods
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Psychology's Scientific Method
Objectives
5 Basic steps in the scientific research
Types of research & research settings
Analyze & interpreting data Conducting and evaluating
research--ethics in research
Psychology’s Scientific Method
Scientific Approachan organized way of using experience and testing ideas to increase knowledge:
1.Curious2.Skeptical3.Objective4.Think critically
Begins with theory…
Research settings & types of research
A theory is a broad idea or set of closely related facts that attempts to explain and predict something.
Steps of the Scientific Method
Psychology’s Scientific Method
5 steps of scientific method1. Observe phenomena2. Formulate question, hypothesis, &
prediction3. Test prediction with research4. Draw conclusions5. Evaluate & collaborate
Research settings & types of research
Types of research: Descriptive Correlational Experimental
Research settings Laboratory Natural observation
Research settings & types of research
Descriptive research: Observation Surveys & Interviews Standardized tests Case studies
Research settings & types of research
Correlational research:correlation formula Systematic observation of variables
within a sample of people Concerned with how variable change
together Correlation coefficient
Positive (r=.68) Negative (r=-.77)
Research settings & types of research
Experimental Research: IV & DV
independent variable
(the possible cause)
dependent variable
(the outcome measured)
Research settings & types of research
Caution about experimental research Validity Experimenter bias Participant bias Placebo effect
Validity
The extent to which an experiment is measuring what you intend to measure. Depression & anxiety Aggression & Fear
The soundness of the conclusions
Experimenter Bias
The influence of the experimenters own expectations on the outcome of the research.
Participant Bias
The influence of the participant’s expectations on their behavior in the experiment.
Placebo Effect
A placebo is a bogus treatment that has the appearance of being genuine.
A placebo effect occurs when subjects who have not received the independent variable have results similar to subjects who do.
Single Blind Study
Well-designed experiments control for the effects of expectations by creating conditions under which participants are unaware of the treatment and are called single blind studies.
Double Blind Study
Studies in which both participants and experimenters are unaware of who has obtained the treatment are called double-blind studies.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Descriptive statistics – describe and summarize data for large groups of participants
Mean: average
Median: midpoint in rank-ordered data
Mode: score appearing most often
Analyzing and Interpreting Data Measure of dispersion:
Range
Normal distribution: bell-shaped curve
Standard deviation: degree to which scores in ordered
distribution are spread out
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Inferential statistics: methods used to indicate whether or not data sufficiently support hypothesis.
Statistical significance .05, .01, .001
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13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37
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Mother’s Age
ModeMean & Median
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Reaching conclusions from data
Statistical significance
Size of correlation
Difference of means are greater than chance
Two issues for significance
Larger sample size is better
Statistical difference does not equal practical significance
Challenges of Conducting Ethical Research
Ethics of Research with Human Participants
Ethics of Research with Nonhuman Animals
Ethics of Research with Human Participants
1. Freedom from Coercion
2. Informed consent
3. Limited deception
4. Adequate debriefing
5. Confidentiality
Ethics of Research with Nonhuman Animals
1. Necessity
2. Health
3. Humane treatment
Becoming a consumer of Psychological Research Distinguish between group results and
Individual needs Avoid overgeneralization Look beyond a single study Avoid making causal attributions Consider the source of information