approaches to research

random sampling

everyone has an equal chance of being selected in a study; how you get participants in the study

descriptive

research study that do not test specific relationships between variables; used to describe general or specific behaviors and attributes that are observed and measured; difficult to form a hypothesis

allows researchers to gather more information about a topic.

correlational

research in which psychologists formally test a hypothesis to determine whether a relationship exists between two or more variables.

experimental

research that randomly assigns people to different conditions, using hypothesis testing to make inferences if one variable directly impacts and causes another.

the only way to determine if a **cause-and-effect relationship** exists

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limitations: to what kind of variables you can manipulate (gender, age, etc), artificial lab testing- different from the real world, and unaccounted for third variables, and experimenter bias

case study

focusing on one person or just a few individuals; this allows the researcher to have a very deep understanding of the individuals and the particular phenomenon being studied.

naturalistic observation

observing the behavior in its natural context; that they are often difficult to set up and control.

observer bias

people are closely involved in the research project and may unconsciously skew their observations to fit their research goals or expectations.

inter rater reliability

a measure of reliability that assesses the consistency of observations by different observers

surveys

list of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally.

sample

subset of individuals selected from a population

population

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

archival

this type of research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships.

longtitudinal

research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time.

cross sectional

research where a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time.

attrition

gradual drop-out of participants over time

illusory correlation

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

control group

serves as a basis for comparison and control for chance factors that might influence the results of the study

comparison group, does not receive manipulation

dependent

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had

double-blind study

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

experimental group

group designed to answer the research questions

groups that recieve the manipulation

experimenter bias

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

operational definition

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables.

Define something by how it is measured in the study \n – Quantifying recorded behavior

placebo effect

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

random assignment

method of experimental group/control group

Participants to each group by chance; makes groups start off equivalent in traits.

single-blind study

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group.

stastitical analysis

determine how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

reliability

refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result; any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.

validity

to the extent to which a given instrument or tool accurately measures what it’s supposed to measure, and once again.

statistical analysis

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

significant

if the results of a study are not likely to be caused simply by chance it is considered statistically

p values

represents the likelihood that experimental results happened by chance ; when determining how often an event will happen by chance, researchers look at the …

abstract

the abstract is the concise summary of the article. It summarizes the most important features of the manuscript, providing the reader with a global first impression of the article. It is generally just one paragraph that explains the experiment as well as a short synopsis of the results.

introduction

this section provides background information about the origin and purpose of performing the experiment or study. It reviews previous research and presents existing theories on the topic.

method

this section covers the methodologies used to investigate the research question, including the identification of *participants*, *procedures*, and *materials* as well as a description of the actual *procedure*. It should be sufficiently detailed to allow for replication.

results

the results section presents key findings of the research, including references to indicators of statistical significance.

discussion

 this section provides an interpretation of the findings, states their significance for current research, and derives implications for theory and practice. Alternative interpretations for findings are also provided, particularly when it is not possible to conclude for the directionality of the effects. In the discussion, authors also acknowledge the strengths and limitations/weaknesses of the study and offer concrete directions for future research.

distribution

The pattern of variation in data is called the ____________.

category of IV

overall manipulation- type of cartoon

levels of IV

exact groups/conditions- what are the groups?

between subject design

participants exposed to only on IV level

ex: 60 participants

30 see aggressive cartoon, 30 see non aggressive cartoon

within subject design

baseline to iv treatment to post-test measure