psych analysis - chapter 1

science

a process or method for generating a body of knowledge

is psychology a science?

yes

goals of science

1. description - accurate portrayal of phenomenon

2. explanation - gathering knowledge about “why ” phenomenon exists or causes

3. prediction - anticipate an event prior to its occurance

4. control - influence behaviors or mental processes

description

accurate portrayal/depiction of phenomenon

explanation

gathering knowledge about ”why” phenomenon exists or its causes

prediction

anticipate an event prior to its occurance

control

influence behaviors or mental processes

what is the scientific method?

1. theory - theory land

2. research questions - theory land

3. research design - data land

4. preregister - data land

5. data - data land

6. analysis

theory

interrelated constructs, definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of a phenomenon by specifying relations among variables, with the purpose of explaining and predicting the phenomenon.

• broad

• tested many ways

• may or may not have supporting data

hypothesis

prediction about what the researcher will observe in the study

• specific

• informed by theory and previous data

• testable

• made a prior - b4 data collection

• inductive data starting with research

4 sources of information

1. experience

   1. seen or done

   2. problems

      1. no comparison group

      2. alternative explanations

2. intuition

   1. feels correct

      1. good story

      2. easily comes to mind

      3. expected results

   2. problems

      1. biases

         1. availability heuristic

         2. present/present bias

         3. confirmation bias

         4. bias blind spot

3. authority

   1. expert source

      1. useful in early stages

   2. problems

      1. intuition or experience

      2. research?

4. research

   1. comparison group

   2. controls

4 sources of information simplified

1. experience

2. intuition

3. research

4. authority

experience (source of information)

• seen or done

• problems

  • no comparison group

  • alternative explanations

intuition (source of information)

• feels correct

  • good story

  • easily comes to mind

  • expected results

• problems

  • biases

  • availability heuristic

  • present/present bias

  • confirmation bias

  • bias blind spot

authority (source of information)

• expert source

  • useful in early stages

• problems

  • intuition or experience

  • research?

research (source of information)

• comparison group

• controls

availability heuristic

a mental shortcut where you judge how common or likely an event is based on how easily examples of it come to your mind.

present/present bias

the tendency to give more weight to the present moment, choosing immediate rewards or avoiding short-term costs at the expense of long-term well-being

confirmation bias

the psychological tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that supports your existing beliefs while ignoring or discounting contradictory evidence

blind spot bias

the tendency to see yourself as less biased than other people and to spot cognitive flaws in others while missing them in your own thinking.

finding high quality sources

• psychINFO

• google scholar

• journal impact factor

• # of citations

• backward/forward citation search

• author(s)

good research ideas

• inductive or deductive

• ask important questions

  • practically important

  • grounded in theory and existing knowledge

• can be operationally defined

• unimportant questions

  • answer is firmly established

  • minimal effects on behavior of interest

  • no reason to believe variables are related

primary scholarly sources

• peer reviewed articles

  • typically 2+ experts

  • intuitive feedback and revision process

  • empirical/primary study

  • review articles

  • theory papers

  • problems

    • reviewers

    • reputation

• peer reviewed conferences and professional meetings

  • up to date

  • peer review if present is less rigorous

  • costly

secondary scholarly sources

• books

  • not peer reviewed

  • old information

  • ideas and beginning stages

  • edited handbooks often have good reviews by experts

• dissertations/thesis

  • not peer reviewed (although have been approved by committee)

  • may not be published elsewhere

  • extreme caution - quality varies widely

predatory journals

• no or very linient peer review

• no impact factor

• pay2publish

inductive

A logical approach where you start with specific observations or measurements and build them up into a broader general rule or theory

deductive

A logical approach where you start with a general statement or premise and test it to reach a specific, certain conclusion.