Research Methods

Hindsight Bias

Tendency to think someone knew it all along once they hear research findings agree with their original belief

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to pay more attention to information that supports one’s preexisting ideas

Applied Research

Research conducted to solve practical problems that has clear applications

Basic Research

Research that addresses questions that are not intended to have immediate, real-world applications

Hypothesis

Expresses a relationship between two variables (Dependent on independent)

Falsifiable Hypothesis

A hypothesis must be falsifiable: must be possible to gather data that would controvert the hypothesis

Good research must be ___ and ___

Valid (accurate measurements) and reliable (able to be replicated consistently)

Representative Sample

Sample (group of participants or subjects) is representative of the larger population being studied

Convenience Sampling

Data collection from a group of people who are most easily accessible to you

Random Selection

Each person from the larger population has an equal chance of being selected (best done using a computer)

Random Selection allows researchers to draw generalizations for larger population based on representative sample

Stratified Sampling

Process that ensures that the sample represents the population on some criteria (ex. race or gender have a representative amount in the sample based on the larger population

Laboratory Experiments

Conducted in a highly controlled environment

Field Experiment

Conducted out in the world

Only ___ can identify cause and effect relationships

Experiments

Confounding Variables

Any difference between the experimental and control conditions (except IV) that might afffect the dependent variable

Assignment

Process by which participants are put into a group (experimental or control)

(Random assignment = equal chance; limits effect of participant-relevant confounding variables)

Group Matching

Used to ensure experimental and control groups contain equal amounts of some criteria (gender, IQ, age)

Completed by dividing the sample into desired groups then randomly assigning half of each group into each condition

Sampling vs Assignment

Sampling: Process of choosing research participants from the population

Assignment: Process of dividing participants into groups

Situation-relevant Confounding Variables

Variables that cause difference in situation experienced that are not the independent variable

Experimenter Bias

Unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of experimental vs control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis

Double-blind Study

Neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research

Single-blind Study

Only the participants do not know to which group they have been assigned

Demand Cues

Cues about the purpose of the study that can be used by participants to respond appropriately

Social Desirability Bias

Tendency to give answers that reflect well upon oneself

Experimental vs Control Group

Control group gets none of the independent variable while the experimental gets varied amounts

Hawthorne Effect

Selecting a group of people to experiment on has been determined to affect the performance of that group, regardless of what is done to those people

Placebo Method

Whenever drug ingestion is necessary, the control group are given an inert but otherwise identical substance

Placebo Effect

Physiological effect of the drug from the psychological effects of people thinking they took a drug

Likert Scales

Statement is posed and people are asked to express their level on agreement/disagreement with the statement

Directionality Problem

Inability to tell which of the variables came first (temporal precedence)

Spurious Correlation

A false correlation when there is no real relationship between the two variables being studied at all

One cannot control participant-relevant confounding variables using the ___ method

Survey

Naturalistic Observation

Participants are observed in their natural habitats without interaction from the researchers

Naturalistic Observation vs Field Experiments

Naturalistic: Researchers do not impact the behavior of the participants at all

Field: Researcher manipulates the independent variable and attempts to eliminate confounding variables (like all experiments)

Structured Interview

Survey where there is a fixed number of questions asked in a set order

Case Study

Used to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or small group of participants (findings cannot be generalized to larger population)