research in psychology

what is psychological research?

psychology is defined as the research-based analysis and evaluation of the mind, actions, and habits. This research aims to provide details and deductions about our behaviors.

psychological research involves studies conducted by psychologists with the intention of developing procedures that will either resolve a question or dilemma or produce enhancements that benefit society.

how psychological research is initiated

researchers implement the scientific method:

1. begins with presenting an inquiry or a problem

2. a theory is proposed 3. followed by experimentation or studies that are designed to test the theory

4. results of the information gathered are determined.

theories may be confirmed or disproved, questions may be answered, and fresh knowledge gained via scientific substantiation.

what is a scientific study?

a scientific study includes proposing a hypothesis, conducting research which includes the method section, obtaining and interpreting the results, and discussion.

a hypothesis is a prediction about the outcome of a study. Its mayinclude a statement describing the procedure and anticipatedoutcome. Ultimately, it is an educated guess

debriefing

provides participants with a full explanation of the hypothesis being tested, procedures to deceive participants, and the reasons why it was necessary to deceive them.

an essential part of the informed consent process and is mandatory when the research study involves the use of deception

institutional review board

also known as the independent ethics committee, judges whether proposed experiments are ethical

types of psychological research

quantitative and qualitative research are two vital study types, as they reflect the contrasting data varieties that psychologists manage.

quantitative research

psychologists manage.

quantitative research deals with figures and statistics that can be counted in numerical form. This type of research uses statistics and figures to measure or quantify behavioral characteristics and psychological issues.

psychologists utilize quantitative research to uncover facts that can be computed and examined in a manner that is substantiated (numerically/statistically)

qualitative research

qualitative research deals with information that is not able to be numerically measured; rather, this data is illustrative and observable.

the type of information collected and studied may include verbal or written interviews, pictures, audio or visual recordings, orobservations. qualitative research is utilized by psychologists in order to gain abetter understanding of how individuals feel, why they act inparticular ways, and how their behavior affects them and theirenvironment.

difference between quantitative and qualitative research

unlike the numerical data that is produced by quantitative research, the results of qualitative research are open to interpretation and may be subjective.

diverse types of psychological research methods exist, which encompass either quantitative or qualitative properties.

three main types of psychological research

descriptive

correlational

experimental

descriptive research

descriptive research is a genre of qualitative study that aims to illustrate the actions of individuals by way of observation.

these studies do not include variables, which are elements of an experiment that are able to be manipulated. The objective is simply to collect information that is purely based on observation.

descriptive research is particularly useful in the preliminary stages of planning further research, such as correlational or experimental studies, to gather sufficient data in order to form a theory.

correlational research

correlational research revolves around testing potential connections between variables.

within these types of studies, although the variables are not controlled by the researcher, the results will reveal the extent and direction of the connection between the variables.

correlational studies aim to find out if there are differences in the characteristics of a population depending on whether or not its subjects have been exposed to an event of interest in the naturalistic setting.

there is no manipulation of variables! simply looking for connections.

CAN BE LONGITUDINAL OR CROSS-SECTIONAL

longitudinal research

in a longitudinal study you repeatedly collect data from the same sample over an extended period of time

cross-sectional study

in a cross-sectional study you collect data from a population at a specific point in time

main difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal study

the main difference is that cross-sectional studies interview a fresh sample of people each time they are carried out, whereas longitudinal studies follow the same sample of people over time.

an established correlation can be positive or negative

positive correlation: a positive correlation means that both variables change in the same direction

negative correlation: a negative correlation means that the variables change in opposite directions

zero correlation: zero correlation means there is no connection established

experimental research expands on the previous methods by manipulating the variables during studies, such as lab or field experiments, which allows the researcher to determine whether a cause-and-effect connection exsists

experimental research can be grouped into two broad categories: TRUE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS and QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS

both designs require treatment manipulation, but while true experiments also require random assignment, quasi experiments do NOT

true experiments have 4 elements

manipulation

control

random assignment

random selection

(most important of these elements are MANIPULATION and CONTROL)

it relies on statistical analysis to prove or disprove a hypothesis, making it the most accurate form of research. of the types of experimental design, only true design can establish a cause-effect relationship within a group

in a true experiment, three factors need to be satisfied:

- there is a control group, which won't be subject to changes, and an experimental group, which will experience the changed variables

- a variable that can be manipulated by the researcher

- random distribution

random assignment

random assignment refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group. study participants are randomly assigned to different groups, such as the experimental group or treatment group.

random selection

random selection refers to how sample members (study participants) are selected from the population for inclusion in the study. random assignment is an aspect of experimental design in which study participants are assigned to the treatment or control group using a random procedure.

both random selection and random assignment are key elements in experimental research.

review of brain

cortex: Higher mental functions (learning, remembering, etc.)

prefrontal cortex: thinking, reasoning, impulse control neurotransmitters: mood enhancers, endorphins, pleasure/pain

anxiety/nervous: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system

theories

classical conditioning behaviorism & reinforcement schedule

bandura/social learning theory/Bobo doll