Research Methods 1 Exam 1

Theory

statement describing broad principles about how variables relate to one another

based on previous research

good theory=supported by data, falsifiable, parsimonious

Hypotheses

way of stating a specific outcome that the researcher wants to observe

steps taken to determine if a theory is correct

Confound

extra variable that changes and might influence results

Operational

turn an abstract concept into a measurable variable

not observable= inferred and hypothetical (concept)

observable=replicable and measured (data)

Claim

statement or argument with about some psychological process

type of claim made depends on: type of study, data collected, and theory

Frequency Claims

how often something happens, statement of how common a behavior is

percentages, single variable, does not say what caused it

ex. 1 in 68 people have autism or 40% of students drink caffeine

description of data collected

Association Claim

suggests there is a link between 2 variables

does not argue for causality

uses words like”: is linked to, goes with, might predict, etc

scatterplots

describes by form, direction, and strength

Pearson’s r

measures the strength and direction of linear relationships

positive or negative

greater the vale=stronger the relationship

does not signal directionality

does not state why relationship exists

Causal Claims

2 variables are related and 1 variable causes the other

uses words like: leads to, affects, causes, changes

Independent Variable

variable that is the cause

Manipulated and have control over

Dependent Variable

result of IV

measured outcome

Empirical Journal Articles

reports for first time the results of a research study

details about method, stats used, and results

peer reviewed

golden standard

Popular Press Source

Summarizes and widely share important or exciting results in psychology

good for piquing interest

might not be completely correct

find OG source to evaluate

for general public

Review Articles

peer reviewed article summarizing and evaluating all the studies that have been published in one research article

Edited Book

each chapter is written by a different expert author and is compiled by editors

Full Length Book

written by one expert author

Trade Book

for general public

ex. self help books

Popular Press

press releases, new reports, podcasts

does not go into detail

for general public

Validity

how accurate or appropriate a claim is

4 types: construct, external, internal, statistical

try to balance all 4

no study is fully valid

Construct Validity

how well the variables in a study measure what they are intended to measure

want it to be high

has to be exhausted and selective

also: extent to which a measure provides an accurate estimate of a concept

External Validity

Degree to which a study can be generalized to a larger population

is the finding representative of other circumstances?

want to be high

Internal Validity

extent to which. the effects arise bc of experimental treatment and not some 3rd variable

can you establish relationship between IV and DV?

rule out confounds

attempts to improve internal validity hurts external validity (and vice versa) (cant have both)

Statistical Validity

degree to which statistical results support the claim

stronger correlation=stronger statistical validity

How much uncertainty is there in the data?

types of errors: type 1 (false positive), type 2 (false negative)

Belmont Report

summarizes ethical principles and guidelines for human research (3 principles)

created due to Tuskegee syphilis experiment

beneficence, justice, respect for persons

Beneficence

take precautions to protect Ps from harm

assess risks and benefits

can be hard to predict

benefits to people must outweigh risks

Researchers recognize their own influence over Ps

treat people in ways that benefit them

Justice

fair balance between the Ps and the people who will benefit

Ps should be representative of those who will benefit

all people will have access to the benefits

Strive to treat all groups of people fairly

Respect for Persons

Individuals can decide if they want to participate

need informed consent

some Ps need special protection like children, those with disabilities, and prisoners

Recognize that people are autonmous agents

APA Ethical Princples

Beneficence and nonmaleficene

fidelity and responsibility

Integrity

Justice

respect for persons

Fidelity and Responsibility

establish relationships of trust

aware of responsibilities to society

Integrity

promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in science, teaching, and practice

do not cheat, steal, plagiarize, etc

Rules for Research and Publication

Institutional approval, informed consent, informed consent to record, client/patient and student/subordinate, offering inducements for participation, deception

Variable

anything that can change

Scale of Measurement

how variable is measured and categorized

Nominal

classifies objects into categories

no logical order

ex. eye color, have you been to France?, drink name, jersey number, county

can be coded using numbers by numbers do not imply order

Ordinal

meaningful values but categories are discrete

ex. finishing order in a race, scales, cup size, birth order

Interval

equal intervals but no meaningful zero

ex. temp, IQ, SAT, ACT

Ratio

equal intervals and a meaningful zero

0=absence

ex. weight, cost, caffeine amount, height, age, points, minutes of physical activity