Studied by 1 personcurious, objective, think critically
Scientist desired attitudes
meta-analysis
a method that allows researchers to combine the results of several different studies on a similar topic in order to establish the magnitude of an effect
Scientific method
1.) Observe some phenomena 2.) Formulate a hypothesis and predictions 3.) Test using empirical research 4.) Draw conclusions 5.) Evaluate the conclusions
theory
broad set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain certain observations; give meaning to research findings; test it over and over with manipulations
variable
phenomenon observed; anything that can change; must be measurable
operationally defining variables
an objective description of how a research variable is going to be measured and observed
bored people
example of operationally defining variable
hypothesis
An idea (about the observation) is arrived at logically based on a theory; a prediction that can be tested
hypotheses
Theories generate many ____
more credibility
The more hypotheses that are confirmed about a theory, the _____ _________ for the theory
Population
the entire group on which the investigator wants to draw a conclusion; can differ depending on the focus of the study
Sample
subset of the population chosen by the investigator should be based on the population the research should be applied to
testing thru empirical research
The hypotheses must now be tested via research by collecting and analyzing research
random sampling
a sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected; placing people into groups to be observed in experiments called random assignment
Data analysis
major part of hypothesis testing
reliability
findings occur consistently
evaluating conclusions
Research findings are then submitted to journals where they are reviewed; the work is accessible by the scientific community where it is read, cited, and criticized
descriptive, correlational, experimental
3 forms of research designs
type of variable
type of design used in a study depends on the ______ that is being assessed
setting/where observations are made
influences the research design
a lab-not natural setting
Most research takes place in
naturalistic observation
behavior is observed in real world settings without manipulations or controls; research conducted in natural settings
descriptive research
Research that requires observing and recording behavior
survey, observation, interview, standardized test, case study
examples of descriptive research methods
standardized test
requires people to answer a series of questions; does not account for variability of the individual; have cultural biases
case studies
in-depth look at a single individual; done by clinicians; use participants in unique situations
Correlational research
research strategy that identifies the relationships between two or more variables in order to describe how these variables change together; set of variables are used to predict an outcome
Degree of relationship
correlational coefficient
longitudinal designs
assess a participant across time; assess multiple variables at one time
Third variable problem/confounds
situation where an extraneous variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two others
Experimental Research
allows a researcher to establish a cause and effect relationship between a manipulated and a controlled variable; uses experiments
Experiment
carefully regulated procedure in which one or more variables believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated while all other variables are held constant
manipulation
If there is a change in behavior, the difference is attributed to the
independent variable
the variable in a study that is manipulated
dependent variable
the variable in a study that is measured
control groups
act as a baseline to determine the amount of change that occurs from the experimental manipulation
Experimental group
group that is manipulated
Control group
a comparison group that is similar to the experimental group, except that it has not been manipulated.
Validity
soundness of the conclusions we draw from an experiment/How well does the conclusion explain the results
Internal validity
how much of the variability between participants is a product of the manipulation
outside of the lab
It is important that an experiment be generalized
Ecological validity
refers to how well an experiment represents real world issues that are supposed to be addressed
Experimental Bias
when the researcher's (or research assistant's) own beliefs and expectations bias the data.
Participant bias
when the participants' expectations on their behavior influence how they perform on the experiment
placebo
harmless inert substance that participants believe is the treatment
Placebo effect
situation where participants' expectations, rather than the experimental treatment, produce an experimental outcome
Double-blind experiments
neither the experimenter nor the participant are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until after the results are calculated
Statistics
mathematical assessments using the probability of an event occurring
Descriptive statistics
Mathematical procedures used to describe and summarize sets of data in meaningful ways - give the overall makeup of the data
Inferential statistics
Mathematical methods that are used to indicate whether data sufficiently supports or confirms a research hypotheses - Relies on statistics to determine the amount of differences between observations, and helps to determine how much difference is based on chance
spread
Describe how much a value differs from another
Range
the distance between the highest and lowest values; this is an estimate of variability
(Standard Deviation) SD
measure of variation, the average difference between values in a distribution and the mean of the distribution
statistical significance
the level of difference cannot be attributed to chance
have significance
The more in a sample the easier it is to
Debriefing
After research has been completed, the participants must be aware of the purpose and method used in the experiment
deception
For some experiments, full disclosure of the intent of the research can result in an inability to conduct the study. Participants are not told until the experiment is completed what was truly being assessed in the research.
Minimizing Bias
Scientists should be objective or neutral in their views when conducting research
Ethnic gloss
applying ethnic labels where they are portrayed as more homogenous than they truly are
research
focused on how groups, not the individual, functions
Note
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