Psychology Chapter 2 part 1 02/13/2025

Research Overview

• Continued focus on research in this class and upcoming neuroscience chapter.

• Importance of understanding participation in research studies.

Participant Recruitment

• Average response rate for research participation: 5-8%.

• Anecdotal story about personal experience participating in a survey at the mall;

  • Interaction with a researcher led to participation in a gum flavor study.

• Volunteering for research is unusual; typically participants are compensated.

Research Challenges

• The difficulty in gathering participants can affect study quality.

• Personal account of a longitudinal study that was rejected for publication due to participant recruitment method.

• Importance of compensation for participation highlighted in research.

Research Settings

• Research generally takes place in:

  • Universities and research hospitals.

• Distinction between two-year and four-year institutions.

  • Four-year institutions have larger classes and hire faculty who are primarily researchers.

  • Faculty at two-year institutions often focus on teaching rather than research.

  • The term "publish or perish" emphasized for tenure in research positions.

Scientific Method

• Steps of the scientific method as a guide for conducting research.

  • Step 1: Identify a Question and Review Literature

    • Formulate a question of interest (e.g., infidelity in relationships).

    • Review peer-reviewed literature that relates to the question.

  • Step 2: Develop a Testable Hypothesis

    • A hypothesis predicts the relationship between variables (e.g., infidelity leading to marital discord).

    • Importance of operational definitions to measure variables.

  • Step 3: Select a Research Method

    • Different research methods include surveys and experiments.

  • Step 4: Analyze Data

    • Determine whether there’s support for the hypothesis; truth may not be fully proven, only supported.

  • Step 5: Seek Scientific Review

    • Submit research for peer review before publication; often a lengthy process.

  • Step 6: Build a Theory

    • Theories explain relationships between concepts grounded in data and observations.

Ethics in Research

Informed Consent

• Key elements include:

  • Nature and purpose of the research.

  • Risks involved with participation.

  • Volunteer nature of the study.

  • Information about the principal investigator (PI).

  • Consent for publication with de-identified data.

Historical Context and Ethical Violations

• Discussion of the Tuskegee Experiment as a case study in research ethics:

  • Conducted from 1932 to 1972, it targeted poor African American males under false pretenses.

  • Participants were misled to believe they were being treated for "bad blood"; intentionally left untreated for syphilis to study disease progression.

• Highlighted dangers of unethical practices in research, leading to serious consequences for participants.