PSYCH EXAM 1 - RESEARCH METHODS

Hit/Miss Observations - Definitions

Unsystematic, random observations

Hit/Miss Observations - Problematic because…

They are random and can be biased by location

3 categories of research methods

Descriptive, correlational, experimental

Descriptive research method - definition

Observe/describe naturally occurring patterns, without manipulation by researcher

Types of descriptive studies

Naturalistic observation, case studies, surveys

Naturalization observation (DESCRIPTIVE) example

Observe wild animals in natural habitat

Case studies (DESCRIPTIVE)

In-depth study of one person/small group

Surveys (DESCRIPTIVE)

Ask questions about attitudes, behavior, etc. from large number of people

Pitfalls of descriptive studies

Hawthorne effect, observer bias (focus on more noticeable behaviors), confirmation bias

Hawthorne Effect definition

People change behavior if they know they’re being observed

Reducing bias - solutions

Systematic observation techniques, sampling techniques for participants, statistical techniques to find larger patterns vs individual anecdotes

Correlational research method - definition

Determine whether a relationship exists between 2 dependent variables

What can scatterplots tell you? (CORRELATIONAL)

Direction of relationship (positive vs negative) and strength of relationship

Problems with the interpretation of correlations?

Correlation does not equal causation, directionality of relationships, 3rd variable problem

3rd variable problem

Causes 2 outcomes, but outcomes are not necessarily correlated

When is correlational research method ideal?

When you can’t manipulate variables/unethical to manipulate

True IV definition

Variable that is directly manipulated by researcher (CLAIM CAUSATION)

Attribute variable (AV)

Inherent characteristic of person/no direct manipulation (CANNOT CLAIM CAUSATION)

Random assignment test helps distinguish between:

IV and AV

Random assignment test procedure:

Is it possible to randomly assign people to an IV? Yes = IV/experimental, No = AV/quasi-experimental

Operational Definition

Detailed definition for IV/DV