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AP Psychology Study Guides
AP Psychology Ultimate Guide
Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
Unit 2: Cognition
Unit 3: Development and Learning
Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality
Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health
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Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology
đ„Œ
AP PSYCH 1.2 Research Methods in Psychology
Research is done in many ways to solve different problems
All methods listed here may present
correlations
, but do not imply
causation
Two things may follow the same trend, but that does not necessarily mean that one affects the other
Surveys
Questionnaires that gather data on what people think or have done
Data is raw and needs to be processed before it can become useful
Gathers lots of âsurfaceâ data
Strengths
Gathers large amounts of data quickly
Easy and cheap
Data is processed easily and can be turned into information
Can study sensitive topics because it allows for anonymity
Weaknesses
Participants can lie
Participants can misunderstand the question or prompt
Wording effect:
Questions can be written in a way that affects the participants perception and therefore response
Cannot easily ask follow-up questions
Case Study
The opposite of surveys
Gathers lots of deep data about a specific individual or group
Strengths
Can provide more context
Follows participants through time, not just a moment
Chronological data
Weaknesses
Time consuming to gather such detailed data about peopleâs lives
Hard to conduct and expensive
Hard to get approved
Privacy/ethics concerns
Drop outs can be catastrophic
Canât assume causality
May not be generalizable
Naturalistic Observation
People who know theyâre being observed may not act normally
Going into an environment undetected is a good way to gather veritable data
Strengths
Allows for authentic data
Participants canât react to observerâs presence, assuming they donât know theyâre being watched
May allow for ârealâ treatment
Weaknesses
Privacy and ethical concerns
May ignore
informed consent
Lack of âcontrolâ
Results can only be descriptions, not explanations or deeper insight
Cross Sectional and Longitudinal
These studies are not research methods but rather ways in which research can be conducted
Cross Sectional
Compared different groups
Gathers data from one point in time
Snapshot, doesnât give full picture or context
Longitudinal
Follows one group
Gathers data over a long time
Questions about generalizability
Good for questions of development (Unit 6)
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AP Psychology Study Guides
AP Psychology Ultimate Guide
Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
Unit 2: Cognition
Unit 3: Development and Learning
Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality
Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health
Studying for another AP Exam?
Check out our other AP study guides
Top Exams
AP English Language and Composition
AP Biology
AP United States History