PSYC207: Research Methods in Developmental Psychology

Important things to know for exams

Summarize Schwartz’s Article

• Learning established facts is important

• The practice of science is about figuring things out to discover new things (with evidence)

• To know whether the evidence is strong:

  • Use good enough methods & replicate experiments

Why is the producer role important?

• For coursework in psychology

• Graduate school

• Research lab

Why is the consumer role important?

• For psychology courses

• Reading printed or online news stories based on research and/or future career

  • Future career

    • Clinical Professional, Counselor

    • Evidence-Based Treatment

Empiricism

Also known as the empirical method of research, it’s referred to using observations from the world with evidence of our senses or instruments to make data and draw conclusions

Quantitative Methods

Turn empirical observations into numbers

Qualitative Methods

Create rich descriptions not simplified into numbers

Reflexivity

Scientists consider how their background or privilege shapes questions and interpretations

Theory

Coherent set of statements that describes general principles about how variables relate to one another

• Psychological variable, statement of how the world was psychologically

Hypothesis

Predictions about outcomes of research in specific stituations (based on theory)

Preregistered

In current times, it’s common to do this

• Before collecting data, the researcher must clearly specify what the expected outcome is

• You’re formally writing a plan on how to analyze the data & then post it on a website

• Here’s my plan, what I expect, & my steps

Data

Set of observations

• Consistent with theory

  • In favor of theory

  • Supports the theory

• Not supporting the theory

  • Complications with theory or research design

  • Revisions need to be made

Describe Harlow’s Experiment

It’s comparing the Cupboard Theory vs. Contact-Comfort Theory. One monkey (wired) provided food but no comfort while another monkey (blanket) provided comfort but no food. It was found that the baby monkey did went to the wired monkey for food, but spent most of its time with the blanket monkey

What are the qualities of good theories?

• Supported by data

• Falsifiable

• Parsimonious

Universalism

Scientific claims evaluated according to their merit. The same criteria applies to ALL scientists.

• Even a student can do science

• No degree or research position required

Communality

Scientific knowledge created by a community, and its findings belong to the community

Disinterestedness

Scientists want the truth, and aren’t swayed by conviction, idealism, politics, or profit

• Unbiased

Organized Skepticism

Scientists question everything

Basic Research

Purpose is to add knowledge

Translational Research

Purpose is to bridge from Basic → Applied

Applied Research

Purpose is to apply solution to real-world problems

Use-Inspired Basic Research

Fundamental research that grows from hypothesis, about real-world problems

• ex. Basic research on “visual search” by medical imaging

How do scientists share research findings with the scientific community?

They submit it for publication in a peer-reviewed journal

Publication Process

Journal editor → Peer reviewers → Reject/Revision + Re-review & Acceptance

Summarize the 2017 Time Magazine

• “Cell -Phone Distracted Parenting Can Have Long-Term Consequences”

• “Parenting & Cell-Phones: Science shows the harm of digital distractions!”

• Publicized with video: “Devoting more attention to your smartphone than to your children could mean that they’ll have improper brain development & emotional disorders”

• What they actually did:

  • Used a rat model to study how disrupted attention from mothers can affect their newborns

  • Normal & Modified cages (Materials for nesting and bedding depends on cage)

  • The rats raised in modified environments consistently ate less sugar and spent less time with peers

What are the disadvantages of using experience as a knowledge source?

• Experience has no comparison group

• Experience is confounded

What are confounds?

General term for a potential alternative explanation for a research finding; a threat to internal validity

What can we do about confounds?

Use design-stage techniques or statistical adjustments using data analysis

Describe Bushman’s study (2002)

Studied the effect of catharsis on aggression: a systematic comparison that controls for potential confounds

• 600 undergrads wrote a political essay

• “Steve” (actor), insulted them and criticized their essay

• Undergrads got divided into 3 groups

  • One group sat in a room quietly

  • One group was punching a bag (exercise)

  • One group was punching a bag, but was told to imagine Steve’s face

• Every group got an opportunity to get back at Steve by playing loud music on his ears

• People’s anger subsided quicker when they sat in a room quietly rather than trying to vent it

What are the disadvantages of using intuition as a knowledge source?

• Intuition is biased

• Intuitive thinker vs Scientific reasoner

Availability Heuristic

Things that come easily to mind are more likely to shape our thinking. Their frequency seems greater

Heuristic

Shortcut to an answer, but it might not give you the right one

Describe the Fake Test on Depression

• Participants took a “test” to see if they have a gene that makes them more likely to have depression

• Those that scored higher on that “test” exaggerated their score in the BDI

Are researchers & scientists free from these biases?

HELL NOOOO! TO THE NO, NO, NO (HELL NAH)

What’s the difference between Empirical Journal Articles & Review Journal Articles?

• Empirical Journal Articles: 1st report, original journal

• Review Journal Articles: After many reports

What are the components of an Empirical Journal Article?

• Abstract: Summary of the article, it briefly describes the study’s hypothesis, method, & major results

  • Quickly decides whether it describes the kind of research you’re looking for (ex. Movie preview)

• Introduction: 1st P: Topic of study, MP: Lays out background of the research, & FP: Specific research ?s, goals, or hypotheses for the current study

• Method: Detailed explanation of how researchers conducted their study. Contains participants, materials, procedures, and apparatus

  • Gives you enough details to be able to replicate the study

• Results: Describes quantitative and qualitative results of the study, including stat. tests used to analyze the data

  • Provides tables & figures to help summarize key results

• Discussion: Summarizes the study’s research questions and methods

  • Indicates how well the results of the study supported the hypothesis

Variables

An attribute that varies, having at least 2 levels or values

Constant

An attribute that could potentially vary, but has 1 level in the study in question

Measured Variables

Variables that are observed & recorded

Ex.: Height, IQ, Well-being, stress, Gender identity, Hair color

Manipulated Variables

Variables that are manipulated or set to certain values by the researcher

Manipulated, Set > Control

Conceptual Variable or Construct

Name of concept/idea you’re trying to measure or manipulate, often quite abstract in psychological science

Conceptual Definition

Careful definition of that concept/idea, often theoretical & also abstract

Operational Definition & Variable

The specific, concrete way a concept of interest is measured or manipulated

To operationalize is to turn the conceptual definition into something that can be concretely measured or manipulated

Describe the 1st Experiment from the DeJesus Article

The article is about children’s food consumption based on how popular or unpopular it is with other children and adults

“Children’s food consumption”

• Conceptual variable because it doesn’t give us information of how it was consumed

• Measured → Weighted food using a scale before and after consumption

Frequency Claims

Describes a particular rate or degree of a single variable. It involves only 1 measured variable, even if they come from a study that involved additional variables

Ex. 40% of teens admit they text while driving

Association Claims

Argues that one level of a variable is likely to be associated with a particular level of another variable. It involves 2 measured variables, and variables that are associated are said to correlate

Ex. Girls are more likely to be compulsive texters

Causal Claims

Argues that one variable causes changes in the level of another variable. It’s supported by experiments, but sometimes these claims are made inappropriately

Criteria:

• Cause & Effect variables are correlated

• “Cause” came before the “Effect” variable

• No other explanation for the relationship

Ex. Family meals may prevent eating disorders

Validity

The appropriateness of a conclusion or decision. Valid claims are those that are (reasonably) reasonable, accurate, & justifiable

Construct Validity

Quality of the measures & manipulations, always appropriate to interrogate

Statistical Validity

Statistical conclusions are appropriate & reasonable

Internal Validity

No alternative causal explanations for the outcome

External Validity

Can we generalize? Simple → Population? Different times/places/situations/conditions?

Point Estimate

A single estimate of some population value (percentage, difference, or correlation) based on data from a sample

• We’d like to know about it, but usually don’t directly measure

Confidence Interval

A range that’ll cotain the true population value a large proportion of the time