Eat my ass
Experiment
Manipulation of an IV (Independent Variable) under controlled conditions and measurements of its effects on a DV (Dependent Variable)
Strengths of Experiments
Est. cause & effect relationships b/w IV & DV
Weaknesses of Experiments
Can be limited in its ability to generalize
Naturalistic Observation
Careful judgements of humans/animals in real life situations
Strengths of Naturalistic Observation
Provides descriptive data abt behavior w/ wide applicability
Weaknesses of Naturalistic Observation
Loss of experimental control
Longitudinal Study
Observational study in which a group of similar participants are observed over a long period of time
Strengths of Longitudinal Study
Enables to see how individuals change overtime
Weaknesses of Longitudinal Study
Time-consuming, expensive, potential loss of subjects
Cross Section Study
Observational study in which researchers compare/contrast people of different age at a given time
Strengths of Cross Section Study
Less time-consuming
Weaknesses of Cross Sectional Study
Differences b/w members can’t be necessarily be attributed to age
Case Studies
Intensive investigation of the behaviors & mental processes associated w/ a specific person of a situation
Strengths of Case Studies
Provides detailed descriptive data & analyses of rare phenomena
Weaknesses of Case Studies
May not be representative of the phenomena- atypical results/findings
Correlation
Relationship b/w 2 or more variables
Strengths of Correlation
Used to make predictions
Weaknesses of Correlation
Can’t be used to determine cause & effect
How are experimental subjects chosen?
A sample is randomly selected from a population, which its members are randomly assigned to control or treatment groups
Type of Treatment
IV: Diff types of drugs/psych. treatments
Treatment Factors
IV: brief vs. long-term. inpatient vs. outpatient
Experimental Manipulation
IV: Types of beverage consumed (alcoholic vs. non-alcoholic)
Behavioral Variables
DV: Measures of adjustment, activity lvls, eating, smoking
Physiological Variables
DV: Measures of physio. responses such as heart rate, blood pressure, brain wave activity
Self-Report Variables
DV: Measures of anxiety, mood, or marital or life satisfaction
Descriptive Stats
Organize
Summarize
Simplify
Describe & Present data
Inferential States
Generalize samples to pops
Hypothesis testing
Make predictions