Intro to Psychology CH2

*****Explain the steps of the scientific method

Describe why the scientific method is important to psychology

  • The goals of Research:

    • to make measurements

    • to make predictions

    • to fix a problem / improve life

*****Summarize the processes of informed consent & debriefing

  • Informed Consent:

  • Debriefing

*****Explain how research involving humans or animals is regulated

  • Human Research

  • Animal Research

Differentiate between descriptive, experimental, and correlational research

  • Descriptive Research: observation and known facts

    • no hypothesis

    • describe behaviors based on observation

  • Naturalistic Observation: observing in a natural setting

    • Jane Goodall: studies life living in nature with chimpanzees

  • Case Study: special case of one or a small group of people

    • Phineas Gage: pole through the skull

  • Self-Report: list of questions that ask people about themselves

    • personal feelings, perception

  • Experimental Research:

    • hypothesis and tests hypothesis

    • manipulated and measured variables

    • random assignment

      • Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, Control Group

  • Correlational Research

    • hypothesis and tests for specific relationships

    • between two or more variables

      • Positive, Negative, Zero Correlation

*****Explain the strengths & weaknesses of case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, and archival research

  • Case Studies:

    • Strength

    • Weakness

  • Naturalistic Observation:

    • Strength

    • Weakness

  • Survey:

    • Strength

    • Weakness

  • Archival Research:

    • Strength

    • Weakness

*****Compare longitudinal & cross-sectional approaches to research

  • Longitudinal Approach

  • Cross-Sectional Approach

Explain what a correlation coefficient tells us about the relationship between variables

  • Correlation Coefficient: a measure of the degree of association between TWO variables

    • Positive: both increase or both decrease

      • ↑↑, ↓↓

      • Height and Weight

    • Negative: one increase and the other decrease

      • ↑↓, ↓↑

      • Age and Health

    • Zero: no relationship

      • ←→

Describe why correlation does not mean causation

  • Correlation observes a relationship (effect)

  • Correlation does not PROVE the relationship

*****Describe the experimental process, including ways to control for bias

Identify and differentiate between independent & dependent variables

  • Independent Variable: manipulated variable

  • Dependent Variable: the result of said manipulation

*****Define reliability and validity

  • Reliability:

  • Validity

*****Describe the role of random sampling and random assignment in drawing cause-and-effect conclusions

*****Describe the basic structure of a psychological research article