Experimental Methods EXAM 1

Ethical guidelines

Research needs to be approved by the IRB, researchers must obtain informed consent from participants, participants must be told ahead of time of any recordings or potential harm, researchers must have thorough debriefing for the study, and minimize discomfort for animals

Nuremburg Code

Formed in 1946 as a result of Nazi Experiments during WWII and first major document to provide guidelines on research ethics

Types of publications

Research articles, reviews, books and book chapters

Types of publications - RESEARCH ARTICLES

May describe one or more studies. Researcher submits to a psychological journal to publish it, and it is peer-reviewed by experts

Types of publications - REVIEWS

Summarizes past findings, does not present new findings. (Systematic reviews summarizes all papers in a particular area)

Types of publications - BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS

Summarizes past findings, sometimes includes new data, more extensive than a single paper

Sections of a research article

Abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, multiple experiment/study articles

Research Article - ABSTRACT

1st step. Short summary of the study

Research Article - INTRODUCTION

2nd step. Introduction to topic, hypotheses, and gives reader background info necessary to understand

Research Article - METHOD

3rd step. Info about how the study was conducted. Includes participants, design of the study, materials, and procedure participants went through

Research Article - RESULTS

4th step. Provides summary of data and description of findings

Research Article - DISCUSSION

5th step. Compares findings to predictions, what is learned is shown if correct or explanation provided if incorrect

Research Article - REFERENCES

6th step. Alphabetical list for all cited papers

Research Article - MULTIPLE EXPERIMENT/STUDY ARTICLES

7th step. Introduction, method, and result for each study (general discussion of results)

Why peer review is important

Part of the publication process where an article is read by experts, and the researcher is given feedback before the article is published

Where to go to search peer-reviewed articles

PsycInfo, Google Scholar, PubMed and ERIC

Psychology before 1879

Mental and behavioral disturbances were caused by evil spirits and demons

Canons of scientific method

Empiricism, determinism, parsimony, testability

Canons of scientific method - EMPIRICISM

Gaining knowledge through observation/scientific method

Canons of scientific method - DETERMINISM

Simple phenomena have identifiable causes. Behaviors have a specific cause or set of causes

Canons of scientific method - PARSIMONY

Simple explanations are more likely to be correct. Developing complex explanations only when research doesn’t support simple explanations

Canons of scientific method - TESTABILITY

Only ideas that can be tested through observation are examined by scientific method

Why is confirmation bias important?

Explains how people process information and leads people to hold onto false beliefs

Descriptive research questions

Focuses on identifying categories, trends, or characteristics

Causal research questions

Questions whether a specific variable causes or effects an outcome

Ethical violations in past research studies

Falsified data, bias, lack of protection from physical and emotional harm, lack of informed consent

Ethical considerations when conducting research with animals

Justification (clear purpose of study), Personnel (only trained personnel may be involved), proper care and housing for animals, acquisition of the animals (ethically obtaining them), procedures used (treat animals humanely), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (members must know APA Ethics Code)

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Reviews all research proposed to provide objective evaluation of ethics and oversees research to ensure ethical guidelines are followed (minimizes unnecessary risk, informed consent, confidentiality, procedures included, data is monitored for safety of participants, selection of participants is fair)

Wilhelm Wundt

Established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 in Leipzig, Germany

Why is research methods a required class for all psych majors?

Teaches students how to understand psychology based on scientific foundations rather than opinions

Bar for ‘proven fact’

There are no proven facts in psychology because you cannot prove anything