Psychology Final Research Review

Psychology

is defined as the research-based analysis and evaluation of the mind, actions, and habits. This research aims to provide details and deductions about our behaviors

Psychological research involves…

studies conducted by psychologists with the intention of developing proven procedures that will either resolve a question or dilemma or produce enhancements that benefit society

Researchers implement the scientific method:

which begins with presenting an inquiry of a problem

• next, a theory is proposed, followed by experimentation or studied that are designed to test the theory.

• as a result of the information gathered, theories may be confirmed or disproved, questions may be answered, and fresh knowledge gained via scientific substantiation.

Quantitative and qualitative research

are two vital study types, as they reflect the contrasting data varieties that psychologists mange.

Quantitative research deals with

figures and statistics that can be counted in numerical form. This type of research uses statistics and figures to measure or quantify behavioral characteristics and psychological issues.

Psychologists utilize quantitative research

in order to uncover facts that can be computed and examined in a manner that is substantiated.

Qualitative research deals with

information that is not able to be numerically measured; rather, this data is illustrative and observable

The type of information collected and studied may include

verbal or written interviews, pictures, audio or visual recordings, or observations

Qualitative research is utilized

by psychologists in order to gain a better understanding of how individuals feels, why they act in particular ways, and how their behavior affects them and their environment.

Unlike the numerical data that is produced by quantitative research…

the results of qualitative research are open to interpretation and may be subjective

Diverse types of psychological research methods exist which encompass either …

quantitative or qualitative properties

There are three main types of psychological research

1. descriptive

2. correlational

3. experimental research

Descriptive research

is a genre of qualitative study that aims to illustrate that actions of individuals by way of observation

These studies do not include variables

which are elements of an experiment that are able to be manipulated. The objective is simply to collect information that is purely based on observation

Descriptive research is particularly useful in

the preliminary stages of planning further research, such as correlational or experimental studies, to gather sufficient data in order to form a theory.

Correlation research revolves around

testing potential connections between variables

Within these types of studied, although the variables are not controlled by the researcher

the results will reveal the extent and direction of the connection between the variables

Correlation studies aim to find out if

there are differences in the characteristics of a population depending on whether or not its subjects have been exposed to an event of interest in the naturalistic setting

Correlation research can be

longitude or cross-sectional

Cross-sectional study

you collect data from a population at a specific point in time

Longitudinal study

you repeatly collect data from the same sample over an extended period of time

The main difference is that

cross-sectional studied interview a fresh sample of people each time they are carried out, whereas longitudinal studies follow the same sample of people over time.

An established correlation

can be positive or negative

Positive correlation

means that both variables change in the same direction

Negative correlation

means that the variables change in opposite directions

Zero correlation

means there is no connection established

Experimental research

expands on the previous methods by manipulating the variables during studies, such as lab or field experiments, which allows the researcher to determine whether or not a cause-and-effect connection exists.

Experimental research can be grouped into two broad categories

1. true experimental designs

2. quasi-experimental designs

Both designs require treatment manipulation but

while true experiments also require random assignment, quasi-experiments do not.

True experiments have four elements

1. manipulation

2. control

3. random assignment

4. random selection

the most important of these elements are manipulation and control

it relies on statistical analysis to prove or disprove a hypothesis, making it the most accurate form of research,

of the types of experimental design, only true design can establish a cause-effect relationship within a group

In a true experiment, three factors need to be satisfied

• there is no control group, which won’t be subject to changes, and an experimental group, which will experience the changed variables

• a variable that can be manipulated by the researcher

• random distribution

Random assignment

refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group. Study participants are randomly assigned to different groups, such as the experimental group or treatment group.

Random selection

refers to how sample members (study participants) are selected from the population for inclusion in the study. Random assignment is an aspect of experimental design in which study participants are assigned to the treatment or control group using a random procedure.

When statistical analysis is used

various graphs show the results and are added to the results sections in various forms of research.

Two examples of graphs used include

bar graph and a scatterplot

Bar graph

a visual representation of data using rectangular bars where the length of each bar corresponds to the value of a specific category

Scatterplot

uses dots to represent values for two different numerical variables. They are used to observed relationships between variables

Histogram

is similar to a bar graph but represents quantitative data where the bar graph represents categorical data. The bars touch in a histogram whereas there is a space in-between the bar graph to indicate the different categories.

Experimental research

expands on the previous methods by manipulating the variables during studies, such as lab or field experiments, which allows the researcher to determine whether a cause-and-effect connection exists.

Cortex

higher mental functions (learning, remembering, etc.)

Prefrontal Cortex

thinking, reasoning, impulse control

Neurotransmitters

mood enhancers, endorphins, pleasure/pain

Anxiety/Nervous

sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

Theories

• Classical Conditioning

• Behaviorism and Reinforcement Schedule Bandura/social learning theory/Bobo doll