Psych Research Methods & Correlational Studies & Ethics

Experiment

determine cause & effect relationships

A: causation

D: low ecological validity, variables can’t be manipulated ethically

Field Experiment

when research is done outside of a laboratory

A: can see how things happen irl

D: can’t control for extraneous/confounding variables

quasi-Experiment

participants are not randomly assigned to conditions, but are grouped based on traits/behavior

A: can show more specific relationship for things that would not be ethical to

D: implies causation

non-experimental methods:

used to observe behavior/mental processes without manipulating a variable

case study

in-depth examination of 1 particular person/small group

A: give us info we may not see otherwise, can lead to more research & theories

D: cannot be generalized or replicated

naturalistic observation

recording & collecting info from a natural environment. Researcher does not interfere

A: obtains detailed info about a behavior or irl scenario

D: no cause & effect, ethical considerations

correlational study

determine a relationship with 2 variables without manipulating either variable

A: more efficient, cost effective, easier, look at factors that may not be possible in an experiments

D: no causation, can lead to incorrect//illusory relationship

Survey

asking people questions with questionnaires or interviews, gather info about beliefs/traits/behaviors

A: easy, cheap, efficient, gets lots of info from large group of people

D: possibly inaccurate, wording can lead to wrong responses/framing, Self-report bias: ppl may change answers in questions about themselves, Social desirability bias: ppl may answer a question differently to appease the researcher

meta-analysis

researchers take data from multiple studies & analyze it

This leads to general or overall conclusions about a particular topic

What is correlational research?

gives us an idea about the relationship between 2 factors

illusory correlation

when we perceive a relationship when there isn’t (persists bc of confirmation bias & anecdotes)

directionality problem

not clear which variable is the cause of change in the other

could be bidirectional causation as well

third variable problem

an unmeasured variable (c) is impacting variable a & b

scatterplot

once all data is plotted, we can start looking for relationships/patterns/etc within & begin to draw conclusion

perfect positive

r=1

both variables increase/decrease at the same time

strong positive

r=0.8

weak positive

r=0.5

perfect negative

r=-1

strong negative

r=-0.8

weak negative

r=-0.5

No correlation

r=0

What is ethics?

the standards that direct the conduct of its porffesional members

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Determines if research proposals are ethical

Animal Research

Pros: sometimes more feasible due to (ethics, cost, accessibility, lifespan)

Cons: short lifespan, may not be able to be applied to humans

Three R’s

Replace

Reduce

Refine

Informed consent

participants are fully told of the study and any harmful aspects

Informed assent: verbal confirmation to continue the study

Protection from harm

physical and mental harm

any discomfort should be reasonable and minimal

Avoiding deceit

sometimes is necessary

Confederates: ppl hired by researchers to be part of the study (only if 100% necessary)

debriefing

after a study, participants should be told everything and returned to their og mental state

confidentiality

due to sensitive subject matter/info, the identities of participants should remain as confidential as possible

right to withdraw

a participant has a right to withdraw themselves and their data at any point during the stufy