Psych CH2: Psychology as a Science

Deductive Reasoning

Start big with general ideas then move to specifics

Inductive Reasoning

Start small with specifics then build up to the big picture

Hypothetic-Deductive Reasoning

blended model start with an educated case or question and test it with small controlled observations

Theory

a well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Hypothesis

A testible prediction about how the world will behave

List of Research methods

Descriptive, Correlation, Experimental

Naturalistic Observation

Study behavior under natural circumstances

Structured Observation

Laboratory Situation set to evoke behavior of interest

Descriptive Research Method

No manipulation of variables, no independant variable

Self-Report Techniques

a Non-Experimental Research method that involves surveys, Interviews, and Tests that are quick, cheap, and easier to generalize. However they are unreliable

Meta-analyses

a Non-Experimental Research method that involves the reanalyzing of the data of many investigations together

Ethnography

a Non-Experimental Research method that involves the description of individual people and cultures

Psychophysiological

a Non-Experimental Research Method that involves the mind and bodily processes. (eg. ERP, EEG, fMRI)

Scatter Graph: Slope

direction of the relationship

Scatter Graph: Scatter

strength of the correlation

Correlation Method

Measures the relationship between 2 pre-existing variables, no manipulation of variables

Experimental Methods

Manipulate independent variable and measures the dependent variable, allows cause-effect

Experimental Condition

the group that receives treatment

Control Condition

Receives no treatment or placebo

Random Assignment

An experimental method that involves assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance

Double Blind Procedure

neither the participant nor the researcher knows which group the participant is in

Single-Blinde Procedure

Only participants do not know which group they are in

List of Experimental Methods

Laboratory experiment, Field experiment, Field experiment, Quasi/natural experiment

Laboratory Experiment

Control variables and environment (lab)

Field Experiment

Natural environment

Natural/Quasi-Experiment

Study the effect of independent variable that occurs naturally

Longitudinal Developmental Research

Same participants studied repeatedly at different ages

Cross-sectional Developmental Research

People of differing ages all studied at the same time

sequential Developmental Research

Same groups of different aged people studied repeatedly as they change ages.

Microgenetic Developmental Research

Same participant studied repeatedly over a short period as they master a task

Cross-Sectional Advantages

Relatively quick and cheap

Group changes

Not affected by selective attraction

Cross-Sectional disadvantages

Only group trends

Cohort effects

Longitudinal Design Advantages

Tests stability

individual as well as group trends

allows prediction and cause-effect

Longitudinal Design disadvantages

Time consuming

biased sampling

selective attrition

outdated theory

practice effects

cohort effects

Reliability

the ability of a measure to consistently produce a given result

Inter-rater reliability

degree of agreement by two people

internal consistency reliability

degree of correlation between different items on a survey

Test-retest Reliability

similar outcome over a multiple administration

Validity

the extent to which a tool or test instrument measures what it is intended to measure

Ecological validity

degree to which research can be generalize to the real world

Construct validity

degree of capture or measure of what it is intended to measure

Face Validity

degree to which a given variable seems valid on the surface

Mean

arithmetic average

Standard Deviation (sd)

an index of how much the scores vary within the group

Range

the difference between the highest and lowest score

Median

the middle score after the data has been sorted to be in order

Mode

the score that appears most often in the data set

Research Ethics Board (REB)

a research oversight group that evaluates research to protect the rights of participants in the study

REB research requirements

Informed consent, protect from harm, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and complete disclosure

Informed Consent

a REB research requirement that provides as much information as possible, purpose, procedure, risks and benefits, so that people can make informed decisions

Protect from Harm

a REB research requirement that states you must refrain from medical and physical risk, but also undue emotional stress

Confidentiality

a REB research requirement that protects participant’s identities

Voluntary Participation

a REB research requirement that states that participation is completely voluntary and that they can end their participation at any point during the study

Complete Disclosure

a REB research requirement that states you cannot device people and if your study requires it, you must debrief people at the end