PSYC 3650 Exam 1 (by Jay)

What was the common belief about mental disturbances prior to 1879?

They were caused by evil spirits and demons.

What is trepanation?

The practice of drilling a hole in the head to allow spirits to escape.

What significant event in psychology occurred in 1879?

Wilhelm Wundt built the first psychology building in Leipzig, Germany.

What are some methods used to diagnose mental illnesses?

Use of medication and therapeutic methods.

What did Milgram's obedience studies

The extent to which individuals would obey authority figures, even to the point of causing harm. ( shock therapy for obedience)

What was the focus of Zimbardo's prison study?

The effects of perceived power and authority in a simulated prison environment. Racial Bias/ Stereo types/ Group Cooperation vs. Conflict

What is the importance of research in psychology?

To understand the underlying causes of disorders for better treatment. Better understanding--> better treatment

What is the difference between intuition and deduction in psychological research?

Intuition is based on previous knowledge, while deduction uses knowledge to make inferences.

What does the term 'authority' refer to in the context of psychological research?

A source of information that is likely accurate, often accepted without verification. "It is Known"

What is empiricism in psychology?

Gaining knowledge through systematic observation and the scientific method.

What is determinism in psychological research?

The belief that all phenomena have identifiable causes and nothing happens at random.

What is the principle of parsimony?

The idea that simpler explanations are more likely to be correct.

What does testability mean in the context of psychological theories?

Only ideas that can be tested through observation are examined by the scientific method. Only applied to TESTABLE ideas

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to focus on information that aligns with personal preferences and beliefs. News Stories Google, Facebook, twitter etc

What is falsification in psychological research?

The process of testing predictions to see if they can be proven false. Sigmund Freud's ideas difficult to test using scientific method

What is the difference between basic and applied research?

Basic research aims to understand fundamental processes, while applied research seeks to solve real-world problems.

Why is research important for clinicians?

It helps improve their practice and effectiveness in treating patients.

How long has the science of psychology been around?

Approximately 140 years.

What is one conclusion about the effectiveness of clinicians today compared to the past?

Clinicians today are much more effective than those from 100, 50, or even 10 years ago.

What is the role of clinicians in relation to psychological research?

They rely on psychological research to enhance their practice.

Applied research

actively testing a study to solve a real-world problem that has little to not knowledge

Developing a Research Question

First step in the research process

Questions can be real world problems

Questions can be descriptive or causal

Behavior or the cause of behavior is questioned

Make questions as descriptive as possible

What do you do before preparing a research question?

Conduct literature review

What should Literaute reviews help you find?

Existing infomation on the topic

What should a new study do?

Add to what is already known

Useful database for conducting literature review

PsycINFO, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ERIC

Meta Analysis

a study over MULTIPLE studies can be summarized into one paper. QUANTITATIVE

Structure of Research Article:

Abstract

Introduction

Method

Discussion

References (must be peer-reviewed)

Details of an Individual Search Result

Authors, Source, Abstract

Save, Email features

Cite feature

Find full text

Three types of research publications

research articles, reviews, and book/book chapters

Primary goals of literaure review

1. Avoid duplicating previous research

2. Make informed hypotheses

3. We cannot prove, but only support

hypotheses!

Two Key Documents on Ethics

Nuremburg Code

Belmont Report

Nuremburg Code

After WW2

1947

Belmont Report

1979

Global expectations and if crossed will be severely punished

Nuremberg Code

-The first major international document to provide guidelines on research ethics

-First major government guidelinesFormed in 1946 as a result of Nazi experiments during WWII

Nuremberg Code Focused on

Informed consent

Coercion

Nuremberg Code Researchers must

-Avoid unnecessary harm

- Take precautions against risks

-Every safety net is set

-Ensure benefits outweigh the risks

People who need extra supervision/ cannot consent

Children, Pregnant women, Cognitively emotionally- people incapable to make their own decisions by theirselves, prisoners

Belmont Report (1979)

Created in 1979 by the National

Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research

Respect for Persons

-Provide information about the study before it begins

- Obtain consent from participants

- Give participants opportunity to ask questions

-Inform participants of right to withdraw

Beneficence

-Reduce risk of harm to participants

- Benefits of study must outweigh risks

- Confidentiality must be maintained

-Take long measures to keep confidentiality 100%

- Inhumane treatment of participants is never justified

Justice

- Selection of participants must be fair

- All participants must receive benefits of research

- No participant may be selected for harmful research

APA

American Psychological Association

APA Code

Has its own ethical standards

Adopts Nuremberg Code and Belmont Report

Includes two additional guidelines

APA 2 additional guidelines

-Researchers must reduce harm by deception

-Ensure confidentiality of participant data

Milgram (1963) Obedience Study

You can put people in distressed but will the outcome outweigh the distress and trauma?

Unit 731

- Imperial Japanese Army - WWII

-General Shiro Ishii (combat doctor)

- Criminals, political prisoners, homeless, handicapped

- Removed organs, limbs on live patients

-Led to scientists coming together to create ethics

IRB

Institutional Review Boards

IRB must

Very strict about protecting participants, especially university studies to make sure the school doesn't get sued

Exempt Studies

-Studies with smallest amount of risk involved

Educational or cognitive testing of participants

- Given a brief review and assigned exempt status

Small risk

Expedited Studies

* Studies that are reviewed by only one member of IRB

* Small amount of physical or psychological risk

* For example—noninvasive medical procedures

Full-Review Studies

-Each member of the IRB reviews the study

- There is high risk of harm

- For example—invasive medical procedures or emotional distress

More than small risk

Criteria for IRB Approval

-Researcher minimizes unnecessary risk

- Risk is justified by benefits

Selection of participants is fair

- Informed consent process is included

Criteria for IRB Approval

- Researcher monitors data to ensure safety of Participants

- Confidentiality of participants is protected

-Procedures must be included to protect rights of special participants

-Must be contacted if there is an no alternative and inform IRB and they will have to monitor if the study needs to be shut down or if it can continue

Current Ethical Guidelines for Non-Human

Subjects

-For studies involving animals

- Only 7% to 8% of all psychological research

- Mostly birds and rodents

- Primates rarely used

- Specific criteria regarding justification, personnel, care and housing, acquisition, procedures

scientific merrit

Must have someone certified who has the specialized skills (trained personnel) to conduct study

Justification

Must include a clear scientific purpose for study

Must contribute important knowledge of behavior

Must justify use of specific chosen species

Personnel

Only trained personnel may be involved in research

Effects on animals must be anticipated

Must have knowledge about the species being studied

Care and Housing of the Animals

Researchers are responsible for care of animals

Animal Welfare Act provides standards for care of animals

Housing must be provided to keep them in good health

Acquisition of the Animals

APA has criteria for ethically obtaining animals for research

Must be carefully transported to facility

Must be humanely obtained from the wild

Sounds simple, but they want to know everything

Must get animals humanly and not stealing from mothers

Most of the time the animal is killed at the end of the study because the animal can have a negative effect to other animals in the wild :(

Procedures Used in the Study

Must treat animals humanely during procedures

Discomfort should be minimized

Must be monitored for unanticipated negative effects

Cannot be released into wild when study is over

Ethics in Reporting Research

Two primary issues addressed are:

Errors in the reported data

Plagiarism

Proven fact

Theres no proven facts in psychology because you cant prove anything