IB Psychology Research Methods Unit 1

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by internal factors and the external environment

scientific study

a reliance on grounded evidence to make conclusions and peer reviewed work

behavior

observable actions

mental processes

what occurs internally that allows us to interpret, communicate, and function in our world

pop psychology

unfounded opinions based on popular beliefs

pseudoscience

collection of beliefs

aim

purpose of the study

procedure

step by step process used by the researcher to carry out the study

results

numerical and descriptive data that is obtained and processed

findings/conclusions

how the researcher interpreted the data that was collected

target population

group of people whom researchers are interested in for a study

sample

group of participants chosen from the target population

participants

the people that take part in a psychological study

opportunity/convenience sample

sample from the people who are available at the time and fit the criteria you’re looking for

random sample

each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

self-selected sample

participants volunteer

quantitative data

data gathered in numerical form, which can be measured, ranked, and put into categories

laboratory experiment

used to determine whether a cause and effect relationship exists between 2 variables

experimental hypothesis

predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV

null hypothesis

states that there’s no significant relationship between the 2 variables being studied

standardized procedure

directions given to the participants must be exactly the same

research design

strategy the researcher chooses to investigate the problem and test the hypothesis

repeated measures design

one sample of participants that receives each condition of the sample

(however many conditions you have happens to all of them)

independent samples design

members of the sample are randomly allocated to only one condition of the experiment

matched pairs design

independent samples in which participants are not randomly allocated to conditions

field experiment

done outside the laboratory- researcher actively manipulates the IV, but cannot control the extraneous variables

natural experiment

observes the effect of a naturally occurring IV

correlational studies

experiment cannot be carried out, but data can be calculated to show a relationship between 2 variables

bidirectional ambiguity

it’s impossible to know if y caused x or x caused y when they interacted to cause a behavior

qualitative research

producing descriptive data

naturalistic observations

take place in a natural setting

surveys

questionnaire to collect data, but with a response bias

case studies

focusing on the whole of the experiment (holistic approach)

structured interviews

researcher must stick to a script of questions

unstructured interviews

researcher lets the interview take its course

ethical considerations (what do you need to consider)

informed consent, use of deception, right to withdraw, no undue stress or harm, data anonymization, and debriefing

informed consent

participants are told

1. the nature of the study and agree to participate

2. they have a right to withdraw at any time (including data)

3. for children, the parent/guardian must give consent

right to withdraw

the participant has the right to withdraw at any time, free of pressure from the researcher

use of deception

must be justified and approved by IRB, usually is not used

no undue stress or harm

most basic ethical standard, protects the participant’s physical and psychological state