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What are the three main types of research? Basic Research: Increases knowledge and understanding. Example: How does social media impact self-esteem?

  1. What are the three main types of research?

    • Basic Research: Increases knowledge and understanding.
      Example: How does social media impact self-esteem?

    • Applied Research: Applies findings to improve human conditions.
      Example: Is group therapy effective for PTSD?

    • Evaluation Research: Evaluates programs’ effectiveness.
      Example: D.A.R.E program effectiveness.

  2. What are the three main goals of research?

    • Description: Describes patterns of behavior/emotions.
      Example: Voting preferences.

    • Prediction: Predicts future behavior.
      Example: Does narcissism predict criminality?

    • Explanation: Explains why behaviors occur.
      Example: Why do women express emotion more than men?

  3. What makes an investigation “scientific”?

    • Public Verification: Findings are published and replicable.

    • Solvable Problems: Investigates answerable questions.

    • Systematic Empiricism: Uses structured observations to draw conclusions.

  4. What is the difference between conceptual and operational definitions?

    • Conceptual: Abstract, dictionary-like definitions.
      Example: "Stress" as a concept.

    • Operational: Measurable definitions in a study.
      Example: Heart rate to measure stress.

  5. What is the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?

    • Deductive Reasoning: Starts with theory → Hypotheses.

    • Inductive Reasoning: Starts with observations → Theories.

  6. What is the difference between hypotheses and theories?

    • Hypothesis: Specific proposition, testable.

    • Theory: Broader, explains relationships between concepts.

  7. What is pseudoscience?

    • Claims masquerading as science but violating scientific criteria (e.g., not replicable, not based on observation).

Lecture 2: Behavioral Variability

  1. What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative measures?

    • Quantitative: Uses numerical data.

    • Qualitative: Uses descriptive/observational data.

  2. What are the four quantitative research methodologies?

    • Descriptive: Describes behaviors.

    • Correlational: Examines relationships (no causation).

    • Experimental: Manipulates IV, random assignment.

    • Quasi-Experimental: No random assignment, less control.

  3. What is the difference between systematic and error variance?

    • Systematic Variance: Related to IV, controllable.

    • Error Variance: Random, unrelated to IV.

  4. What are the measures of central tendency?

    • Mean: Average score.

    • Median: Midpoint of ordered scores.

    • Mode: Most frequently occurring score.

  5. What are the measures of dispersion?

    • Range: Difference between max and min.

    • Variance: How much values deviate from the mean.

    • Standard Deviation: Square root of variance.

Lecture 3: Approaches to Psych Measurement

  1. What are the three ways to measure behavior?

    • Observation, physiological, self-report.

  2. How do you record observational data?

    • Narratives: Written descriptions.

    • Checklists: Tally sheets for specific behaviors.

    • Observation Rating Scales: Measures quality/intensity of behaviors.

  3. What is the difference between disguised, undisguised, and partially concealed observations?

    • Disguised: Participants unaware.

    • Undisguised: Participants aware.

    • Partial Concealment: Participants aware of observation but not what’s being observed.

  4. What are the main observational methods?

    • Naturalistic: Observing without intervention.

    • Participant: Researcher engages with subjects.

    • Contrived: Controlled setting for observation.

  5. What are response sets and social desirability bias?

    • Response Sets: Bias unrelated to item content.

    • Social Desirability Bias: Participants answer to appear socially acceptable.

Lecture 4: Reliability and Validity

  1. What are the four types of scales?

    • Nominal: Labels/categories.

    • Ordinal: Rankings.

    • Interval: Equal differences, no true zero.

    • Ratio: Equal differences, true zero.

  2. What are the three kinds of reliability?

    • Inter-Rater Reliability: Agreement between raters.

    • Test-Retest Reliability: Consistency over time.

    • Inter-Item Reliability: Consistency among scale items.

  3. What are the three types of validity?

    • Face Validity: Measure looks valid.

    • Construct Validity: Measure relates to other measures.

    • Criterion-Related Validity: Measure correlates with real-life behaviors.

Lecture 5: Sampling and Descriptive Research

  1. What is the difference between probability and nonprobability samples?

    • Probability: Likelihood of selection is known.

    • Nonprobability: Likelihood of selection is unknown.

  2. What is stratified random sampling?

    • Divides population into subgroups, randomly samples from each.

  3. What is cluster sampling?

    • Randomly selects entire groups (clusters).

  4. When are convenience samples used?

    • When describing relationships between variables, not populations.

Lecture 6: Ethics in Research

  1. What approach does the IRB take?

    • Utilitarian: Benefits must outweigh harm.

  2. What are the three types of scientific misconduct?

    • Falsification, fabrication, plagiarism.

  3. Who are considered vulnerable populations?

    • Children, prisoners, pregnant women, people with disabilities, at-risk individuals.

Lecture 7: Correlational Research

  1. What does the correlation coefficient tell you?

    • Direction and magnitude of the relationship.

  2. Can correlational studies determine causation?

    • No.

  3. What is the effect of having a restricted range?

    • Can obscure relationships and show no effect when one exists.

Lecture 8: Experimental Research

  1. What are the three main parts of an experiment?

    • Manipulate IV, assign participants, control variables.

  2. What are threats to internal validity?

    • Biased assignment, attrition, history effects, expectancy effects.

Lecture 9: Advanced Experimental Designs

  1. What is the experimenter’s dilemma?

    • Balancing internal and external validity.

  2. What is the difference between main effects and interaction effects?

    • Main Effects: Individual IV effects.

    • Interaction Effects: Combined IV effects.

Lecture 10: Analyzing Experimental Data

  1. What is the difference between Type I and Type II errors?

    • Type I: False positive.

    • Type II: False negative.

  2. What does the p-value have to be to be significant?

    • Less than 0.05.

Lecture 11: Quasi-Experimental Designs

  1. What is the difference between experiments and quasi-experiments?

    • Quasi-experiments lack random assignment and control.

  2. What is an example of ABA design?

    • Baseline → IV introduced → Reversal to baseline.